Document MGyZw55y8VpQ693Bnkn4Vvnd7

THE NEW Y#RK TIMES, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2. 1966. Asbestos 3ast Called a Hazard Teat Least &ne-Fourth of U.S.l By JANE E. BRODY | Asbestos dust which has al- j struntion workers and their, ready been connected with-families. . __ the development of fatal can**' According to the findings of* cer in one-half of asbestos three recent limited studies, the1 ;workers, may be a potential'dangers might extend to the health hazard for onc-quarterigcneral population. The studies,* of the population or more, ii:which involved autopsies onj was reported yesterday. jliOO persons in three cities,; This preliminary finding was!showed that 25 per cent of the! described by Dr. Irving J. Seli-j people had asbestos lodged inI koff in announcing the estab their lungs. lishment of an environmental Dr. Selikoff explained thatl health 'laboratory at Mount; Sinai Hospital. The laboratory will further investigate the; dangers to man of asbestos and other environmental contain! Inants. . Dr. Selikoff said the link; 'between cancer and asbestos had led him to suspect that other mineral dusts that con the studies had used a "crudetechnique" that disclosed only those asbestos fibers that had become coated by an iron-rich material while lodged in the lungs. A more refined technique now shows that many persons harbor noncoated asbestos fl-J bers as well, he said. New Study Started * taminate both urban and rural! Dr. Selikoff and his col TiHL- medical baz-jieagues at the new laboratory] ards for the' public'. have started a three-year study The new laboratory will be in which they will: - , headed by Dr. Selikoff, who. dExamine, with the de-! with Dr. Jacob Churg, found ceased's family's approval, the that asbestos workers eventu lung tissue of the 3.000 to 4,noo ally showed six to seven times persons expected to die in the the normal death rate from lung- next two years at Mount Sinai.1 cancer and three times the nor-lElmhurst Hospital and Veter-' 5anc<!r of ans Hospital in the Bronx. The the stomach, coion and rectum.!doctors will look for uncoaled Other Workers Affected las well as coated asbestos fibers Dr. Selikoff noted that the; in the tissues. dangers of exposure to asbestos qLook for correlations be-{ dust were not limited to those tween the causes of death and who work, directly with this the presence of asbestos fibers ubiquitous insulator and filler in lung tissue. material. The dangers, he said, ^Determine the occupational extend to workers in "contigu history of the deceased and their ous trades,'* such as other con- relatives and other pertinent background information. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral highly valued for its noncor rosive and long-wearing prop-; erties. In addition to its common use as a fireproof material. Dr. 'Selikoff said, asbestos makes up about SO per cent of asphalt tile and is used in dental cement, brake linings, plastics, beer fil ters, gas masks and paper. Until! last year, some schools used' asbestos dust instead of sand Ifor children to play in. Copy From E. 0. Mattocks For Information Of Members Of: Central Committee on Medicine and Health and Technical Advisors and Committee on Industrial Hygiene 3/2/66 SAFFTT BW*.S10?t ~n. H. BAWBEiT MAR-7 '68 A Jm no. is I at6. Sill* I1*1'AtA*.* C * Is' [ 4 [TOXIC l_u- KF ` l CHEV BB 0003206