Document Mob5ZznL1erG51oBo9JE9xnez

Market Size Over the paat decade the U.S. hae consumed between 608,000 and 876,000 short tons of asbestos annually. Each year, approximately 15$ of the asbestos usage is pro duced in the U.S.- with the remaining amount being Imported primarily from Canada. The asbestos industry divides sales data into several oatagories. Of these cate gories, only four) paoking and gaskets, friotion products, coatings and sealants, and relnforoed plastics, aotually pertain to the automotive industry. Paoking and gasket use of asbestos fiber is cited by the Bureau of Mines to average about 25,000 short tons per year. This volume, however, probably understates the . actual usage sinoe asbestos paper is frequently converted to gasket material. The total value of the various grades of fiber used Is estimated, by an industry contact, to be approximately $10,000,000 yearly. Weston^and CONSAD estimate the annual value of shipments to be near $140,000,000. Friotion products containing asbestos, such as; clutches, brake shoes and pads, are not under the jurisdiction of the CPSC. The annual fiber use for ooatings and sealants, at $110 per ton, is estimated to range between $4,500,000 and $8,600,000. However the value of shipments, estimated by CCNSAD and Weston, range from 250 million to 275 million dollars. Asbestos usage in relnforoed plastios is reported by the Bureau of Mines to be 20,000 short tons valued at $2,500,000 per year. Market Structure In 1976, according to the Bureau of Mines, there were five U.S. asbestos mining and milling operations yielding a total U.S. employment of under 400. All but one of these operations was controlled by small businesses specializing in asbestos mining and milling. U.S. producers typically sell their production to other manu facturers while Canadian operations are oontrolled by major international corpora tions, five of which are U.S. based, who further process much of their own produc tion. The asbestos fiber producers or miners and mill operators sell fibers through whole sale distribution channels or dlreet to primary manufacturers. Although these out lets typically do not sell to consumers, it is possible for oonsumers to obtain loose fibers^ Paoking and gasket manufacturers are medium-sized companies who impregnate or lami nate the primary asbestos produot which is purchased from larger manufacturers. The paoking* and gaskets are then sold through various distribution channels as finished products. Both finished and unfinished paoking and gasketing material is sold through channels whloh sell to oonsumers. 1/ "Teohnologioal Feasibility and Eoonomie Impaot of OSRA Proposed Revision to the Asbestos Standard"} Weston Environmental Consultants - Designers, West Chester, PA., 1976 8002 1^02 PRODUCED BY FORD