Document N23BbGQxbbpVQk83Ba9BrMV7D

FILE NAME: Electrical Insulation (ELEC) DATE: 1930 DOC#: ELEC001 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Government Report-UK IRi.MK OFl-ICn \ "C *ux) (Sratvn C apyri-nt !< ^ im r,l I REPO RT ON i .EFFECTS OF ASBESTOS DUST j ON T H E LUNGS. ' and DUST' SUPPRESSION IN TH E ' ASBESTOS INDUSTRY Occurrence o f Pulmonary Fibrosis and other Pulmonary Affections in Asbestos Workers Processes giving rise to dust and methods for its suppression BY E. R. A. M E K E T /E T H E R . M.D. H.JM. Mvaiwui ui>iK`Wiur Kavion* AND C W. PRICE g-^i - E u g i i I n s p e c t o r vt Kaciune LONCON: PRINTED AN0 PU B LISH ED BY HIS M A JE ST Y 'S STA TIO N E R Y O FFICE. To t z p-.ud.ictJ rlirceilvjmni II. M S T A I .tiSCI'.Y C F F I C E at I'je foilnwinj autlrcstct: Atla'iral Hnut;. iv ii; v a \ , l.nni|wli, W C . t . I :o, ?;rcn E.J.:,ii.i:r- m York 5.iic:-i . M . i i .i I ... ..-r i. St. Am..;. C.-c-.-r*:, Carc:;T 15 , Done-.--.II c <|na-<` \Yc 1. P c i i a i l . or ihroutjM it' i L -tier. J4--0 1 9 :>0 . Pftf* i>. H. Nu 1 Preparatory |ii`(jias'Mt in jkiMv making inelml*' (i) dry grinding :if lilicrizn! ajATslosi by Miut|( vurideal di.ic ' 1*1utility vvIkmIj*, led *t Lhu ivulrc lrum a huppcr * above and din hargial I'rmn thc'pvr'phcry into n l*'\ M ow, and (ii) hand mixing of lhu ground materiala a! ;i.Lunuh, involving emptying mil of dry material jntn pails. JJu.it' m produced, tlic iinusmt being euu.Mdurable iu grinding. l.itile precaution is taken. Tliu processes might lie aconmpli..hed under almost entirely enclosed conditions, cilioiciit exhaust draught being applied at points when* dry material is exposed, c.g., in feeding. Rewinding of yarn is sometimes necessary ami primitive arrangements may . be used, tbo practice referred to on page ffi being fullmved, and as a considerable amount of dust is produced, the practice should be given up. Cable a.-rf li ring.-- Asbestos-covered cable and wiring constitute a small percentage of the output of Uie cable factories. The yarn is braided and plaited on the conductors at macbmes, not reserved for " asbestas " products, similar to those previously described. Rewinding of " cheeses,'' as receive' from a-sbestus textile factorial, is done at universal winding machines. The amount of dust evolved is small, and special precautionary measures are apparently not required. F iild -'n ii Wrapping.-- Field coils for electrical machinery are wound with asbestos tape by hand at ordinary work benches. The process does not give rise to appreciable quantities of dust. * (g) Miscellaneous. Moulded. Goods.-- Some electrical insulating fittings are moulded from varnish-impregnated fiberiacd asbestos, prepared after thorough drying in a mixer and ground in an edge runner. Alteruativeiy, impregnated scrap, ground in a nimbler, may be used. The preparatory processes on ury or practically dry material are intermittent, and involve sack emptying, shovelling, weighing, filling and emptying shallow trays. They are cu.nea on in an open manner without special precautions except that as regnras grinding, hanging curtains may be used at the edge runner, and the scrap rummer is enclosed. Dust is evolved in the processes mentioued and localised exhaust ventilation should be applied to effect its removal, with, iu addition, effective enclosure of some hand work, c.g., emptying of trays into machines could be done inside a cabinet Erovided with internal arrangements for securing the trays and an external andle for turning them over. Localised exhaust may bo necessary for final trimming if done at abrading wheels. Moulded articles made in other trades may contain but a small proportion of asbestos, although a large quantity may be used. In one case the asbestos is sieved after drying, both operations being done in enclosed machines, and, in addition, dry mixin", done in rotary ^machines, .and paste mixing, on opcv rolls, as in ruliber works, are also required. Processes carried on with some risk of exposure to dust include emptying of sacks into bins, filling of travs for drying, feeding at the sieve elevator hoppers, the dry mixer, and the roll's. Localised exhaust is applied at (a) the elevator hopper, (b) the storage chamber above an intermediate bagging point, (c) the dry mixer, and (d) the rolls. More efficient arrangements appear to be desirable for (<?) and (c); the feeding of the elevator mi-'h*. be doue under enclosed conditions if a cabinet as mentioned above were provided into which the travs could be inserted. Localise 1 exhaust is necessary at storage bins. Final trimming of rough edges is done under efficient exhaust draught. Other processes of comparatively minor importance, c.g., asbestos puttv mixing, in which there is handing and feeding of dry material in preparatory pi-occs.-cv, will rail for precautions as previously described for similar work. 4.-- Sacks. In a few caves sacks of sailcloth m- ether eloselv woven material are used inside (he factories. ?neh sacks nrp tniicii in In- preferred to th.iso made of the ordinary material, which is " leaky 11 arid gives n.-o to dust in handling. 5.--Ci.EANtxu or Worn;:;. Macuint-uv \xn >\rv Some f.ii liil ies are Kept in a more ilo tulv .tale i h. m o l h e r i . hut hi gher standard-, and i i n|i i uwd mellmiU are d c ' i r a h l e g m i w n l h Weru' . v rival l i ng hv d r v Kiel lujilv M grinwal ill I r v l i i r f.irlm i n . hut in men- rlTn I ii i ' il done in Mime