Document MGGO3moK8L5Yba4Zw4eR8x4N7

FILE NAME: US Gypsum (USG) DATE: August 26, 1975 DOC#: USG063 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: 1975 Letter to EW Duffy from R Georgalis use of spackling putty containing asbestos August 26 1275 Mr* E.W, U.S. Gypsum Co. 101 South Packer Prive__ , Chicago, Illin o is 60606 Dear Sir*. I have used your W * P " f^ S S l p & S S & W ? I tove been and June I bought a titty year f i lle d the resulting space h id in g s . I also removed an old x ^ th is wosfc I have used t it h n la s W and a surface coating o f epac^Le. in a jj f S e l l e r to 6 1 a smooth fin ish Prior to P a r i n g . Oq Saturisy o v e r i^ , A u s u s t O A X - * " * * * * 5 b S t o * to ^ consequences* . . . i i . n s Consumer Products Safety Ccsnmissicn On Monday ^ rn in g 1 ceXLed the US. the for verification o f contain asbestos, and that they were fa ct that your product did ^deed varriillg of asbestos content on the considering requiring y ^ jf Kew Yoxfe Times hod carried an box* The gSCPSC also ad^sed me that the r^w A -o~r doctors &t r .^ t a r tic le " ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ t f S v L t j n a c s x t e l Medicine which pointed out the serious I T o to S 1^ due to t o ir a s t o to content* By t i l s tin e to to tirch the School o f Medicine ^ taJ^ t r ^ both agreed that c a b le s teoa uhich bad v o ite i i S tested to d *tom a v s i? o f your caspany' s aptolOtog c2 f f f i i hEtJ X ^ t r m e l y vorried, X d e se iiW r asbestos content, often as a^ i .^ - S * m ^ p S o n on font possible ham could ny usage o f your product end ofro arer m c ^ i o n b^ , a fiber fw S v c Sen canned by t o * * O o g e n i c , t t o is no i t . They replied th at, jm that is known is that the esta b lish e d Jataa n M ^ ^ ^ ^ f S ^ o n t o c t e d t o o merely frog vives end c h i l ^ o f ^ b c s t o s ^ ^ o f wAers> v te c h jc m ta W ^ ^ " for to n ty yo n or sore, t o y ndrised ma to discontinue use o f your product a t once. - 2- I find it difficult to believe that a major company such os yours could be so callous and indifferent to the public safety as to put on the market a product loaded with a carcinogenic agent without any written warning as to its potentially deadly contents and proper use. Because of what I must assume to be your company's indifference to our welfare, myself and m y wife, u!io is four months pregnant, as well as countless others who have used your product, have unwittingly been exposed to an extremely hazardous substance. bunt I would like answered b y you sir, as director of your corporation's policies, are tire following: - 1. Kero you personally aware that your con^oany's ,lTe>:olite" Speckling Putty contained high percentages of asbestos fibers? 2. here you aware that asbestos has been found, in several governmental and independent studies to be indisputably a carcinogenic agent, and.that vide publicity has been given to these findings in the various public media? I believe sir, in the light of what has occured, that I am entitled to a prompt and forthright answer to these questions. Very truly yours, Ralph G e o rg a lls 16 North Road Great Neel:, New York 11021* EG: re ec: U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission