Document KGpDLEB21QEDoKp7JV7055m7x

FILE NAME Allied Signal Bendix ASB DATE 1974 Apr DOC ASB004 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Report from Bendix Public Relations - Asbestos Health and Brake Linings - A Position Paper From Dennison R. Crandall Bendix Public Relations 607 563-9511 Sidney New York 13838 For Bendix Friction Troy New York Materials Division 4/74 : 1707 PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT ASBESTOS HEALTH AND BRAKE LININGS A Position Paper Asbestos one of the world's most versatile and widely used industrial ingredients is contained in approximately 3.000 different products Many of these are readily recognizable by every Ameri- can consumer In the average home for example asbestos is used in a number of common household items -- everything from flam- mable drapes to pot holders and ironing board covers floor tile to roof shingles Even the asphalt paving in the driveway Asbestos is equally important to the motorist It is one of the primary ingredients of brake linings in use on millions of passenger cars and trucks all over the world For approximately half a century it has been an automotive industry standard -- the basis of safe sure stops for every kind of vehicle from a mini to heavy duty tractor trailer rig Bendix Friction Materials Division is one of the world's lead- ing manufacturers of brake linings . The division through a predecessor company can trace its ex- perience with asbestos to the stitched and woven linings of the twen- ties and early thirties These were produced on machines powered by more AlSsit SS, ALTHALTH AND BRAKE L. ee UY Asbestos has been widely publicized in recent years as a health hazard This is ironiu because the primary function of as- bestos is save lives -- whether it be used in brake linings or for fire prevention and retardation purposes in a large number of articles such as protective clothing insulating materials building products and theater curtains In considering the matter of asbestos and health it is in- portant to keep everything in proper perspective The problem is not unique to the asbestos industry alone There are a number of substances and materials in common use today that can be detrimental to health and safety under uncontrolled conditions conditions conditions conditions The key in every instance is a healthy respect for any poten- tial hazard as well as proper control and caution in the use of all substances and materials that can be injurious in any way The old rule of Safety First still applies According to The Asbestos Information Association the known facts about asbestos disease can be summed up as follows 1 Asbestos health risks today are almost exclusively confined to the occupational setting.. 2. The effects of excessive inhalation of asbestos are both time and dose related This means that asbestos diseases may develop generally only after the inhalation of substantial amounts of asbestos dust over a substantial period of time Thus there are levels of exposure that will not result in any increased risk of disease 3. There is presently no evidence of risk to the general pub- lic from exposure to the minute amounts of asbestos that have been found in community air more merger ee Sa ie ASBESTOS HEALTH AND BRAKE LININGS -- 4 4 Because of the long latent period of asbestos dis- ease the disease being found today among some long industry employees is not an indication of present day conditions but is a result of conditions existing decades ago at a time when neither the industry government nor the medical profession knew very much about the health effects of asbestos and even less about the proper means for their control The type of asbestos used in brake linings is chrysotile which now accounts for 97 per cent of all asbestos used annually in the United States Medical studies have shown amosite and crecido- lite -- the two other varieties of asbestos that are commercially significant today -- to be more potentially hazardous to health than chrysotile Millions of dollars have been invested by the asbestos indus- try in equipment and techniques to prevent the inhalation of astes- tos dust by workers Considerable progress has been made since the industry's first standard was established in 1938 by the American Conference of Gov- ernment Industrial Hygienists This standard established a thresh-- old limit value TLV of five million particles per cubic foot A new standard was established by the ACGIH in 1961. setting a TLV of 12 asbestos fibers five microns or longer per cubic centimeter This standard was modified in 1970 by reducing the weighted av^'rage to five fibers per cubic centimeter with a maximum of 10 fibers per cubic centimeter at any one time The 1970 modification was adopted by OSHA as a temporary stan- dard in 1972 and this is the present accepted level In 1976. how- more emt ane oe eee . : wee . nr od ne mame ce eee mye SBESTOS HEALTH AND BRAKE LININGS -- 51 ever a new standard scheduled to go into effect will reduce the TLV to only two asbestos fibers five microns or longer per cutic centimeter on weighted average The Bendix Corporation's investment in dust control equip- ment at its Friction Materials Division plants in Troy N. Y. and Cleveland Tenn now totals well over 650.000 An additional ex- penditure of 150,000 is earmarked for 1974 These sums are indicative of the large investment required to protect the division's employees and prevent air pollution Dust control efforts at the main plant in Troy go back more than 25 years The division has continuously upgraded its dust te collection systems as new methods and technology have become avail- able This extensive experience at the main plant has also been effectively utilized at the Cleveland Flant a branch facility es- tablished in 1964 to serve the automotive aftermarket The most recent advance in dust control this past year in- volved the installation of new dust pelletizing facilities at total cost of 429.000 for the Troy and Cleveland plants These new dust pelletizing facilities are believed to be a first for brake lining manufacturers The pelletizing process compacts the loose dust and forms it into round balls that can be as small as tapioca or as large as marbles The size is controlled by the speed and angle of a rotating disc used to shape the pellets Dry dust is conveyed directly from large totally enclosed collection bins -- and moisture is automati- cally added as the dust feeds into the pelletizer The pellets are more ASBESTOS HEALTH AND BRAKE LININGS -- 6 formed as the dust hits the spinning disc The addition of a small amount of cement hardens the pellets creating a more permanent bond that is difficult to crumble Dust collection at the two Bendix plants is a completely closed operation Pelletizing even eliminates the dust caused by the emptying of bins for transportation to the dump site Dust al- so is eliminated when the hoppers are dumped at the sanitary land fill Compacting the dust into pellets has the added advantage of conserving space and making more efficient use of the land fill Bendix as well as many other industrial plants working with asbestos throughout the country is well aware of the facts con- cerning asbestos Based on our own experience with asbestos for the past 40 years it is our feeling that the problem is primarily occupational and in no way represents any danger to the community itself As is the case with any substance found to be potentially detrimental to health and safety the real key is prevention This is accomplished through the safest possible working environment in the factory and careful observance of safe working practices on the part of all employees Bendix is not only making every possible effort to follow in- dustry recommendations for the safe handling of asbestos but to . also observe existing regulations and meet the new standard that will go into effect July 1 1976 . The problem has been approached at the Friction Materials Di- vision in variety of ways In addition to the installation of - more ASBESTOS HEALTH AND BRAKE LININGS -- 7s sophisticated dust collection systems employees in exposure areas are provided respirators and wear protective clothing such as caps and shop coats Dust levels are monitored to determine the asbes- tos content of the air An additional safeguard adopted at the division is an annual -chest ray for all employees in high exposure areas Despite the fact that a number of Bendix employees have experienced exposure to asbestos over a long period of time there has been no indication of any asbestos disease This appears to back up the belief that under properly controlled conditions when the asbestos content of the air is kept within safe levels the hazard is minimized One of the questions occasionally asked regarding asbestos is whether or not brake linings used on trucks busses and autobiles release harmful amounts of asbestos dust into community air This does not appear to be a problem As is the case with approximately 90 per cent of products containing asbestos the asbestos fibers are solidly locked into the brake linings with resins and polymers When a vehicle's brakes are applied a tremendous amount of heat is generated This changes the chemical nature of the asbestos in the lining producing a fibrous toxic material called fosterite Studies conducted in the United States and Great Britain have shown that brake lining dust contains only traces of free asbestos fiber - To further illustrate this the total amount of free fiber released by brake lining wear throughout the United States in an entire year is less than 20 per cent of the total emissions of more ASBESTOS HEALTH AND BRAKE LININGS -- 8 particulate matter in a city the size of Los Angeles a single - day An extensive effort regarding asbestos and health research is currently under way in laboratories throughout the world Much of this is being sponsored and supported by the asbestos industry itself as well as individual companies acting independently Companies also are investigating possible replacements such as fibrous glass plastics ceramics and various synthetic materials At the present time however there is no single material available at a reasonable price that can outperform asbestos -- . particularly in high temperature applications Bendix for example has one of the most active research grams in the brake lining field These efforts resulted in the development of Cerametalix CCRC a unique combination of ceramics and copper now extensively used in braking systems for large jet air- craft such as the 747 Other successful research efforts in recent years have re- sulted in the development of various metallic and metallic brake linings for heavy duty braking use in large trucks as well as such vehicles as racing cars police cars ambulances and fire ; trucks A new combination lining with considerable promise makes use of the metallic material for one half of a disc brake and traditional asbestos material for the other half This approach cuts down on the overall use of asbestos and at the same time helps to overcome the higher costs associated with semi- metallics It also has technical advantages that appear to be superiotro either an all organic or all metallic brake # # : # ce a tree + agua mmnns n ree q ene s