Document LgvxR0jpgM3kzEEkQDR6mrYv3

'J I 4 < 'J U / I g.o y ? COHFIOTTIJLL PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT Georfe ~K.l Foster MbestOS, lUrch 19, 1949 11 1<- ' ' / *V-` Tlie-report- on- experlaantal-aabestosls -haa-b aasureiewed. The expertaants-and resulting conclualona. irs suaoarized in tha attached rport, to-which I hare added 07 own cosnents and recosaendatlaas. The recoasendations are for thw industry as a whole. Seweral points need further clarification; whan these hawe seen discussed with the Saranac people I shall subnit another report. KWS/h.a. Kenneth W. Scslth, 1.0< ki'dl i ' I H i i J ` can. smocARi or Frypaoa A. Various forms of asbestos fibres produce typical fibrosis In tha lunes of iom salmis. B. Fibrosis Is produced by ths iieitnnlcal and not tbs chemical action of the flbrs. C. Fibrosis Is produced by tbs Ion* flbrss (20-50 microns) and not by tbs short libras (undsr 20 microns). D. Asbsstosls was produced in an a tmosphere with a total dust count of 138 M.P.P.C.7. of sbicb only 0.6JC wars 10 microns or longer. S. As tbs concsntratlon of lone flbrss In tbs air is in- ersassd, tbs fibrosis dsrslops in a shortsr tins. ?. Fibrosis will not procress aftar rtmoral from dast to norsal air. G. Asbsstosls bodies ara formed around fibres to prswant further irritation. r H. Aluminua therapy is usslass In asbsstosls. I. Asbestos dust causes no sifnlficant chants In tha course of pulmonary tuberculosis. SEX cattnnTS 1. Tissuw and anuaal susceptibility was noted la the experiments. Individual susceptibility to the dust among out employees ha* bewn noted for s*ny jeers. 2. We always have believed that tha tctioi. of the dust was mechanical and not chemical. IT there was an iuu*J chemical effect, 1 believe that wa would saw countless casas of asbastosls because wa have had hundreds of man exposed to tgh concntratlons of dust. 3. Tha theory of tha action only by Ion* fibres of 20-50 aierons is, at first, hard to accept because: (a) X personally hare heard the lata Dr. Gardner say that probably the most dangerous lengths of fibre for the prodnniign of asbastosls sra those of 5 to 15 microns In (^engtte^ (b) In Dr. Gardner's latter to Mr. Sabourin of feb.23,1911, ha states: *1 believe that the true hazard in asbestos plants is proportional to the amount of small, individual uncrushed fibres in the atmosphere. I sttrpecfr 'Shae llir reason only one sees little or ao typical asbestosls in the nines end mills is because there is probably too little such fibre in the air of these plants* Conversely the reason for the typical disease in the fabricating plants is the fact that tha processes there open the bundles of asbeatoa fibres and tear them into lengths Short ggnzn to be inhaie<I~ln dangerous quantities?. (c) In the tJ.S. Public Health Bulletin #211 entitled *A Study of Asbestosls in the Asbestos Textile Industry" it is stated that the sedlua length of fibres range from 7 to 16 microns in the plants studied. Dust counts around the mixing pickers and cards showed the lowest percentage of fibre and the shortest lengths of fibre and It was among these sen (pickers and carders) that the greatest number of asbestosls esses occurred. However, In spite of these three statements, I would prefer to believe In the action only of the long fibres and accept these recent Saranac findings because: I - The dust counts in our mills show 65% - &Q% of the fibres are 5 microns or less in length end rarely 1JC are 20 microns or longer, and we have relatively few asbestosls cases. TT - The recent Saranac studies bave shown that asbestoals will develop in an atmosphere of 138 l.P.P.C.J. total count of which only 0.6 were fibres longer than 10 microns. We have had many areea in our mills where such counts could have been found. 1 \ 4 i 0 0 / -i -2- T'tt - Saranac Mao has shovi that, logically, as tha concentration of Ion* fibres Is Lncraased, nor* fibrosis develops. The fibre deposits la tha Thatford tree are of longer fibre than the AJbestos deposit. Hthough tfiiTFe is no data 153x7, *e as suae that tha dost in the Thatford Mills hac a hither percentage of tha longer fibres than that In tha Asbestos Mills. in_sart_fpr the gregier ntaber of ssoestosis cases seen jja the xaetxord Plants. " * E7- The relatively small ntaber of asbestosls cases occurring in the ssbestos sines and Mill* as compared with the textile plants sight be due in part to the percentage of fibres in tha Industrial atmosphere. Itast counts in various tsxtils plants shoe up to 264 flbrs while counts in our villa shoe only K%~5% fibre. " That the fibrosis of asbestosls will not progrsss after r--oval of tha anisal froa dust to normal air can easily be believed. I have seen many awn who, whan transferred to non-dusty jobs, have Improved physically snd whoso x-rays hare sheen no progression. = We always have believed that tha as bee to sis bodies are not evidence of disease, but simply the fact that fibre has been inhaled and the body has shown defensive action in an effort to neutralise the * irritation. I still believe that asbestos dust will not aggravate a pre-existing tuberculosis; also that the course of' tuberculosis will not be altered in a sen who has worked for several years in our Bills as . long as he has no x-ray evidence of asbestosls. However, at the / moment I can neither accept nor deny the statement that asbestosls has no effect on auperlaposed tuberculosis. The Saranac experiments have sbown that asbestos la not an inert* dust like gypsum, nor is it a very active dust like quarts. They have shown that concurrent asbestosls and tuberculosis produce more fibrosis than does either dlsMse alone. Also it has been shown that tubercle bacilli hare been found in the aabestotlc fibrosis which is not the usual site for this infection. Thase experiments have shown that there may be some connection between non-tuberculaus infection and asbestosls. I believe that this is a fact for, although I do not think our mill workers have more respiratory complaints than the average wan, I hav< seen several cases share paeuamnla has developed oq a pro--existing asbestosls. Such cases are extremely difficult to treat, show a vers slow recovery and considerable fibrosis in the x-ray. The local doc tors have stated that pneumonia in an employee who has worked for many years in the dust often has s fatal termination. In vise of tha probable detrimental effect of nsbestosis on auner.aposed pneumonia, I believe thal the relationship of tuberculosis developing on a well-established asbestosls should have further study. Although this relationship has not been shown in the recent perinents, my opinions aust be r.eutral until more esses of the dlsees among our employees have been studied. ! J l 4 :no/s 52ZI I - Tit air In the Asbestos and Thetford plants should be sanpleu and studlad for fibre lengths, and these fIndiana correlated with the experlaental and hmutn atudlaa at Saranac. II - Asbestosis can be controllad if:\ (a) Jri7 affort i * wade to lower tha duat caoesntratlon in tha working araa of tha esployee, and (b) transfers to non-dusty jobs ara affactad bafora any dlaablllty develops, probabJr as soon as thara ara significant x-ray chaises. Ill- tuberculosis would not ba a problem if (t) Brery actIra casa Is Isolated acd not allowed to work; ~~ < (b) nan-dusty jobs are found for apparently arrested cases;------- (c) routine case finding, examination of all contacts,ate. (an adequate tuberculous control program) was carried out. 17 - *9 should haye an opinion fraa tha.8aranac laboratory on tha association of'asbestoals and cancar. there Is a world-wide effort to find the cause and cure for cancer. The wedlcal literature Is full of suggested causes and asbestos has been aontloned as a rery definite possible cause. Although in , actual practice we haTe seen no esses, of cancer of the lung iaong our enployeea^ asbestos is an irritant and as such wight pby sane role In the dewelopaent of carcinoaa. An expert opinion on this relationship would be worth while.