Document N1EpR8rRp62kY8Gx9e5Rya3Q

Research and Engineering Center August 18, 1970 KOTES FOR THE FILE Asbestosis Research Council File 259 and Asbestos Information Committee Meeting with Dr. Stephen Holmes and Mr, Michael Howe r f. On August 17 c. . Burnett, J. B. Jobe, F. J. Solon, W. Raines, and E. M. Fenner and I met with Dr. Holes and Mr. Howe to dis cuss asbestos health problems and the publicity related to these problems. Dr. Holmes and Mr. Howe described the organization, objectives, and function of the Asbestosis Research Council (ARC) and the Asbestos Information Committee. The Asbestosis Research Council was formed in 1957 in order to pool support for research on asbestos end relateu nealth matters. There are only three full members of the ARC, and they each pay one-third of the costs. Turner-Newall and Cape are the prime movers in the ARC. They believe they have been successful in establishing the ARC in the eyes of the British government as responsible spokesmen for the industry. The ARC has been called on frequently to testify before various governmental bodies or proposed rules and regulations governing the industry. In addition to supporting sponsored research in universities and other outside organiza tions, the ARC has produced and distributed a number of guides for the users of asbestos products. Seven guides have ben pro duced so far in areas such as fiber handling, textiles, insula tions, building materials, etc. An eighth guide on friction materials is in process but has not been issued yet. When it is issued, Xka it will complete the series of guides which have been planned. The Asbestos Information Committee was formed in 1967 and was the direct result of a BBC television program in 1966 which was very detrimental to asbestos. It was this program which pre cipitated the action by the dock workers in England in regard to refusing to handle asbestos fiber shipments. The AIC has an annual budget of 55>000 pounds. Approximately 50 per cent is spent on advertising and another 25 per cent goes to the firm of Hills and KNowlton, who provide consultive services and secretarial effort for the AIC. In addition the four member companies contribute the part-time effort of people from their own staffs. The AIC has a part-time secretary who spends 50 per cent of more of his time with the AIC. Ate AIC holds press conferences and refutes mis-statements which appear in the press, issues pamphlets on asbestos, conducts an adver tising campaign, whose theme emphasises the indispensability of asbestos, holds seminars for asbestos users, and has just completed a film for general distribution on asbestos and its uses. Thu ot the AIC are assessed for its budget on the basis of their fiber import, but in no case are they assessed less than 10 per cent of the budget. In actual fact, two of the members pay the minimum or 10 per cent each and the other twomnbers. (Turner Newall and Cape) pay the remaining 80 per cent Notes >r the File Meeting 8/17/70 ARC - A1C Page 2 The Englishmen strongly urged us to form some type of information group and take action to refute and call attention to gross mis-statements in the press and in the literature concerning asbestos and the related health problems. Dx. Kulmes described Lhe presetting technique used in England to reduce the dust count content from sprayed insulations. In England they use a 100 per cent asbestos eomposition for the spray and no mineral fiber is used at all. The prewetting is done with a surface active wetting agent. Experiments conducted in February 1970 on a job site indicated that -ith p_-icr.al air samplers at the shoulder of the applicator, using a non-prewetted spray, the fiber count was 1500 fibers per cc. Using the pre wetting technique, the fiber count content in the same position was 4 fibers per cc. F. E. Pundsack