Document O13OJN2keMjeOj8e2GQ5aqZoX

PLAINTIFF'S txiuuir KM-132 PACO TEXTURES MEMO TO: Frank Scaggs FROM: Doug Merrill SUBJECT: MON-ASBESTOS CEILING TEXTURE October 8, 1976 Even though the state agencies in the Northwest have not taken a strong stand on asbestos, I'm sure the day will come. You should consider changing to the non-asbestos ceiling texture before it becomes required. We have all of our California, Hawaii and Utah customers using our non-asbestos ceiling texture products, either 6373G (32#) or 6374K (40#). There are some immediate advantages in going to these products, such as a $.46 per bag savings with the 6374K over the 6374H, which you currently buy. The factory would not have to purchase or handle the asbestos. Also, you would not run the risk as is the case with Kaiser in the attached article. Attach. (1) DWM/jlb cc: Bill Harrison John Winslow 47 387 ^ . aj iz M\06K& v/i ii kertews Coating under fire Federal and New Jersey environmental officials revealed last week that they have found asbestos in dust sampled at a Cliffside Park, NJ., condominium. The mate rial came from the Baking of a decorative ceiling, which contained 5-30% asbestos as applied. New Jersey's Environmental Pro tection Dept, says it began tests after initial data showing asbestos contamina tion were supplied by attorneys for condominium owners, who filed suit is Bergen County Superior Court (Hack ensack, N.J.) related to charges of contamination in the building. State testa, which found a "high percentage" of asbestos, confirmed results of an initial study conducted by Mt. Sinai Medical School's Environmental Sciences Laboratory (New York), which is partial . ly funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. EPA observes that while present regulations ban spraying of asbestos for several purposes, such as insulation and fireproofing, the rules do not cover use for decorative purposes. EPA conducted earlier studies of drink ing water and talc for contamination by asbestos, which has been linked with a rare form of chest and abdominal cancer (UK May 12. p. 28). Rutter Cement & Gypsum confirms is a defendant in the condominium aids end that a Kaiser ceiling texture prrmict, called K-apray, is named in the suit. Other defendants: the condominium developer and the spray applicator. Europeans buy in Threa European CPI companies-- Bayer AG and Schcring AG of West Germany and Saadox of.Switzerland-- took steps to acquire US. aubudiariae last weak. Rhinccham Corp., a US. holding comprtny of Bayer, acquired AUied Chemical's orgsnic pigments operttioM at Haledon, N.J. It has been incorporated as Harmon Colors Corp., will continue to produce and market organic pigments under the Har mon Colon tradename. 11k new company wilt operate as an affiliate of Mobey Chemical, which, along with Cutter Laboratories, is controlled by liayar. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Schcring, Berlin-based pharmaceutical end chemical giant, acquired Nepers Chemical (Harriman, N.Y.), a former Warner-Lambert subsidiary, which pro duces pyridine, methyl pyridine* and their rfcrtvuirvua for agricultural, industrial and pharmaceutical applications. Last January, Schcring acquired com plete ownership of NOR-AM Agricultural Products Inc. (Chicago), which had been a joint venture of Schering and MortonNorwich Products Inc. Schering also owns 50% of Knoll Pharmaceutical (Whippany, ______________________ TRS'S^cst German company says iu US. sales amounted to $35 million last year. Terms of the Nepera Chemical transaction were not disclosed by Sober ingSandoz signed an agreement in prin ciple to purchase for S19.40/sh*re the more than 10 million outstanding shares of Northrop, King (Minneapolis), a lead ing producer of corn and vegetable seed for commercial growers. Tbe agreement is subject to approval by the officers and shareholders of Northrop, King and tha officersJ>f Sandox. Polystyrene glut? Excess capacity on the order of I billion lbs. will plague polystyrene producers through 1980 and beyond, a U.S. Steel official said last week. Richard Sundra of the company's Commercial Research f~~ <-ry.t impact polyujfttoe will be 5.26 billion lbs. in 1971, with demand estimated at 3.2 billion. Demand this year is expected to total 2.1-2.85 billion lbs., reach 4.1 billion lbs. by 1980. "At the present time, the polystyrene industry is operating at 55% of capacity," 'Sundra told the second annual conference on contingency planning for pisstics in New York's Roosevelt Hotel. As t result, the outlook for producers is low profitability until capacity oomes back into balance in the mtd-1980*, he said. Early this month USS dropped prices of general-purpose end impact PS by 34/lb., reducing general-purpose to 264/lb. and impact to 274/lb. The company's move followed a long downward spiral in prices and was intended to bring list tap in line with price deterioration that had genaral* purpose grades selling at 23-254/lb. in some parts of the country. With monomer holding steady at 214/lb. and general-purpose grade selling at 264/ib., producers are left with 54/lb. to manufacture resin, package and ship, and realize a profit, Sundra said. "From here on," he added, "if monomer prices increase, they will have to be passed on in resin prices." Some producers may he operating at break even lewis. Rapid wrap-up J.T. Baker Chemical has begun full operation of an expanded facility at Winchester, Vs., for the preparation and packaging of ultrapure reagents marketed under the Ultrex tradename. Cost of expansion: S250,000. Afio the company has increased by 50% ammonium thiocya nate capacity at Phillipsburg. NJ. Capac ity figures were not disclosed.. . . Union CsiWt's Unde Drawn has opened a 2,000-tont/day oxygen plant in Burnt Harbor, ind,, tha largest single-train air- separation unit ever built. AJ-L. Staley Manufacturing'! "second generation" high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) will be commercially available by December from its Decatur. III., plant. The new 55% HFCS, Cradcnamcd Iso Sweet 5500, is expected to replace conven tional 42% sweeteners used in soft drinks, jams and jellies. Construction of another HFCS plant, in Lafayette, ind., is expected to be completed early next summer, bringing Staley's HFCS capacity to li billion Ibs./year. . . . Amstar, meanwhile, has deferred its plan to construct a second HFCS facility because of "rapidly changing market conditions in the sweetener industry and developing technology in tbe high-fructose corn syrup field." Bechtel has been awarded a preliminary engineering and design contract by the Seattle Board of Public Works for an $80- million plant to produce ammonia from solid waste. Plaits call for Uaion Carbide to operate the pyrolysis units and for Cayxe Chemical to own and operate tbe $3S-million ammonia production unit Znecea (Palo Alto, Calif.) and iu Japa nese joint-ventura partner Otsuka Phar maceutical have obtained approval to market Manta insect growth regulator as a treatment for silkworms. The formula tion extends the period in which the worms spin silk. It marks the first commercial use of an insect growth regulator for purpose* other than peat control. Aancanda shareholders will meet on Oct 20 to vota on a plan to reorganize as a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlaatk Rich field. Warner-Lambert'* subsidiary Americas Optical, which has acquired tha right to market the soft-contact lens made by Uniats Carp, will produca the lent at its recently completed Framingham. Maas^ facility. k General Tire A Rubber plans to spin off RKO General to reduce tekriskpUicnfa c tag challenges arising from formgn Mb* -7 allegations against General Tire. n,apmwfcer 197* CHUMS#- ***