Document MMkNn5JYZNVR7OeEdv0vp85Z7

FILE NAME: Pennsylvania (PA) DATE: 1965 Fall DOC#: PA030 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: PA Dept of Health - News & Views - Vol.3; No.4 01/13/1934 02:34 7168490708 LIPSITZ AND PORTERIO PAGE 03 Within recent reara and months then hits been a congidetghle amount of aatcria^ la tbg literatars which Indietop that netma-taela la directly related the Incidence of agljjnant tumors end o&aear. A-fiaals bh aiafat_mrs. M g j J E g a a ag&naifi pathcleftist naacSwA that >>e had sees fit autopsies mag^ cancer easea la parsons who else suffered fraa ftabagtoBlg. The pathologist I* on the staff of a hospital which receives noet of the patients frcaa a riBarby taro where a large sfeaetss plant ia located. This pleat makes asbestos textiles and else brake linings end clutch facings. The findings of ' a pathologist bar created concern in the asbeotots industry and it was felt appropriate for our health department to review tbw problem. I Tb ohiaia as Complete B story as possible the record roams ef els hospitals which t o * their cases particularly from the area of the asbestos.plant uens (searched for oases where asbestosle m s considered taring the period between 1?56 and l?61i. Seventy-five hospital records ceded ae cabeotaals vera located, f Ses were people who either were diagnosed on admission, on x-rays, or at autopsy to have asbeatOEls or asbestois was montionfid in the differential diagnosis. After obtaining the 7$ records, on attempt was mads to locate thee former patients, A large number were no longer alive and tool? eurvirers had to be oontacte For these 7$ an occupational and smoking history r a obtained from their survivors nad/or from plant roanagorasat. Seven either had not worked at thi particular asbestos plant or the diagnosis bad bash rajad d. Shis left 60 asbestos workers Who bad wT-rked in one particular plant. Further study of these records ehowod that 21 finong then not only had evidence of oabeetosla but also were suffering fres cancer, Twelve of these bad lung cancer esd nine bed various other growths such ea bladder cancer, leukemia, its. The smoking history Of the 12 lung cancer cases revealed that five had never erneIced which Is sore or lees the assie distribution of mockers versus non-smoker aa is the general population. Of the nine oases with other malignancies, two never Bisokod aud three, were cigar mantera only, .toother intorestlns feature was that aaan,i the ether saacaga^JiPt the luag cancers, there vas one cas of a aaUgnant mesothelioma. Another interesting finding woe that of too 21 cases with cancer 13 worked in he textile department of the plant and four worked in broke lip BBPufactttre, .She deparhoent where one mas worked remains unknown end tho j" g j -- worked at various other lobs. ' ^ ' ^ 7 ]^\ PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT J ! I? Sh SB003053 01/13/iggj 02:34 7168490708 L IP S IT Z AND PONTEEIO PASE - 2- - fiio of the 11 lung cancer cases find one of the lymphoblastoma cases had worked In the asbestos plant for a total of only all months sfWcb is a rather short exposure, sad one venders how much this short exposure nay hT contributed. Eighteen of these 21 eases had started work in the plant prior to lpliO and 12 had started work prior to 1920. Of the 21 cases of cancer 11 were bora before 1900 and only one was born after 1910, Microwave Ovens . Personnel Df our Region H I (Ksadville) Have recently completed a ctudy of the h&tards associated With exposures to microwave radiation in connection with operation of microwave ovens. Zhese ovens are popular in food-service establish_ nents in general and are gaining popularity for self-service facilities in factory and college cafeterias, in super-highway rest stations, and in recreational centers such aa bowling lanes. tta principal hazard ef exooeur to microwave radiation is the biological effeef'resulting from the heating of body tissues. Ibis study was eoncirnetf TXfE W e monitoring of microwave radiation leakage iron oven units now installed in the Region i n area and in evaluating the hazards or potential hasards which were present. No detectable radiation was found at any location on the units except around the periphery of the door and in the area of the door front. Measurements made at varying distances from the ovens indicated diminishing levels with no detectable radiation intensities at a distance greater than about one meter from the oven. However, the radiation released Cron 79% of the units was somewhat in excess of that considered safe for indefinitely prolonged exposure and 2$% re- , leased radiation is excess of the criteria considered potentially hazardous. Although the intensities found are not related to exposure time, the findings of the study indicate that a potential hazard does exist and measures to minimi?. it should be Considered. These would include: 1 The construction of ovens should utilise features which prevent the release of microwave radiation, 2. Interlock systems (to permit oven operation only when door Is closed) should be designed to prevent circumvention of their use, 3. Units should be adequately labeled to alert owners and operators of the potential hazard of operating units in manner other than prescribed procedure. It* Owners, operators and service personnel should be made aware of the hazard of exposure to microwave radiation. S. Units should be monitored periodically to detect leakage or faulty operational devices. Occupational Health Sills in legislative fiupper - f The fennsylvania legislature ia currently considering several items of proposed legislation dealing with occupational health matters. A Senate bill en radiation would create an Advisory Committee on Atomic Energy Development and Radiation Control} empower- the Governor to enter into agreencnto with the federal government for assumption of certain regulatory powers; end would confer certain 4 01/13/1934 02:34 7168430703 LIP5ITZ AND PONTERIO PAGE 07 - 3 - powcre usd dunas on the Departwant of Health with reepaot ta control and refdlsOS of radiation courses-, including provision for lissasiif ca registration. This bill b passed the flr^t and second readings la the Senate with the third reading scheduled far an early date* -- A Senat bill amending the Occupational Sisease -----i Act end providing increased benefits for siiicosio, anthreeo-siilcnsE, ene esbestosis is novr is the Senate Labor 6 Industry Coreo!t-teo, but z slnller House l bill has peeoed the House and Id Oise in the Senate Labor A Industry Committee. -- I A House bill which would provide for the elimination of the statute or limitations on the time and circumstances under which disability or death from silicosis or anthraco-sillconis and ssbestosid smet occur in order to be compensable has passed the House and is in the Senate Labor end Industry Cwnittae. A similar House bill is still being considered by the House Workmen's Compensation Cormittee, Conference Proceedings - We refre that the printer's estimated date of delivery for the Proc aedintTB o f th e P e n n s y lv a n ia G o v e r n o r 's C p n feren co art Fhtiuniftffcriloaifl ( A t b r i 'o Silicosis) was somewhat cver'-enthusiasticl ITowever, the Proceeding? are now definitely available fro the State Book Store, Book SU, Main Capitol Building, Harrisburg 17120. The price lfl_&l,5>8 postpaid, including sales tax, and checks Should be payable to Commonwealth of'^eimsylvanift. Cool Tor and Pitch - Whenever coal tar or pitch is heated, smokes, fumes and vaporo are released into the air Appresd&ately 10 percent of those volatiles are polycyclic hydrocarbons. Heavy, or large molecular weight, polycyclic hydrocarbons aro imovn or suspeetod to be cancer-producing. A profclea with ezpostire to those is that cancers frequently develop many years after exposure to contamination has ceased. Polycyclic hydrocarbons vary in stability. Samo remain in the form in which {hey are generated, and othfflrs norabino with each other and fora higher molecu lar weight compounds. Bsccuse of this varying stability, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists has suggested a threshold limit value of 0.2 isillicram par cubic metas* f oil* for exposure during an eight-hour working day for volatile canponents of coal tar piteh which ar soluble in bensene, Bonienesoluble components are those likely to produce cancer. Authorities in the field of tara boliv that the volatile eexponents of native asphalt ar much aafer then the volatile esaoenanta of coal t*r. Because of the stability factor, however, core should be exercised in tho handling or processing of cither. The best method of controlling the health haaord ls_to prevent ooataet with toe volti.1.es.~ Tilla"inky"'Se"acccnspli2he<"%y local eidiapat"v^ntilition~a,t tfie-point of origin of the contaminant, by bu table respiratory protective device, by suitable protective clothing to prevent contact with the sida and by a combination of these control measures. As with most exposure to industrial contaminants, medical supervision of employees is an important adjunct to enginesring control. Both are essential to the prevention of health hasards. Handle Chemicals Properly - A recent trais accident which occurred in Poisnsylveala,, although net strictly within the bound* of occupational health, peiste up the hazard of improper handling of chmieala. As a result, on persea died and another rooelwad slight acid bums over an extensive portion of his body. 1B0000855 01/13/1394 02; 34 7163490708 LIPSITZ AND PONTERIO PAGE 08 - k - . ' nje Exterior of a Ptoaa building vs* being renovated by cleaning of its lower portion with hydrofluoric, acid and by fifiiuiblaflting of the upper areas, A person ettployed in the building obtained a quantity of the a d d solution fro the cleaning crew for ho U06, Apparently neither- the nrew ner the Individual was aware of the action of hydrofluoric acid on glass, and the ,,liquid was placed in a glass container which was left In a hallway to be picked up after work. The container was near a doorway to one of the offleas, About ten ninutos before quitting tine t mensber of the building security force and a faaale eaploy were standing et the doorway Bpprojdjnotcly three feet from the glass container ox hydrofluoric acid when it burst, spraying acid and evolved gases on then. The security officer received acid b u m s on his back and on the backs of his legs which ware toward the container, and the woman who was facing the container received such injuries as tn cause her death approximately one hour later. It io a will-established chemical fact that the action of hydrofluoric a d d on glaca evolves gas as a by-product. Thus the combined etching action of tha acid on the glees container and the increased pressure produced by the gas build-up caused the container to burst with the regrettable results Shove Stated. Manganese as a Toxic Metal - The Division initiated a manganese surveillance project with the report of two cases of manganese poisoning ia the manufacture of railroad track frog switches in one company, and the possibility of a third c u e in another establishment Some of the primary locations Of exposure to manganese aret 1, steel plants - pouring of tho octal and crushing end aleing of the farro-ncngtnrsft metal; 2, welding - the use of manganese-coated electrodes; 3, manufacture of manganese earbonyl - evolvesent of B&ng&nesa vapors; and U, scrap yards - the cu ttin g (burning) of metal containing manganese. s Although no additional frank cases of climoal mancameae toxicity have been demonstrated to date, high values of manganese in urines have been found. This study ia continuing and the locations of the positive results are being kept under strict surveillance. Occupational Health for Nurses - A full-time, five-day course in occupational health for registered professional nurses In industry will be offered beginning Monday, November 6, 1965 by the Department of Environmental Medicine of New York University Hediesl Center,' in cooperation with the American Association of Industrial Nurses. The course is limited to nurses with experience of five years or less is occupational health. The program will be undo? the direction of Dr. David H. Goldstein, professor of environmental medicine, Sara P. Vagner, R.N., will serve as coordi nator for the nurse faculty. This is the tenth consecutive year that the course has been given. Instruction will consist of lectures and conferences given by the > combined medical and nursing faculty of the Medical Center. Subjects to be covered during tha week include:, occupational health nursing as viewed by management, the physician and the nurse; environmental hatord*J safety; mental health, individual and group behavior in an industrial setting; counselling and Interview techniques; legal aspects of nursing in industry (malpractice and workmen's compensation); rehabilitation; and retirement and the problems of elder workers. i 800005056 01/13/1994 02:34 716349070S lipsitz AND ponterio PAGE 09 i - 5- Tuition will tee $75 Course /?/,&. applications should ^8 sent to the Office of the Kacardcrj New York University Post--Grn.due.to Medical School, 550 First Avenue^ New fork, Nd. 10516. Personnel Changes - When Gerald KaZJserakl, Induetri&l hygienist I, Region VII (Philadelphia), resigned recently it was found that the current civil sorvice list for this position included the names of six females end one melol And why not? -- After appropriate interflow* Miss Patricia Bradley has been appointed Industrial Hygienist I in Region 7X1. In this capacity she will fee the first or the fairer sex to hold . euoh a position is this division Since World War n days* We wish her well. -- Other appointments to &>dustrlnl Hygienist 1 positions include: Jaes Woodring and Norman Brown, legion III and George Tonehick, Region II. Barry Lewis and Joseph Flanagan art new Radiation-Health Physicist* I and 13 In the Central Office and Joel ZnbeDau is Radiation Health Physicist H I in Philadelphia. Mrs. Josephine Brlnlcy is a Nurse II in the Employee Health Service, Notes fro our Regional Office - Officials of & plant producing pigEant-vinyl dispersions end phonograph record compounds recently requested our services to evaluate employe' exposure to various contaminanta. Of particular interest was the exposure during inter mittent manufacture (5-day run every two months) of a lead molybdate-vinyl dis persion. Th company had isolated the manufacturing area, installed local ex haust ventilation on the roller mill and listed spcifia handling instructions on process sheets. These instructions included the washing of hands and faee before! eating and smoking, the use of a respirator. (United-States Suraau of tinea ap- ' proved for "all dusts"), the daily changes of coveralls and care in pijjnent hand ling. The company was quite sure these "elaborate" safeguards would adequately control exposure to lead dust. In actual practice during our sampling periods, the men foiled to obey the above instruction and the process speed necessary to produce a quality dispersion precluded clow careful handling Atmospheric concentrations of lead ranged from 0.7 to 3? ni 111.groan per cubic cater of air. The threshold limit value is 0.2 mg/m3, baaed on exposure over #n eight-hour working day. Urine lead concentrations ranged from 0.15 to 0.33 mg/liter im mediately after the finish of five-day run and from .07 to 0.13 mg/liter two weeks later with no additional lead exposure. Urine lead concentrations ex ceeding 0,15 ag/llter are usually indicative of excessive lead exposure. As per our recommendations, the company plans to tighten exposure controls, increase the coverage of the local exhaust ventilating system and evaluate employee a with blood-lead determinations. Another case of serious mercury contamination in a neon sign-pro ducing plant was found during the month. . The contamination was bo excessive ~~ throughout the building that it vws necessary to "aero" the mercury vapor de tector out-of-doera. Of the more than twenty such firms surveyed, two have had serious contamination problems and moat did not have adequate control measures. Few plant officials knew of the health hazards associated with the use of mercury In one instance, mercury contamination was detected on the living room rug in the plant owner's residence (0.01 milligram per cubic motor of air). In ell cases, appropriate recommendations ware made * * a 1B00008057 01/13/1994 02:34 7168490708 LIPSITZ ftND PONTERIO PAGE 10 - 6- During the past two months, surveys were conducted ta evaluate exposurae to organic mercury dust at several seed-treating establishments. Either methyl acreary 2,3-dihydroiy propyl seroaptide or methyl mercury dlcyandiaatids la used la the treatnent of barley or wheat. Both atmospheric and urine samples ware collected, Initial results indicated that employees were receiving excessive exposures to organic mercury (threshold Halt nine 0,01 mill!gran per cubic meter of air), particularly in areas where no control measures are utilized. One of the companies contacted the squipnent manufacturer and, as a result, the manu facturer designed local exhaust ventilating equipment for the machine and for the machines they produce. The ventilation was subsequently installed. **** A report reached a regional office that a dairy farmer had received a severe exposure to an irritating gas while cleaning and sanitizing a 1*1V storage tank on hie fans. Investigation disclosed that the incident occurred when the farmer, on the advice of a neighbor, put about a gallon each of acid and sodium hypochlorite solution la the tank before scrubbing it to give what he deocribed as a "good cleaning". Chlorine gas was generated and dispersed into the air of tbs small milk house and the farmer probably received a significant exposure. Jie stated that he had difficulty getting his breath for several hours, but did not consult a physician. Add and sodium hypochlorite solution are normally used In separate steps la tha cleaning and sanitising procedures for milking equipment and storage tanks on dairy farms. If used as directed, these materials should create no problem. As an extra precaution, the dalzy companies that collect milk in the area were asked to worn farmers not to mix a d d cleaners with chlorinated sani tizers. While traveling to the site of a stone drilling operation to conduct a noise survey, the sound pressure level in a 196h state Car was determined. The overall level ranged from 88 ta 9$ decibels depending on the road conditions, gnd speed. Sieve noise levels ar* far greater than expected. An octave band analysis showed meet of the noise to be concentrated in the low frequency bands (75 to 300 cycles per second) and therefore not seriously objectionable. The Division of Occupational Health would like to fill its vacancy for an Occupational Health Physician at the Harrisburg offices, The position is under Civil Service and the salary range is #12,075 - #16,170, with 3 weeks annual leave end 3 weeks annual sick leave. Some travel is necessary and a driver's license 10 required. For details contact Jan Lieben, M.D., Director, Division of Occupational Health, Pennsylvania Department of Health, P,0. Box 90, Harrisburg 17120. .DECEIVED :!' - ; ,65 a iff im EELS. OiPT. 8B00008058