Document KgyEwVV2rnEb1r46BN7vdyL6

NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION Jo all in aifjnm tfjm pn&mtz jafyaU ram?. (Smttng: * * ^virtue of the authority vested in me by the Archivist of the United States, I certify on his behalf, s seal ofthe National Archivesofthe United States, that the attachedreproduction^) is a true and r of documents in his custody. - SIGNATURE g . , aJ- NAME ~ Janet L. Hargett O3AT-E15-1988 TCITLhEla, Ganaral Branch NAME AND ACDDiRvESiSl OAP DrEcPhOSivITeORsY Division The National Archives Washington, D.C. 20409 NA FORM APR 85 1407-B it vO United States Department of commerce BUREAU OF MINES CO-OPERATIVE CLINIC PICHER, OKLAHOMA March 11, 1932. Dr. E. E. Sayers,Chief Surgeon, Bureau or Uir.es, Washington, D. C. Dear 3>r. Sayerai I am enclosing copies of the report on the investigation of the Eagle Picher Company's Book Wool Plant in Joplin, which we discussed while you were here. TThea this is finally approved, please forward a copy to Hr. Srhon Uabon, Safety Engineer, Eagle Picher Company, Picher, Oklahoma, at the earliest possible date, as they are very anxious to receive it. Tours respectfully. Surgeon.in Charge. arch tl, '1^52. tta/SJV Kga Erbon baboo, Safety Bafiaaer, 1* Flobar doapany* -^Wcber* (Brla* -' fcaarMr. Kabau -v V *~1\ . IncIood;la a.rapert of * llnltad laapactloa pf thatjEbcfc . .watiL plantof the 'Etgleif'lohar'Minim and flaalting GoapanyiiJopIlh., Ko, Nte hySr>r T. Hart--tbcr, of the 0 8 BarowrerWhee* "^ This report ia'.aubaitted for your oocflrtantflal Informtloa ;! baXX ppraoia.t# a]rwf((Uau or co--eof you *ey h*r and aball bo glad to haYa mj attention called to any arrora or alaatat--aat of foot* . lours faithfully,' . Xaolosnre la* 45S5 - Sr. lerinatber 3COXT TURNER ' SCOTT TOMER,' Director. . i.__ /> jili jupcbt or dost imrxsExaiTXOv or tsx uaui ezcaa soar worn, run .at - ...Jam*..mum Xn 8ft--bw, X931, at 1hs r*fMt f tbs kttr hfUnr of tba x*ela Pkhnr mala; ui 8--Itla* C--pany. lnap--tloa --a --do of tbs e--paay' roakaool plant at Joplin. kisscrori.. this plant la eparatad la --action lth a load a--Itar and'tha prodaot la --da fro* hy-prodocts of load aasltlac* Xaao--eh as tbs rock nool plant la only eparatad bsn tbara ls-a fls--nd for tba prodaot. eonsidarabls daisy aaa aaeoaatarad la ass--bllug aad coilacting all data on tba procsss. It --a daalrad to obtain Infor--tloa on tba dost. Its ebasdeal a--lysis, aad to owalno tba oldar nan asployad at tba plant In order to draw i conclusions as to pcsslbls baxnfnlnats of tba dost. Bock Wool. Sock Pool la aada.froa slap i&ich it boated to a aoltoa lipoid aad la bloan eat of a saall orlfloo at considarabla prsssora into tba otraaa. brooking tba aoltaa lipoid Into Tory fins * bairlika partidso. fids la blem into a lares ro-- and aftpr Afllsotlag la poaatltlo* it la aboralad Into containers for transfarriac to aaotbar bonding for fabrloatlag. Tba notarial la --da into shoots, bricks, aad 1 la c--'binad with aabaatoa aad ussd for tba pnrpoaa of Insulating buildings, forsaeaa. ato. In both tba bolldlnea in ahlcb tba fornacs aad tba fabricating ro--a nn locatad. largs a--ta of dost --ra dataotad In tba air. 4* Dat Count. Ataoiphario Maples vara taken In the mixing rooo, fabricating department, gra.trola.tor and furnace rooae. tbs Maple In the furnace roou shove 5,000,000 parttolaa under 10 mlarons; in tha airing rooa JTo. 2 samples ahova 23,000,000 particles; Vo. 1 aaapla 10,000,000 particle*; tfca fabricating rooa shoe* 1,000,000 partlol**; and tha granulator b,000,000,000 particles. all under 10 micron*, Tvo of thaaa aaapla* ware forvarded to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for aaaljral* (furnace rooa and mixing room Vo. 2) and tha figure* given above are the figures obtained at Pittsburgh. Our own figure* chow a much higher count. It la possible that aova of the particle* have gone Into solution. Chemical inalTit,. Samples of tha rocV wool ware sent to Pittsburgh to Ur. V. Jt. Solvig for chemical, analysis and tha analyses era a* foilowe: . fi pAsmi. utti.Tsia . Par oant Load, Fb------------------------------------------1.6 Silica. BlOo-------------------------------------J4.6 Alualsua oxide, AlgO.- - -- - - 6.3 Parrlc Oxide, PegOr- - - - -- - 3^*^ Calcium oxide, Ceh - -- -- 130 *2 Lead, Fb -------------------Silica, SlOg- ----- - Alumina oxide AlpOy Parrlc oxide TegOjCalcine oxide C&0 - 0.5 bo.s 50 31.6 130 Lead,*& ----- Silica, SiOg----------------Aluaimai oxide, A1,,0-Perric oxide, To^- - Calcium oxide, CaO - - 42.0 6.0 29.2 12.0 -2- Tha concluding atatanent or Kr. Solrlg'* report la a* follow*; "X* ninaral wool lc * *leg end ha* bean thoroughly fu**d It nay bo quit* Irritating If braatbad Into tbo throat and lung* In the font of dost.* , fhraical examination*. On Janoax7 6, 1932* four of tha anployaea working at tha plant ro axanlnad at tho filmic to datemlne whether or not tha/ ahow evidence of lung involvncant. Three oat of tbo four nan examined obow a decidedly aora fibroda than noraal, and on* of tba thro* abova an old tnbercaloeis, Tba otbar Ban vae negative. Tbo hlatoriaa of tba nan abow that they bar* not boon employed ateadlly in this plant, bat tb*y bar* Vnn engaged In tbl* work for periods ranging from 9 nontha to l year*, probably at about half tlao. Tb* nan that abova no thickening In tba bronchial tuba* la tba foreman vho la probably axpoaad to tba alnltnua aaoont of duat. Conclusion* drawn. Baaad on tba cheated analytla, quantity of daat, and eridenca of anob peribronchial thickening In tba nan vho bava boon exposad, according to tba Matorlea, only a relatively short period of tine to tba daat. It la vary likely that tba doat la harmful If breathed over a relatively long period of time, 5hi* la particularly true In the nixing room vbara it la etated by the employee* that rook wool la nlxad with aabeato* In varlou* mixture* ranging from 10 to 75 par cant. tbla la a partioolu-ly daaty place, and it 1* nov known definitely that aabastoa dost la. one .of tba no at dnngorou* duat.i to which; amn ia exposed, With tbo combination of aabeato* and a fuaad aillca daat, known to bo irritating to tba lunga, it i* reaaonable to oonclud* that tbs nan will (at extensive fIbrotic change* In a relatively abort period of tin*,. this In particularly true wbsre the rook wool le lxed with asbestos. A study of tb X-ray picture* of these an foil* to reveal any eilloosis at the present tine, tat to prodaso * decidedly More fibrosle.tbaa normal condition in the Mine* In the Picher field* tbe group ehowe as average working time of six years* In other word*, apparently these men have contracted tbe same amount of fibreele in 12 months or lees that oocmre in the Mines of the Fisher field In approximately six years. Assuming this to be correct, tbe erldeaoe, while not complete, would lbad to the conclusion that tbe dost encountered by these men le more daacerona and will produce lung involvement in a very much ehorter period of tine than tbe dnet which le encountered in the Pieher nines. ' Past Control. Machines should be Introduced to control the amount of dust produced at this plant. In tbe furnace roan, where the wool is blown into the room, a method of sucking tbe dust out of the room or mm upward system cf rent lint ion should be Installed. In the fabricating room. It should be as epea as possible, and' a definite dost- controlling system Installed. In the mixing room. It it suggested that a machine be Installed to do this mixing, sacking, etc., similar to that uaed by cement Industrie#, and It will not be necessary for tbe two men to be in the room. These saohines are In common use and could be uaed here with economical results.