Document NeOKn9yy0KQvOGeX0agymy5Vg

FILE NAME: Asbestos in Hair Dryers (HD) DATE: D DOC#: HD0 OCUMENT DESCRIPTION: '>ZW^ZZZ KZD GEN ERAL. ELECJ~IC GENERAL. ELECTRiC COMPANY. 1Za5 BOSTON AVENUE BRIDGEPORT. CONNECTICUT 06602. Phone (203) 334-1012 HOUSEWARES AND AUDIO .BUSINESS DIVISION May 25, 1979 Honorable Sayde E. Dunn Secretary Consumer Product Safety Commission 1111 Eighteenth Street, N.W. Washingto:p., D. C. 20217 Dear Ms .Dunn: The follOl'ling response is subnitted in reply. to your order of May 14, 1979: 1. Q. State the name of your firm and the address of your principal place of business. Specifywhether you are a manufacturer, importer and/or private labeler of the electric hair. dryers described above. . A. The name and address of our busines~is as follows: Housewares and Audio Business Division General Electric Company 1285 Boston Avenue Bridgeport, Connecticut 06602 .The Housewares and Audio Business Division imports .(pur'chases) and manufactures electric hair dryers. 2. Q. Ca) Are asbestos materials now being used in dryer$ your firm is manufacturing, importing or labeling? A. (a) Asbestos materials are not being used 'in the electric hair dryers now being imported (purchased), priva~e labeled or manufactured. Q. (b) Is the asbestos located where it is exposed to the air flow? A. (b) Not applicable. 3. Q. (a) Have asbestos materials been used in dryers your firm has.manufactured, imported or labeled within the last ten years? . AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER GEGIE 00086 GENERAlfj ELECTRJC !Honorable Sayde E. Dunn lvIay 2S ~ 1979 Page 2 3. A. Ca) (cont. ) Asbestos materials have been used in hair dryers imported .(purchased) and manufactured during the last ten years. . Q. (b) Is the asbestos located where it is exposed to the air flow? A. (b) .The asbestos material was used where it was exposed to the airstream. 4. Q. If y.ou ans\vered yes to question 2(b) and/or question 3 (b), . please provide the follOliing information, in the or.der listed, for each identifiable group of dry-ers. To facil i tate review. of the information, .please provide this information in charts or by other means that will relate each item of information f to a particular identifiable group of dryers. Q. (a) Give identification information (e.g., brand name, style, model .number and/or production date code number) and state l'ihether the dryer is hand held, portable, free standing, etc. Q. (b) Specify dates during ~hich your firm manufactured, imported and/or labeled the dryers and the approximate number of dryers manufactured, .imported and/or labeled d:uring each da,:te or time period. .. Q. (c) Describe where the asbestos materials are- located in the .haiT dryers (e.g., nozzle lining, hood lining~ air passageway lin~ng, wire insulation or motor insulation) .Q. (d) If you are the importer or private labeler, state the name and address of the manufacturer. A. (a):I (b):I ee):I (d) See Attachment "A" and "B" annexed to our response dated April 6, 1979 to CPSC Special Order of March 29, 1979. . Q. (e) If you are the manufacturer (or have access.to this information) please explain what kind of asbestos material ,was used (type, grade, or other descriptiQn), indicgte the name and address of the distributor and/or manufacturer of the material if known, and give the reasons for the use of the asbestos material. GEGIE 00087 GE~ERAL@; ELECTRIC -Honoxable Sayde E. Dunn J.lay 2S J 1979 Page 3 4. A. (e) -(cont. ) Asbestos wa-s used because of its high temperature characteristics, low thermal conductivity and strength capabi1i ty. Novabestos, bo-nded asbestos paper ~ wov.en asbestos yarn and asbestos rollboard has been used in various models. American Felt- Co. and Raybestos-Manhattan were suppliers for domestically produ~ed products. Off-shore suppliers were-used by Far Eastern vendqrs and manufacturing plants. Q. () Describe the usual promotion, marketing a~d us-e pattern~-. of your dryers. A. (f) General Electric manufactures and sources hair_dryers. We sell to distributors who in turn sell to dealers, as well as selling directly to dealers, and the dealers sell to the consuming public. There are other specialized -, sales channels such as premium accounts and stamp and incentive accounts. -_ s. Q. (a) Were asbestos materials used in dryers your firm manu- factured, imported or labeled more than-ten years ago? A. Ca) Asbestos materia~s have not been used in hand-held hair dryers imported (purchased), private labeled and manufa~tured more _than ten years ago. See Attachment "B", annexed to our response dated April 6, -1979-to CPSC Special Order of March 29, 1979 covering non hand-heldhair drye~s manufactured by General Electric Company using asb~stos materials. Q. (b) If you answered yes, please state whether the asbestos is located lihere it is exposed to the air ,flow'. A. (b) See items identified in At,tachment "'B" annexed to our response dated'April 6, 1979 to CPSC Special _Order of , March _29, 1979. 6. Q; (a) (i) Has your firm or anyone on its beha~f conducted any tests of your dryers to determine whether your dryers emit respirable asbestos fibers into the air flow. or any other tests related to the-use of asbestos in dryers? A. (a) (i) Yes. GEGIE 00088 GENERAL f I ELECTRIC . Honorable Sayde E. Dunn May 25,. 1979 Page 4 6. Q. (a)(ii) If you answered yes~ provide a description of such (cont.) tests~ and an explanation of ~here and how the reports may be obtained. A. (a)(ii) S~e answer to question 6(e) infra. Q. (b) (i) Do you know of any.other tests or studies regarding the use of asbestos in hair dryers? A. (b) (i) Yes. _. Q. (b)(ii) If you answered yes, please provide a description of such tests, and an explanation of where and how the reports may be obtained . . A. (b) (ii) 1. Johns Manville Corporation Report presented to the staff of CPSG on June 9, 1979. 2. Environmental Defense Fund Petition and the Lab Report of EMV Associates. 3. National Bureau of Standards memo- to Gale l'iyer, CPSC dated MayZ,. 1979, entitled "Examination of Hairdryers From CPSC (1#7166 and 7167) for Asbestos". 4. Testing now in progress at NIOSH for CPSG. 5.. fest conducted by Portable Appliance Manufacturers Association PAMA of Canada available from PAMA. 6. Tests conducted for the Canadian government Minister Consumer and Corporate Affairs and Health andWelfare .. Available through these offices in Ottawa. These tests can be discussed with the parties responsible. Q. (e) P~ease provide the name, address and telephone number. ofa person in your firm with whom the Commission staff could discuss these tests or testing of asbestos in hair dryers in general. GEGIE 00089 GEN ERA t * ELECTRI C Honorable Sayde E. Dunn May 25, 1979 Page 5 ._.- -...... ~.:. . . :-.-~.:.:..!......:. 6. A. (e) (cont". ) Robert W. Mazzaeane Manager-Product "Safety and Standards Housewares Engineering "Department General Electric Company 1285 Boston Avenue Bridgepert, Connecticut 06602 Telephone:" (203)382-3556 7. Q. Please" provide" th" e name, title, address, and telephone" number of the person filing the response to this Order. " A. The writer has beendelegated as the representative of "the Chief Executive Office and authorized to make daims of confidentiality on behalf of the Company. " .'.. ..,. : GEGIE 00090 GENERAL~ ELECTRIC Honorable Sayde E. Dunn ~lay 25, 1979 Page S 6. A. (c) (cont.) Robert W. Mazzacane Manager-Product Safety and Standards Housewares Engineering Department General Electric Company 1285 Boston Avenue . Bridgepo~t, Connecticut 0660~ Telephone: (203)382-3556 7 . .Q. Please provide the name, title, address, and telephone number. of the person filing the response to this Order. A. The Writer has been delegated as .the representative of the Chief Executive Office and authorized to make daims of confidentiality on behalf of' the Company ..' . With respect to the material in the foregoing response which "'. refer~nces prior submittals, we hereby claim exemption from disclosure lunder the Freedom of Information Act, 5 USC SS2(b) and 18 USC 190S or regulations issued thereunder~ to the extent that such was previously claimed in said prior submittals. With regard to the information contained in the answer to question 4(e) herein, .. we c'laim exemption from disclosure for.statements and references under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 USC 552 (b) and 18 USC 190S or regulations issued thereunder. This information is confidential, commercial information that wouldcause substantial financial harm if released to our competitors. It has never been released in any manner to any person who lias .not an employee or in a confid.ential relationship ,.;ith the Company and. is not commonly known within.the industry nor is it readily ascertainable by outside persons with a minimum of time and effort. R1y}'1:mst Very truly yours~ '~f1I~ , Robert W. -Ma1facane, Manager Product Safety and Standards Housewares Engineering Department .Telephone (203)382-3556 GEGIE 00091 . ~tary?uu bL~- ~.'J' . ,.,<. . ,'{ STATE OF CONNECTICUT) COUNTY OF .F~IRFIELD ) ss: Bridgeport May 2~ . 1979 " "\ Personally appeared, ROBERT 1'l. J!.-IAZZACANE, signer and s~'aler .C!~ I), the foregoing instrument and affirmed and declared that thEf ;~fa1=~ent.s: i '. conta:lned herein are true to the best of his information a1j.~, be~ie;f. ',);: .. ~~" .. ~ . 't~~~~. .) ",'I': j~ . .' .. ,... " ./ My Commi~,,;n" c~~,_ .. ", ,',I" \ . .'