Document K6vK88okwxM2o5ydGnGvKjmz0

OMktdtafcfcXCommluton OtONo 2O4h6WH.oMngOh Ilita.M<5y*k. OHly4g3l2imIS May 12, 1980 Legal Section Industrial Commission of Ohio 246 North High Street Columbus, Ohio 43215 RB: Claim fOD 14001-22 Richards J. Pavick General, Motors Corp. Assembly Division Lordstown, Ohio 44482 Attn: Guy Sheaffor Dear Mr. Sheaffer: On February 21, 1980, a visit was made to the Lordstown Automobile Assembly Plant of General Motors Corporation, for the purpose of determining conditions under which the above named claimant had worked from November, 1966 until February 16, 1977, when he went on sick leave status. Mr. Pavick, who had not returned to work at the time', .of th4* visit, alleges to be suffering from neuritis which he feels has been caused by lead poisoning from excessive levels of lead dust in the air. Following is the employment history of the claimant, prior to being employed by General Motors: Jan. 1955 - July 1956 - Laborer, Copperweld Steel Co., Warren, Ohio Oct'. 1957 - Laborer, Republic Steel Corp., Warren, Ohio. Oct. 1957 - June, 1963 - Mechanic, Borgstrom Garage, Warren, Ohio June 1963 - June 1964 - Mechanic, Holub Equipment, Girard, Ohio June 1964 - Feb. 1966 -Mechanic, Ohio Fast Freight Feb. .1966 - Nov. 1966 - Merchanic, Cerni Motors, Warren, .. 'Mohio .Vj*, * . n h n t~t n u u O Legal Section Page 2 It should be noted that, although this claimant has been employed by General Motors since 1966, he has been on sick leave status 23 tines, prior to the nost recent period of sick leave, for a total of over 2.S years sick leave in the ten year period which ended in Decenber 1976. In addition he has been on sick leave status since February, 1977. For the nost part, since 1968 the clainant has been enployed as a repaiman on non-painted auto bodies. This work requires the renoval of snail inperfections in the car bodies. "Occasionally solder, which contains lead, is applied to a dent or inperfection and is snoothed with a hand file. Representatives fron nanagenent and the union were in agreenent that very little work is done with solder, and that cars with larger defects would not be repaired on the line. These cars are returned to the assenbly area where the danaged sections are replaced with new parts. The conpany, with strong support fron the union, prohibits the power grinding or sanding of body repairs on which solder has been applied. It is believed that the snoothing of the repairs with a hand file will not create particles fine enough to becone airborne. This is substanlated. by the following quote fron Volune II, Encyclopedia of Occupational Health 8 Safety, published by the International Labor Office: . "In sone few instances arrangenents are nade to ensure that the dust will be coarse rather than fine. Instead of snoothing>off the leaded parts of autonobile bodies by discing, a nuch coarser dust, which drops innediately to the ground, is produced by hand filing. In spite of the slow, onerous nature of this operation it is sonetines adopted in the interest of avoiding unhealthy conditions". In addition to prohibiting the power grinding of soldered surfaces outside of a ventilated booth, the conpany, since the plant opened in 1966, has provided quarterly blood analysis for all enployees who work with lead. Conpany policy is to tenporarily renove any worker fron possible lead exposure should the lead content of his blood exceed 69 nlcrograns per 100 grans of blood. The conpany representative pointed out that no one has been near the 69 nicrogran level since 1970, when production of full-size cars ended at Lordstown. In the production of the full-sized cars the routine use of solder was required. The soldered areas were sanded in a ventilated booth with the operator equipped with air supplied hoods for protection fron the lead dust. Mhen production of conpact cars began at this plant in 1970, the routine use of solder in production was elininated, and the grinding booths were renoved. It should be noted that the clainant did not work in these grinding booths. * \ f t thst results ox 11x9 uaw levels nor did he recall any worker on the repair line ever being removed fro* the job because of high blood lead levels. The concentration of lead in the blood, used by General Motors as a criteria for removal of employees from any possible lead exposure, is widely accepted as a safe level. The following is a statement fro* Volume II, Industrial Hygiene & Toxicology, Patty: "When the concentration of lead in the whole blood of an individual workman is 70 micrograms or less per 100 grams, the individual, while he may have little margin of safety for further or more severe occupational exposure to lead, is in no danger from his exposure to, or absorption of, lead, as of the time of sampling". Additional support for the removal criteria is provided in the very stringent OSHA lead standard (effecting date March 1, 1979), which at present requires the removal of an.employee from lead exposure if the employee's blood lead level exceeds 70 micrograms per 100 grams of whole blood. It is likely that the company would have detected high blood lead levels in this claimant if his alleged nerve damage was caused by excessive lead exposures. Central nervous system effects caused by lead exposures are usually due to the ingestion or inhalation of large amounts of lead, and an increase in the concentration of lead in the blood would have been detected before the symptoms could have been experienced, if they are to be attributed to lead exposure. During the plant visit of Pebruary 21, representative personal monitoring of several workers on the metal line of the body shop was conducted to learn the amount of airborne lead dust to which these workers are typically exposed. It should be noted that a company representative and a union safety representative accompanied the writer throughout the day, while the monitoring was conducted, and both were in agreement that the day was a fairly normal day of operations.. Personal sampling pumps equipped with cellulose ester filters were utilized for the monitoring. Following are tho sample results as reported by the lab: Employee Lead Concentration TWA (mg/M^j TLVA?mg!7M3) c2I7&3, E. Donahey J. Spragling R. Hazlett J. Miller J. Koziel 0.004 0.010 0.004 0.00s 0.009 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.0s 0.05 Legal Section Page 4 mg/M3 Milligrams per cubic meter TWA Time weighted average concentration TLV Threshold limit value ACGIH * American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists The preceding sample results, representative of the claimants exposur to lead, are well within the suggested limits of exposure which have been adopted by the ACGIH and OSHA, and not of. sufficient concen trations to cause lead poisoning. The highest lead concentration determined, 0.01 mg/M3, is only 6.7% of the ACGIH TLV and 20% of the rigid new OSHA standard. The previous OSHA standard permitted lead exposures of 0.2 mg/M?, four times the level permitted in the present standard. In summary, it is doubtful that this claimant could have received sufficient lead exposures, in his employment at General Motors, to cause his alleged condition. Also, the company policy of routinely performing biological monitoring of employees for elevated concen trations of lead in the blood would have detected an increase of lead ir the claimant's blood if he had ingested sufficient lead to cause his symptoms. Threshold limit values refer to airborne concentrations of substances and represent conditions under which it is.believed that nearly all workers aay be repeatedly exposed day after day without adverse effect. Because of wide variation in individual susceptibility, however, exposure of an occasional individual at or even below current TLVs may not prevent discomfort, aggravation of a pre existing condition, or an occupational illness. Sincerely, Donald B. Meeker, Industrial Hygienist