Document KGmqO84Yq4jYqz7BXr8BNrj40

FILE NAME: Kelly Moore (KM) DATE: 1976 May 11 DOC#: KM029 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter from Union Carbide to Paco Textures Co. RE Current OSHA Asbestos Standard UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION n o O C F .A N G A T E . l O N C EIEAG H. C A L IF O R N IA 90302 May 1 1 ,1976 Mr. Doug M errill Technical Director Pacs Textures Company 909 Old County Road San C a r lo s , C a lifo rn ia 94070 Dear Mr. M e rrill: We have had numerous requests fo r inform ation on the current status o f the Federal OSHA asbestos r e g u la tio n s , p a r tic u la r ly as they e f f e c t the con tin ued:use o f asbestos in tape jo in t compounds. Sin ce you are a manufacturer o f tape jo in t compounds, i t may be o f in te r e s t to you. The Asbestos Standard promulgated on June 7 , 1972, s ta t e s : (b) Perm issible exposure to airborne con cen tration s o f asbestos fib e rs - (1) Standard e ffe c tiv e Ju ly 7 , 1972. The 8-hour tim e-weighted average airborne con cen tration s o f asbestos fib e r s to which any employee may be exposed shall hot exceed fiv e fib e r s , longer than 5 m icrometers, ' per cubic centim eter o f a i r y as determined by the method prescribed in paragraph (e) o f th is se ctio n . (Emphasis added.) (2) Standard e ffe c tiv e Ju ly 1, 1976. The 8-hour tim e- weighted average 'airborne co n cen trations o f asbestos fib e r s to which any employee may be exposed shal 1 not exced' two fib e r s , longer than 5 mi cromet e r s , ' per cu b ic centim eter o f ' TIT a i r , as determined by of this section. the method perscribed (Emphasis added.) in paragraph The reduction in the allow able 8-hour tim e-weighted average exposure from 5 fib e r s / c c to 2 fib e r s / c c th a t takes place on Ju ly 1 , 1976, i s t h e `only change in th asbestos re g u la tio n s th at has been prom ulgated. I t is obviousTy not a p ro h ib itio n on the use o f asbestos in tape jo in t compounds. On October 9 ,1 9 7 5 , OSHA proposed a new asbestos rulemaking th a t has received considerable p u b lic it y . The construction in d u stry where ta p e -jo in t compounds are used i s ' sp cif i c a 11v xclded from the new proposal and w ill be considered la t e r . U ntil such time as an asbestos standard fo r the construction in d u stry i s promulgated the e x is t in g June 7 , 1972, standard w ith the 5 fib e r/ cc and 2 fib e r/ c c (Ju ly 1976) allow able lim its noted above w ill continue to apply. KIVI 0 1 0 9 4 I t is important to poin t out th a t even the co n sid erab ly more r e s t r ic t iv e pro posed rulemaking has no suggestion whatsoever th a t the use o f asbestos in tape jo in t compounds w ill be prohibited by OSHA. I f you have any fu rth e r q u estio n s, please do not h e sita te to c a l l . Very tr u ly y o u rs, . TPN:pw T. P. Norris KMX 01976