Document K65Vk9zm84nb02LKaOeY5RNQ2

FILE NAME: Asbestos in Hair Dryers (HD) DATE: 1979 Apr 17 DOC#: HD015 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: CPSC Memo - Task Force Recommendation for Preliminary Determination, Hand-Held Hair Dryers V UNITED STATES G O VER NM EN T M em orandum U.S. CONSUMER PRQOUCT ' ' SAP5TY COMMISSION i TC = Catherine C. Cook, D irector, Product Defect Correction Division cate: April 17 lorq H y THROUGH. Task Force go Hand-held Hair Dryers / F F O v i Lynn S. Lichtenstein, S taff Attorney,Product Defect Correction Division U3JSCT Task Force Recommendation For Preliminary Determination Hand-Held Hair Dryers Recommendation t The Task Force recommends that a preliminary determination be made th at hana-held hair dryers which contain asbestos materials exposed to V]e aiT tre !!IT ryer present a substantial product hazard, that identification file s be opened in the names of manufacturers, importers d istrib u to rs, and private labelers of such hair dryers, and that correc tiv e action be sought frcm these firms. Defect 1 - Defect as Reported. ' _Information-provided to and obtained by the Consumer Product Safety Coirmission (CPSC) indicates that between 20 and 25 percent of hand-held nair dryers previously sold and those s t i l l on the market contain asbestos paper or m aterials as a protective lining around the inside of the nozzle or barrel^ of the appliance and sometimes as the support for the_heating coils or the appliance. These sources indicate that tests perrormed on_the dryers using electron microscopy have identified quantities of respirable asbestos fibers emitted from the dryers while in use. The sources and information available d iffe r as to whether . these quantities of asbestos accumulate in the name or are dissipated. 2. Assessment. The Task Force noted th a t asbestos in su ffic ie n t concentrations is'"' a . wnx^ se 1un9 cancer and a type of cancer known as mesothelioma which a i .h c t s the membranes lining the chest and abdominal cavities. Some or the respirable asbestos fibers which enter the body may become entrapped there and create site s for the formation of cancer. CECIE 00020 0001 -2- The "[ask Force noted further th at when released from the dryer, the asbesuos fibers may accumulate in a p articu lar environment, such as a home. . ( The Task Force believed th a t the insulation function performed by the asbestos paper or other m aterials in the dryer could also be per formed by mica, aluminum, and h e at-resista n t plastics and that these alternatives do not appear to re s u lt in a significant increase in the cost or the dryer to the consumer. Accordingly, the Task Force considered the use and/or presence of asbestos paper or other asbestos m aterials in the dryer which are exposed to the dryer's airstream and which release respirable asbestos fib ers into the a ir to be a defect. Risk of Injury ' 1. Pattern of Defect. ihe defect arises from the design of the hair dryers containing asbestos paper and other asbestos m aterials which specifies the use of asbestos as an insulator or component part. The defect manifests i t s e l f during normal use of the dryer. 2. Number of Defective Products in Correnerce. I f is believed th a t between 9 and 15 million hair dryers currently owned by consumers contain asbestos. I f sales of hand-held dryers in 1979 are comparable to those in 1978, approximately 3 million dryers containing asbestos will be sold. I t is not known how many dryers containing asbestos are currently in d istrib u to rs' and re ta ile rs ' , inventory or with manufacturers. 3. Severity of Risk. (a ) Seriousness of injury - The presence of asbestos paper or m aterials in the airstream of the dryer may contribute to the inducement of cancer in persons in the environment where the dryer is used. -- (b) Likelihood of injury - The Task Force noted that the develop ment of lung cancer or mesothelioma in a person who is exposed to asbestos might take 20 to 30 years or longer. The Task Force believed th at the exposure to asbestos accompanying the use of the dryers with asbestos materials exposed to the dryer's airstream creates an unneces sary increase in the risk of cancer from asbestos and f e l t that injury from^this_exposure was possible. The Task Force accordingly assessed the likelihood of injury as possible. GEG1E 00021 r 0002 . , Assessment - The Task Force considered the sev erity of the ' risk or injury to be high due to the fac t that an increased incidence of cancer may re s u lt rrom the use of asbestos-containing dryers. 4. Substantiality of Risk. . a If*"96 numtier o f asbestos-containing dryers- in consumers' nanos, the fact that consumers (many of whom are children) are exposed-- to respirable ^asbestos fib ers from the dryers during normal use, and the. p o ssib ility or an increased incidence of cancer from, inhalation of the fibers,, the Task Force .concluded th a t the dryers create a substantial risk of injury. . . TASK FORCE MEMBERS: Bessie Draper, COM-jS John Gomilla, FCL^Xs 0 Warren Prunella, HIC?^(il Gale Wyer, ESH Catherine Cook, CEPD C C C GEGIE 00022 0003