Document Onya96bXRe83ZMXDG9RrpVXp

XFS __jku------------------ TO: Steve Baxter Interoffice Communication FROM: DATE: T. G. Grumbles Dec. 28, 1989 VISTA SUBJ: ATTACHED ARTICLE In response to your first two questions, yes, asbestos is effectively banned in the future. It's anybody's guess what the impact on SiC whiskers potential use might be. There are some significant differences between the two now. 1. SiC health effects are not well known or widely known. Specifically, there is no significant human health experience with SiC as there is for asbestos. Asbestos worker disease is well documented. 2. Asbestos has been specifically regulated for many years by multiple agencies such as OSHA and EPA. 3. The use conditions and applications and, therefore, potential worker and general population exposure potential is significantly different. Based on what I know about SiC, it won't be used in large amounts for spray on insulation, etc., but more for "high-tech" uses. This reduced exposure potential scenario would be significant in similar governmental reviews and actions. However, all of these issues ignore the potential emotional factors that would impact any substance that was compared to asbestos in terms of toxicity. As we've seen in recent years, those type of issues can have more impact than scientific ones. That's the best I can do at this point to answer your questions. Let me know if you'd like to discuss further. T. G. Grumbles bko Attachment cc: Greg Hoenes yvV 000007366