Document N24ZMyLLdoQ51zxB0GazZZq8D

INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE FOUNDATION OF AMERICA, Inc. A REPORT ON HEALTH ASPECTS OF FIBROUS GLASS Medical Series Bulletin A*o. 13-6$ 4400 Filth Avenue Pittsburgh. Feocisylvtma 15253 1968 WV-12813 ! i FOREWORD From since publication of its first bulletin tn 19JS. the industrial KyB>^ Foundation of America. Inc. UKF) Ms issued medical re ports on subjects of topical interest to its members. 1HF is a nonprofit research association of industries for the advance ment of healthful working conditions and human relations m industry, and serves a unique function aa the focal point for exchange of information on health prob lems allegedly arising from industries' operations, products and wastes. The Foundation's ability te vested >n Uidtuid-iilS -StH highly Specialised scientific. technical and professional backgrounds and experience in its member organisations as -veil as in its lull-time siaff. its standing committees, and expert panel of advisors. Its work is therefore supported by numerous individ uals >n hundreds of companies deeply committed to the advancement and fulfill ment ol the Foundation** mission. At the invitation i IHF. Dr, Jon 1,. Konsen, Medical Director of Owens S Corning Fibergias Corporation. Toledo. Ohio, assisted in the preparation of this bulletin io association with Or. Paul Cross, Director of the Foundation's Research laboratory, based on an extensive review of all available experimental and human data, published or in progross. The information contained herein * is presented for the guidance oS the members of SHF and all those in the fields of environmental and occupations) health who should benefit from this documen tation which gives evidence that fibrous glass is inert and nun-injurious to health, Robert T, P. dsTreville. M. D. , Sc.D, > President Industrial Hygiene Foundation of America. TAB IX Of CONTENTS Foreword.............. ................................................... intreuuclion.................................,........................ Cffcc?* vl Exposure to Fibrous Glass Medical Research Studies . , .,.................. Summary................................................................. References...................................... ........................ INTRODUCTION Fibrous glass is produced in two forms --as a wool-type product pri marily for thermal and acoustical insulation and as a textile fiber for fabrics and strength-giving roin/orcements. Since its development in the early I920'e, fibrous glass haa become one of society's most useful basic materials. Originally manufactured as a material for furnace fitters and home insulation, fibrous glass now goes into mere than 32, 000 end products. >n addition to furnace filters and home insulation, major applications o! wool-type fibrous glass today sncludo acoustical ceilings, filters for purify, mg water and thermal insulation for pipe, air conditioning ducts, food cold storage systems and Household refrigerators, ovens and other appliances. Major market* for textile fibrous glass are: curtains and draperies, bed spreads. table cioths, awningt, lire protective clothing and reinforcements for plastics, rubber and paper. Interest in possible occupational and environmental health problem* with fibrous glass goo* back almost as far as the first development work on the material id 1931, In mast cases, this interest has c onto rod on possible effects from ekin contact, inhalation and ingestion of email fibrous glass particles. Results of medical research, including examinations of hundreds of persons who have worked in fibroue glass plants as long as ,25 to 30 years, gives evidence that fibroue glass is inert and non-injurious to the individual's aver-ail health, \ i, 1h purpose of tins report is to revmw (he 1 Hidings ol the must signi ficant of :li'*c studirs ,n an effort to clarify the hvaJth aspects u! iibrou ^Isss. r: struts or Exposures to nanous class Obvious ly. continued x pus ore to --xccssive quuntitiak of any 'lust or lujt'es should l.e avoided. dusts and (urne* differ widely in their potential Mini to human health. Seme prove mjunouo in so"' atmospheric con centrations. others arc iuitmtcss at high concent rat ions. Skin irritation occasionally results Item exposure to fibrous glass particle*- bo? this irritation has proved to be superficial and trsnsitory. Fibrous glass manufacture ts have always been interested us dele rmininj whether or not fibrous glass particles are injurious il intialsii or ingested. As a resuit, th-`y have cooperated in many modical research studio* conducted over ihe pail itiH'G tjetides try rncSiek1. scsenusta and pfcysioitns considered to be authorities m their modical specialties. Based on existing medical evidence dating back so 19'(0 through to the present, siibornc fibrous glass is not a hsaard to general health, Hundred* c-1 liereus glass workers have been exposed tc higher-than-averag* concentrations of airborne glass particles virtually every working day ior as long as 25 to dO years ivnhoot exhibiting any pattern ol lung disease thaScan b attributed to nxponurc to fibrous glaso. MEDICAL RESEARCH STUDIES Among the most significant o( medical studios conducted to date on USreus glass were the tnvcatigationo m l^hi 'ey George , wright, M.D., Hvao. of iHe Medical Research Department of St, Luke's Koopital m Cleveland. The study* is a review of periodic cheat x-rays, medical records and job exposure histones of l, 40! employees at the largest and oldest tibrous gtsas nunulaeturing plant. None oi these workers had beer employed less than 10 years. Many were employed at the plant upwards of 25 years. The report gjvce tin* purpose of the research in Us opening sentence: "The question so be explored i whether or not prolonged exposure of workers to an environment containing airborne lihrous glass coated with phenolic rasin, ,. is associated with a recogmrable pattern of roentgenographic abnormality, " The report's summary states as follows: "The elfec*. as revcajea m the sheet roentgenogram* of ten to twenty-five years of exposure man environment containing airborne particles of fibrous glass lias been studied. No un usual pattern of radiologic densities was observed. The frequency of various radiologic appearances known to occur in the general population was no higher in those with greatest exposure than in those with the least. " Another important study^ mado between 135b and 1158 by Paul Grass. M.l Research Professor. University of Pittsburgh. Graduate School of Public Health; Senior Fellow, Mellon Institute, and Director of the 1HF Research Laboratory, Pittsburgh, Pa, , was a laboratory animal study consist mg of three parts: i. determination ol the pulmonary response resulting from exposure } to high concentrations of respirable, airborne glass particles (hundreds of millions of particles per cubic fool* and the injec tion into the lungs of both coarse and Sine glass particles to determine pulmonary response to the glass; * Respirable means sufficiently small lo %aui accnaa to the deepevt lung Uavo#*, ordinarily or less in diameter, i. e.. microscopic and submicrescopic sued particles. Fine particles used in this study were approximately Ip in diametc Coarse'pa ruelea, pot through a J25 mesh sieve <U. S. Standard No, 40) were 50 or less in diameter with a few particles measuring as much as 400* or 0.4 mm. i. i, to document the effects of the massive ingestion of ground glass of microscopic dimensions (laboratory amsnals were /so a diet containing 50Tr finely milled glass flakes for one year?; end 3, to study the effects resulting from dusting th eyes of laboratory animals w;tb finely milled glass dust and glass flakes. Following arc excerpts from Dr. Grose' summary and conclusions; "No effect of glass dust and glass flakes was demonstrable upon she cornea or the conjunctiva of the eyes, "No tcxic or traumatic effect was demonstrable upon the gastro intestinal tract. There was only slight depression of the growth rate when rats ingested a diet containing as much ground glass (S0*) ss food. This depression was due entirely to a lower food intake. "The pulmonary changes its guinea pigs exposed to fine glass dust for one year and those of rats either exposed to the same dust or given injections mtratracheaiiy with it were minimal iu character and consisted only of small focal alveolar dust cell collections without fibroslo...Coarse glass dust injected into the lungs of rats behaved like inert foreign material,,, , '* Moreover, ss recently ss April. :9o3. Dr. Gross rcaffifined the conclusions as follows* "Based on all completed and in-progress experimental and human data ot which wr have knowledge, fibrous glass dust should be classified as 'inert', i. e, . without demonstrable pathologic effect, 'There should be no adverse effects to health from inhalation of glaos dust of respirable sire, whether in pulverised or filamen- u>us to rma. '* ] Two ol the more recent i nvee ligations were reported in the July. 19b?. issue ol the Journal of Occupational Medicine, In one article Carey P, McCord, M.D. , Professor Emeritus of the Institute of Industrial Health at ' From a memorandum to Hebert T. P. doTrwvme. M.D. from Paul Cross. M.D. dated April 11, S9fe8. 5, she University of Michigan. Ann Arbor. Michigan, summarised hie investiga tion of fibrous glase manufacture and technology with this statement! "Fiber glass, like all common forms cf glass, is a chemically inert substance. I? possesses no known toxic properties. On a mechanical basis, spicules may abrade the skin leading to superficial and transitory Irritation. Among fiber glass makers, particularly new workers who arc most exposed, skin irritation occurs, but is not remarkable....'1 In the second article.* Ahmed N, M, Nasi, M.D, , also of the Institute of Indus trial Health a? the University of Michigan, reviewed the world's iitera- lure covering health aspects of exposure to fibrous giaso. These excerpts from the report summarize Dr. Naor's conclusions; "As far as can be ascertained from a search of the American and European literature, available evidence indicates that fibrous glase Is a relatively inert material with no fibrcgcmc or other significant toxic properties. " 6 A study of human skin reaction to contact with fibrous glase was con ducted in 1957 by Eldre<i R, Ilcieei, M.D,, formerly Chief, Division of Derma* tology, and John is, Mitchell. M. D,. Clinical Professor and Head of the Oiviolor of Allergy, Ohio State University. Columbus. Ohio. This study included both patch and rubbing testa on two groups of liuram volunteers. One group of SO white women had never been exposed to libreus glaas, The second group con sisted of 92 persons who had been exposed to Cibrous glass for periods ranging from less than one year to as long as 15 years. Excerpts from the report's summary follow! ".., We were unable to induce sensitivity in the first group <c. g, , 50 women) and no sensitiiation reactions were noted in the second group (c.g., 92 persons). "Reactions were observed wisen finely cut fibers were applied to the skin. These varied directly with the atrr (diameter) of ihe Jsfeer and were interpreted aa being due to mechonical irritation., .. 6. SUMMARY Medical investigation# and scientific medical studies conducted by highly qualified specialists in skin end Sung diseases have shown iifcrous glass in be a biologically inert substance that produces no permanent injury to individuals exposed to it. The documented evidence substantiating this conclusion includes in* vssngauon of the health o! hundreds ol iibrous glass workers who have been exposed ic thn material on a regular basis (or as long as IS to JO years. Medical publications on fibrous glass include other studies* investi gations and literature reviews. Several of these arc listed lor information 7- l J purposes. i REFERENCES Wright, George w, : Airborne Fib reus Glass Particles, AMA Arch, Environ. Health Uk 175-! 61. February 1968. Gross. Paul, M. L. Westrick, and !. M. McNarney: Glass Oust. A Study of Its Biologic Effects, AMA Arch, Industrial Health 2T: 10-January i960. Hatch, T. F. and Paul Cros: Pulmonary Deposition and Retention of inhaled Aerosols, Academic Press, New York, 1964. McCord. Carey P. Fiber Glas8. Chemistry and Technology. J. Occ, Med. 9:339-344. July 1967. Nasr. Ahmed N. M. : Pulmonary Haaarda from Exposure to Glas* Fibers, J. Occ. Med. JhMS-348. July 1967. Hcmel, Eldrod A. and John H. Mitchell: Cutaneous Reaction lo Fiberglaa, Ind. Med. k Surg. 26:&4?-5SQ, December 1957, The Saranac Laboratory for the Study of Tuberculosis of the Edward L. Trudeau Foundation. Annual Report. Saranac Lake, New York, 194< Siebert, W, J, Fiberglas Health Hazard Investigation, Industrial Medicine, Jan. 1942, Sulzberger, Marian B, and Randolph L, Baer, Dept, of Medicine, New York University College of Medicine: The Effects of Fiber Glass on Animal and Human Skin, Industrial Medicine, Oct. 1942, Irwin. J. !t. , Boeing Aircraft Company, Seattle, Washington: Fiberglas Plastics-- industrial Medical Aspects and Experiences, Industrial Medicine, Sept. 194', Sehcpers, v.'*V. H. , T. M, Durkan. A. U. Delaiiant, A. J, Rediin, J, G. Sehrmdt, F. Y. Creedon. J, Jaeebeon, and D. A, SaiScy: The Bi logical Action of Fibe rgUa-Plastic Dust. Arch, of Industrial Health ! 134, i 95. Djure, J. , B. Soderholm and S. Widtmnsky Cardiopulmonary Function Studies in Workers Dealing with Asbestos and Glasawool, Thorax S9 2 !964, -- Keane, W. T. and M. R. Zavon: Occupational Hasards of Pipe Insulators. Arch, of Environ, Health 1966,