Document EdxwKq7z2vDLVKYozaxOgEd7g

FILE NAME: Johnson & Johnson (JAJ) DATE: 1998 Apr 23 DOC#: JAJ 135 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter to Mehaffy & Weber Law Firm from Alice Blount Alice M. Blount, Ph.D. Mineralogist Q^ April 23, 1998 M. Raymond Hatcher MEHAFFY & WEBER 2615 Calder Avenue P.0. Box 16 Beaumont, Texas 77704 Dear Mr. Hatcher: APR 2 7 E ft M EHAFFY b WEBER BEAUMONT, TEXAS According to your letter of March 31, 1998,1 have written and enclosed a report on the occurrence, regulation and up-to-date scientific view of asbestos, amphiboles and "intermediate" fibers. I have also enclosed copies of my 1990 and 1991 papers, one o f which I am sure that you already have. The 1991 paper was written because I became aware that it was a common opinion among industrial hygienists that industrial talcs were better than pharmaceutical and cosmetic talcs because there was a regulation for the former and not for the latter. I knew that this was not the case and wanted to set the record straight. Although my papers report an improved method for analysis, the determinations for the sample labeled I (Johnson & Johnson's Vermont talc) have been done by the traditional methods as well (see Table 2, page 567 in the 1990 paper). As I told you, I believe that Johnson & Johnson's Vermont talc contains trace amounts of asbestos which arc well below those specified by OSHA. It should be noted that the proposed FDA regulation, which was never finalized, also specified the same 0.1% limit for amphibole asbestos as OSHA. I may be away for short periods during the coming weeks, but I do check for messages on my work phone at the number you have been using. Sincerely yours, Alice M. Blount, Ph.D. P L A IN T IF F S a EXHIBIT 1 90620.000 P L A IN T IF F S EXHIBIT VW-490385 Protected Document-Subject to Protective Order Box 3437 Rutland, VT 0 5 7 0 1 Phone: 802-747-4857 e-mail: amblount@together.net J& J-0049150 JNJNL61 000052427