Document DGwvEVVNY44xwkR1rpOo7q3ra

.L' I V.' SUBJECT: Asbestos Exposure at Pittsburgh Corning Corporation BATE: October 19, 196k 1) On this date, Mr. Byrl Stout, Manager of Manufacturing, Pittsburgh Corning Corporation, was-brought to my office by Mr. Clyde Ruddick. Mr. Stout cane to the General Office on 1 September from Port Allegany where he was the plant manager. He replaced a gentle man who died of a coronary. 2) An article in a New York paper on the 12th of October, Subject: "A Rare Carcinoma Believed on the Rise--A Study of Asbestos Workers Shows a high Incidence." (A copy of this is attached.) This is what prompted his visit to this office. 3) Potential asbestos exposure occurs at two plants. Port Allegany, Pemsylvania and Tyler, Texas. There are about 10 employees at each plant assumed to be exposed. The exposure occurs during the cutting of unibestos wliich is a pipe insulating material made by com bining ground asbestos which has been received from Africa in burlap bags in the unground state with a filler composed of clay and diatomaceous earth and a binder of water glass. The approximate percent ages of each of the finished products are 75$ asbestos; 20$ filler and 5$ binder. k) The unibestos process and plants were acquired from UHARCO in mid 1962. The dust control procedures were very poor. This is of importance only at the Tyler plant is concerned because these employees had worked for UNARJO. Port Allegany plant was a new plant opened in February of 196k. 5) The Kettering Laboratory, University of Cincinnati, per formed environmental studies at the Tyler, Texas plant. A copy of this study is attached. 6) The Pittsburgh Corning Corporation consists of three plants. The Tyler plant with 60 employees--produces only unibestos; the Port Allegany plant with k50 employees--produces unibestos, glass block and a couple of other products; the Sedalia plant in Missouri located about 100 miles from Crystal City--produces foam glass products and has 200 employees. The Pittsburgh Corning Research Center is lo cated just north of Pittsburgh in Plum Borough. 7) Various factors associated with both asbestosis and mesothelioma were discussed. It was suggested, assuming that dust control procedures were adequate, no asbestos potential exists at Port Allegany. However, since the Tyler employees had been exposed to asbestos under less favorable conditions, there is a potential of future disability in this group. It was further suggested that periodic surveys of the workers environment be made, i.e., every two years would LI SUBJECT: AsbestoV&cposure at P-C Corporation be desirable for medical, legal purposes. If insignificant dust exposures exist at Port Allegany and Tyler, it can be assumed that if asbestosis develops, it had resulted from previous exposures. This is an important factor in determining utilization of second injury fund in Workmen's Compensation. 8) Nr. Stout invited me to visit all three of the Pittsburgh Corning plants. I advised that I would work out with him after my schedule with the Coatings and Resins and Class plants visits had been determined. Re further suggested that I make arrange ments for environmental surveys with either the Industrial Hygiene Foundation or Kettering Laboratory for some time after 1 January 1965 /  Study of Asbestos Workers t Shows a High incidence i ________ By IIAROIJ) M. SCUfclECK Jr. Occupalionai exposure to as bestos may be making an ex tremely rare form of cancer much more common, accord* Inc to a report yesterday to the annual meeting of the American public Health Association. The cancer is called mesothe lioma. It affects the inner lining of the abdomen or of the chest 'and, ha cither esse, It is fatal. in the general population It is extremely rare, but studies in Afnca, where asbestos is mined, and more recent studies of construction workers exposed to asbestos dust In the New York City area snow It to be far more common among those ex posed oeciipattonxlly. The specialists who gave the fwt expressed worry that the danger might not be entirely restricted to a limited occupa tion group, but that it might be more general and possibly ofj considerable importance. There Is no direct evidence to sub stantiate this, they said, but some of Uie available findings bint that this may be the case. .The report was given by Dr. laving J. Sclikoff and Or. Jacob Churg of Mount Sinai Hospital and Dr. S. Cuylcr Hammond, 'director of statisttea! research for Uw Amcricaa Cancer So ciety. Mesothelioma is so nr* In the .general population that it is not .separately coded .among causes .of death. Yet a study four years ago in an African asbestos min ing region found S3 cases, the report said. ; Heavy exposure to asbestos -dust has in the past been linked with some' increased risk ofj hmg cancer, Or. Sclikoff andj Or. Hammond said at a news] conference before their talk, but the mesothelioma is another, matter. The group pursued the qucs-J tkm by studies in the United. States. One of these was a study' of deaths among members of two New York area locals of a construction trade union whose members dcalUi with nsl cslox insulation. Of n total of 907) deaths occurring in this fairly, j-cslrictcd group over 20 years--; `1043 to 1001--10 were found to be caused by mesothelioma. , The report called this "an extraordinarily high Incidence for a tumor generally so rare.", In contrast, they current hushI study by the American Cancer] Society on the rflccis of environt mental factors on health sheaved that among 31,392 deaths in the general population only three were due to mesothelioma. i A further study of utauy c .-scs' of mesothelioma collected over, n long period by the Armed Forces Institute of Fathology. showed that sac-fourth of those specimens that could be tested' had evidence of the presence of asbestos. i The worrisome feature. Or. Hammond and Or. 8c Ik**:.' jr-id.i Is the evident* that asbestos,) once taken into the body, stays! there. Thus even n single heavy, exposure could conceivably pnej duee a cancer after a latent period of 20 years or more, they said. ' This Idea, for which they said there is some experimental as, well as epidemiological evidence, could expand the risk from sim ply those occupationally exposed to virtually anyone who might] only occasionally encounter as bestos dust. The severity of exposure nec essary to produce wd n s.*ri- ous effect Is not known, the two physicians said. j/ )/