Document K6qaKJpKB9OqJBQb49mrdJYRK

FILE NAME: Kentile (KEN) DATE: 1970 June 15 DOC#: KEN003 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Interim Report - Dust Measurements - Asbestos Fibre Dust Determinations KIN 1 b i I KENTILE FLOORS, INC. Brooklyn, New York Past Measurements - Interim Report Asbestos Fibre Dust Determinations L _J Submitted by R. A. W illiam s Sr. In d u strial Hygienist -2 - On the b asis o f what we have learned thus f a r , we are s t i l l o f the opinion th a t the exposure at a l l operations in vo lvin g mixed dusts should be co n tro lle d by meeting th e c u r r e n tly e sta b lis h e d TLV f o r a sb e sto s. I t i s s ig n i f i c a n t to note in th is regard th e inform ation contained in the Supplemental Documentation o f Threshold Lim it Values fo r Asbestos (copy e n clo se d ), as w e ll as th e new recommended change l i s t e d in the Notice o f Intended Changes fo r I970 (copy a lso en closed ). In t h is new l i s t i n g , the TLV fo r asbestos is le v e r y e t, i . e . , "5 fib res/m l g r e a te r than 5 microns in len gth w ith 10 fib re s/m l c e il i n g o f s tip u la te d d u ration and frequency and as measured by s p e c ifie d p ro ced u re." We t r u s t th a t t h is b r i e f rep ortin g w i l l b rin g you up to date w ith re sp e ct to our e ffo r ts aimed at determ ining the asbestos content o f the mixed dust exposure in your o p e ra tio n s. We intend to complete t h is work ju s t as soon as p r a c t i c a l l y p o s s ib le ; and when s u f f i c i e n t inform ation i s a v a ila b le , our recommendations fo r c o n tro l p r a c tic e s w i l l be made. Sr. Industrial H ygienist Loss Prevention Department d l -J6/15/7O Encs. X KEKTILE FLOORS, INC. Brooklyn, Xev York Dust Measurements - Interim Report Asbestos Fibre Dust Determ inations S everal months ago, as p art o f our endeavor t o provide inform ation cn the degree o f asbeBtos dust exposures re la te d to handling o f mixed dust a t s e v e ra l lo c a tio n s in th e Brooklyn p la n t, 12 membrane f i l t e r dust samples vere c o lle c te d and sen t to our Bopkinton la b o ra to ry f o r a n a ly s is . Tnis work vas i n it ia t e d in December I969. S ev era l months have ela p se d sin ce t h is study vas i n i t i a t e d . Although p relim in a ry fin d in g s ve re obtained and d iscu ssed v it h Mr. G e n tile , no form al rep o rtin g o f th ese r e s u lt s va s made sin ce i t vas f e l t a t th e tim e th a t the inform ation obtained v a s not s u f f i c i e n t l y d e f i n i t i v e t o a l l o v sound s c i e n t i f i c judgment t o be made v i t h resp ect to the e x a c t nature o f th e exposure as f a r as th e p resen t TLV or proposed TLV fo r asbestos fib r e s v a s concerned. Nor did v e b e liev e th a t the data vas s u ffic ie n t ly sound to permit reaching conclusions concerned v ith the e sta b lish in g o f a standard fo r K en tile operations. So th a t you might have th e b e n e fit o f th ese p re lim in a ry fin d in g s , i t can be r e ported th a t out o f 12 membrane f i l t e r paper samples c o lle c t e d , co n cen tration s o f asbestos fib r e s ranged from 4 to 8 fib r e s g re a te r than 5 microns in length per m i l l i l i t e r o f a ir . These concentrations vere a rriv ed at by counting - s e c tio n s o f th e f i l t e r papers a t ^30 diam eter m a g n ific a tio n v ith o u t th e b e n e fit of phase contrast illum in ation . We intend to r e -e v a lu a te th e se samples v i t h th e phase co n tra st m icroscope and phase co n trast lig h tin g to determine i f th ese p relim in ary fin din gs are above o r b elo v th e su ggested TLV o f 12 fib re s/m l g r e a te r than 5 microns in len g th . Our la b o ra to ry a t th e p resen t tim e has t h is equipment on ord erj and as soon as i t is o p e ra tiv e, th ese determ inations v i l l be completed. In the meantime, ve are in v e s tig a tin g th e p o s s i b i li t y o f oth er methods to a s s is t us w ith th ese determ inations, We hope in th e next s e v e r a l veeks t o be in a b e t t e r p o s itio n to o f f e r comment on th e r e s u lt s o f t h i s sam pling.