Document MMRQo4D17NpomxYaXdmMYO3Vy

FILE NAME Talc TALC DATE 1975 Mar 20 DOC TALC472 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Memo RE An Assessment of the M Position with Talc Johns Manvillo te Johns Manvillo Internal Internal Internal Internal . Correspondence Correspondence Correspondence Correspondence Cor espondence Correspondence Correspondence Correspondence Correspondence Correspondence To A. Martinson > 2W Dato March 20 1975 From Copies R. S. Lamar> 2W 4 H. J. M. Fletcher - 2S R. Keefe - 21Y J. M. Sharratt -. 2S Subject AN ASSESSMENT OF THE M POSITION WITH TALC of Three years since M's entry into the acquisition of Desert Minerals for an appraisal our position broken down into eight sectionass the talc business with Company is time This assessment enough is follows a 1 The Effects of Labeling Our position here has been could take According the only acceptable action M of the law our to the definitions that araella cpoanrttain asbestos in the CalifornitaretmaollcitperoduNcotsplay on words will change this of OS ; fafacctt Originally Originally Originally Originally Originally Originally Originally Originally Originally Originaly uniquely high relativelloyw the I had had high contenotf acid soluble could hold onto spite labeling I seriously of had had felt felt felt felt felt brightnes that that brightness brightness 1 most of the now if we if could could could relatively maintain maintain maintain and and 2 talc ores we critical markets in doubt our ability to do this . The asbestos problem is quite different from the asbestos problem In many for asbestos there are no acceptable applications With our containing talc sthuebrsetiatruetensumerous possibilities for substitution . a > asbestos containing talcs from both a Pfizer and Cyprus from Montana sources and a Other extender pigments such as kaolin and b example and in calcium carbonate in paints . : paper filling uses - We see this type of substitution being made and established markets Desertalc products evaporating in the process 000206 P. A. Martinson Page Two The R. T. Vanderbilt Position Their position with . respect to labeling must be deliberately perfidious they cannot be this misinformed Slim Thompson their technical directohars a Ph.D. in mineralogy At the moment Vanderbilt is misleading their customers and confusing ours with their decision notwiltlo bleabfeolrced Ultimately the truth will out and they to label the Pfizer's positioins the same with their California containing talcs labeled talcs with all far greater value and emphasis in the market will be applied to asbestos talcs I seriously talcs question capacity of these asbestos talcs to satisfthye total market Also in some applications sub- | the asbestos talcs are just not a suitable stitute quality For example in ceramic wall tile a major market for tremolitic talc there are few if any asbestos talcs that show the same Penhorwood fires to forming and firing properties content 1 Fires a brown color due to high iron white to very low iron content Nevertheless it is a fact that the Montana talc asbestos business of both Cyprus Industrial Minerals and Pfizer is booming while we are in the a doldrums ; + Quality Historically talc mining has been high- grading operation with selective mining required to grading for maintain acceptable quality various uses This type of selective mining was done successfully for over 25 years the Grantham Mine Proper quality ore were seldom if ever problems of and uniformity markets were bui onltht is foundation and sizeable , of quality in The unique high brightness of Cyclo 95 G.E. was past properly maintained and a good and profitable market developed for this product in paper filling With brightness of current quality Cyclo dipping as low as 89 theries no way we are going to maintain this business Clays and other fillers at half the price of Cyclo can and . are being used 000207 Fo P. A. Martinson Page Three Other quality considerations relating to high acid soluble content and improper grind have caused an erosion of our paper industry business until virtually nothing remains . Markets one time less than three years ago sizeable markets for Descrtalc products existed in paper paint plastics and ceramics Both 51 . and DT were the most widely used fillers in 40 talc filled polypropylene We lost this business prior to labeling because of tremolite content Many of our paint and paper accounts have been lost for the same reason and labeling has accelerated this loss Labeling plus the loss of proper quality has been , disasterous Ceramic sales of DT have been difficult to maintain High acid soluble and water soluble contents of G ore have resulted in casting slip gelation and rheologica problems The high acid soluble content of current quality G and G ore has increased the alum demand of both Cyclo and Cyclo in paper applications to the point where even if we had proper brightness a _ paper mill could not afford to use our products can foresee no markets that can be built or rebuilt under present conditions o New Technology Froth flotation will reduce the tremolito content of G ore to less than % but will not remove all of the tremolite In such a wet process acid leaching will increase brightness several points HIMS could probably also be used to remove even paramagnetic material to improve brightness still ; further are Newly developed sand or attritor milling procedures can grind down to a maximum particle size of under microns but I believe that all of these new techniques a waste of time as long as we have to label Also the relatively high mining costs at Warm Springs plus the absence of adequate water for these wet processing methods makes the development of other sources more attractive 000208 P. A. Martinson ) . ne Page Four 8 Based on detailed testing we feel certain Penhorwood tale can be developed as a major source that Penhorwood should be directly competitive for pitch control and Industrial Minerals with Mistron Vapor Cyprus be developed for talc Other markets may reinforcement Montana Penhorwood in plastics filling elastomer the relatively and paint Although in this latter use Penhorwood is going to be difficult ltoow obvrericgohmteneIsofsf higher brightneasrseagraaddedsiticoonualld bmearkets developed from the same mining would become available wet color uniformity is a major considera- In paint uses be maintained with Penhorwood talc or tion and must Analyses of Penhorwood any other extender pigment become a major problem core samples suggest that this may With the worldwide -* .7 Other Worldwide Talc Sources or asbestos- 2 decline in the industrial use of tremolitic talc will containing tal~ s sources for asbestos for this surely become more valuable Major sources Spain India type of ore exist in Francoef the world Generally . Raeldl Cohfintahesaend deoptohseritsparatrse selectively mined and Johnson and Johnson are using froth Only Finntalc talc products of acceptable flotation to separate at Penhorwooandd the quality We will do the same direction as deposits industry must move in this amendable to grading are depleted Talc producing areaisn CnaoltifsoyrsntieamaNtiecvaaldlay aanndd Mpornofteasn-a have been thoroughItlyis unlikely that new large- sionally explored could be developed scale mining properties shoulbde explored only However this possibility There would appear to for asbestos materials be an opportunity for good geological work S ms S i RA AR SEA USS: 000209 P. A. Martinson Five Five Five Five Five 8 Conclusions and Recommendations has Labeling plus a general decline in quality a loss in M talc business cSaomuesedof a tdhiissasbtuesrionuesss might be regained in spite we could establish of labeling providing standards in both our mining prior high quality However the effects and milling of these products of labeling will always placeeconus omii c nviasbeiriloiutsy of - competitive position The - such an operation is highly questionable Penhorwood of we should b Until is operation | to hold onto as much our existing talc try business as possible Such a holding action and disheartening will be difficult expensive but should be done Penhorwood will not replace of all existing markets for Grantham talc because darker color and other differences on the development of Penhorwood N should C. Beyond a worldwide scale other asbesto attempt to develop These will most surely free sources for taic mineral become more valuable with time It would be unfortunate indeed if we were interfere interfere to let let interfere our our poor poor development worldwide with M performance performance performance perfpoermrafncoermance performance performance performance performance performance wwiitth h G Grantrham aGranntht am hGraanmtham of other conditions sources under more desirable ttalac lc interfere talc interfere 000210