Document NEwGqZgNvZOD9e1DzrRZdQJVg

iYXi-iiVj, XJ W TO : Director, DFSCI / runup i( -th.seu.vic.. ' HEALTH SERVICES AND MENTAL HEALTH ADMINISTRATE National Inr.tititc for Occupational Safety and He 550 Main Street, FOB, Rm. 8409, Cincinnati, Ohio DATE: ./ January 12, 1972 j FROM : Richard A. Lemen, Epidemiologist j Biometry Branch, DFSCI SUBJECT: yrip p>ep0rt -- Tyler Asbestos Meeting Travel Order Departed From Arrived Purpose Accomplishments : PHS 017281 : 1/5 Cincinnati, Ohio 1/7 Tyler, Texas 10:00 A.M 2:00 P.M : 1/5 Tyler, Texas 1/7 Cincinnati, Ohio 8:00 P.M , 9:00 P.M : To meet with Dr. George Hurst, Director of East Texas Chest Hospital and Dr. Lee Grant, Medical Director for Pittsburgh Corning to discuss the release of x-rays taken of employees at the Tyler, Texas thermal insulation asbestos plant in August 1971 and also to discuss results of the NI03H medical `survey of the plant in October 1971. : (a) The meeting started at 9:00 A.M. in the conference room of the East Texas Chest Hospital with Dr. George Hurst, Dr. Lee Grant, Hr. Bill Farkos, Director, Personnel and Industrial Relations-, Pittsburgh ` Corning, and Dr. Richard Spiegel, and myself from HIOSH in attendance. The first portion of the meeting dealt with clarifying HIOSH criteria for asbestosis and East Texas Chest Hospital procedures for the medical evaluation of the surveyed employees. YJe then began reviewing all of the 25 employees with`five years' experience or more starting with those having the lowest DLCO, since Dr. Grant felt this / .0 I I T- 7^ -y S.,*' ......... -................................---r - Director, DFSCI January 12, 1972 Page 2 # )* >l 0 / to be the best indicator of a pneumoconiosiclike disease. Using the pulmonary function information obtained by the East Texas Chest Hospital and the rales, clubbing, and dyspnea data obtained by the NIOSH medical survey team, we placed seven of these individuals into the category of asbestosis by the NIOSH criteria. X-rays taken in Kay 1969 and August 1971 v;ero` also reviewed on each of these individuals, but no evaluation by the UICC code was done. The remaining employees were then reviewed. In this group there were 25 present employees who had pulmonary function data available, 13 employees were hired after the survey by Dr. Hurst in August 1971 and, therefore, had only medical evaluation by the NIOSH team and no pulmonary function data, while 9 employees, no longer employeed, had only pulmonary function data available. No new individuals were found that met the NIOSH criteria for-asbestosis, however, several had indications of early pulmonary disease. Dr. Hurst indicated during the meeting that the Texas State Health Department had told him not- to release the x-rays to NIOSH. Dr. Grant stated it was agreeable with Pittsburgh Corning to release them to NIOSH. Dr. Hurst said approval vas needed by him from his superiors at the State Department ~of Health. It was, therefore, agreed that Dr. Spiegel and Dr. Grant would leave the next day following our scheduled morning meeting for Austin, Texas to obtain this permission for release. (b) At the next meeting the following morning at 8:00 A.H. we were joined by Hr. Steven Uodka of the Oil, Chemical, and Atomic YJorkers International Union and H. L. Yandle, local president of the same union, which represents the workers at the Pittsburgh h> c Director, DFSCI January 12, 1972 Page 3 #0 I Coming Tyler, Texas plant. * The purpose , of this meeting was for Dr. Hurst and Dr. Grant to release their summary medical data to the. Union, which they did. KIOSK summary medical data was also released at this time, stating that this was only pre.. liminary data pending results of the NIOSH expert panel of radiologists on the x-rays. Mr. Wodka indicated that the Union would like for each man to receive results of his medical 'evaluation both from Dr. Kurst and Dr. Grant and from KIOSH. He indicated that each employee would file a workman's compensation claim at the termination of his employment, and.that the information was necessary for this purpose. (c) After the meeting I was informed by Mr. V7odka and Mr. Yandle that other dumping areas used by Pittsburgh Corning for asbestos existed in the Tyler area, that were not previously noted by KIOSK. They also indicated the use of asbestos bags for the wrapping of trees at nurseries,' I investigated the dump areas . and found several uncovered asbestos dumps near the Owentown Sewer Works off of Int. 20 and old 155, One dump was located near the road (155) and within 100 yards of a private residence. The size of the dump was approxi mately 300 to 200 yards back of the first due There were weeds growing through the piles of asbestos so apparently it had been dumped several years ago, (d) I also went to the Eikner Nurseries of Tyler . . Texas and found they had bought burlap bags used to transport raw amositc asbestos from Pittsburgh Corning in Tyler, Texas for use wrapping, bagging, and packing trees, Appr they last received bags from the company i: spring of 1970. Mr. Elbert Fenton of the nursery showed me a bam used to store the Director, DFSCI January 12, 1972 Page 4 `t V bags and it looked as if 1000 to 2000 bags were still there. He indicated they didn1t use the bags often, but while I was there a woman worker came in, picked up a bag, shook it for about 15 to 30 seconds to remove the dust, and thus created a large dust cloud in her breathing zone. She then went into a small room next to where the bags vere stored and used the bag for a lap cover while she grafted plants together. I asked for one of the bags and brought it back for our lab to evaluate for asbestos content and amount of asbestos expelled while being shaken. Results of these tests will follow later. I feel the use of these bags should be dis continued and that the bags should be disposed of by burying. In a recent report by Uagner, * et. al* they state that "... a small group of cases of mesothelioma occurred in women who worked in a bagcleaning factory. Detailed inquiry showed that some of the bags had been previously filled with asbestos." It was mentioned that other nurseries in the southwest United States also purchased the bags for similar use and I feel this should be followed up. (e) Results of Dr. Spiegel's meeting in Austin will . . be in his trip report. Richard A. Leraen * Vlagner, J,, Gilson, J., Berry, G., and Timbrell, V. (1971) Epidemiology of Asbestos Cancers, British liedical Bulletin Vol. 27, No.. 1, p. 73.