Document OzM8zxeL2OgZgVpGb4zxDOkmp

TO: See Distribution List FROM: Thomas F. Egan DATE: April 17, 1970 Gentlemen: The attached article is very topical to say the least. This is sent to you for two-fold purposes: First of all, it is important that you be alert to the many changes taking place constantly in the field of direct-to-steel fireproofing. Secondly, since this effects our competitors (sprayed fibers) directly, it is important that you use these facts with architects who have used or are contemplating specifications for sprayed fiber fireproofing. For the present, please sell the inherent advantages of a cemen titious product. This article, having been written by Mr. Rosen, would be an ideal piece to distribute or at least use as a point of reference with all architects and engineering firms. Keep in touch on particulars. Yours truly, TFE/jac Attachment r- Thomas F. Egan 2006290$ distribution list R. L. Asher/Zono-Boca Raton Poly. P. P. Benditz J. N. Beveridge E. D. Bossier/Zono-New Orleans W. J. Bourke/Zono-Chicago Plant R. K. Burnham/Ari-Zonolite N. T. Burns/Zono-Beltsville (Muirkirk) Norm Bushell/Grant Industries R. F. Chaney J. Cintani/Zono-Trenton W. V. Culver/Zono-Auburn I A. W. Dambros/Zono-Los Angeles Office R. 0. de Bastian/Zono-St. Louis W. T. Dingler/Zono-Denver T. E. Dietrick/Zono-Atlanta (Verm.) R. E. Dunham/Zono-Minneapolis Office P. P. Farrell R. A. Feddeck T. P. Feit Floyd Gebert/Robinson Insulation Co. D. G. Gehring/Zono-Milwaukee W. G. Gray/Zono-Dearborn J. H. Greer/Vermiculite Products, Inc. C. W. Guenther R. G. Hartman/Zono-New Castle R. Hodges L. P. Hollis, Jr./Zono-High Point L. K. Irvine/Vermiculite-Intermountain, Inc. R. P. Johnson R. C. LaRue C. R. Lowe/Zono-Atlanta Verm. Jack Lyall/Southwest Vermiculite Co. A. H. Mann/Zono-Minneapolis Plant J. N. McDougall/Zono-Omaha J. A. McEachern/Zono-St. Loui J. R. McLeod/Zono-Minneapolis W. R. McNally E. E. Miller/Zono-Dearborn V. G. Monroe/Zono-Wilders R. B. Moran/Texas Vermiculite Co. N. R. Moss D. D. Nigh/Zono-Los Angeles Plant J. C. Ottinger T. W. Pickthall/Zono-Newark, Calif. G. W. Schwartz S. J. Sheeran R. F. Spencer G. R. Taylor/Zono-Little Rock J. S. Titus/Zono-Trenton E. VanVliet Drew Webster/F. Hyde 5 Co., Ltd. C. H. Wendel/Zono-Los Angeles Office L. A. White/Zono-Nashville -irr- 200 ,C,r>V ` /specifications clinic BY HAROLD J. ROSEN Controlling Construction Pollution This column concludes that due to its contribution to air pollution, asbestos-sprayed insulation must be eliminated in future construction. Rosen is Chief Specifications Writer of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, New York. The hazards of air and water pollu tion are slowly being recognized aa more statistical information on their effect on the human environment is coming to the attention of a con cerned citizenry. Since the pub lication of Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson, people have begun to ques tion the dangerous side effects that result from chemical pesticides, au tomobile fumes, and raw sewage dumped into our streams and rivers. Industrial and human wastes, care lessly or innocently disposed of into the atmosphere or into rivers, have an effect on nature's biological bal ance that governs the production of oxygen and the growth of marine and animal life. In addition, as archi tects, we should decry the despolia tion of our environment resulting from the accumulation of physical mounds of garbage, junked cars, and industrial waste products. We should also take a closer look at our construction practices to deter mine whether we are a party to this pollution as a by-product of our de signs, and whether we can reduce or eliminate some of our own contribu tions to this problem area. Certainly in demolition of existing structures in urban centers, we should restrict the amount of dust tha% develops. In some European cities, barriers consisting of plastic envelopes are utilized around demol ition sites to confine the dust result ing from these operations. Perhaps our Building Departments and our Air Pollution Control Departments should institute stricter controls over such procedures. A more striking example of how architects can reduce pollution that actually contributes to fatalities is in the selection of certain sprayed-on fire proofing and insulating products. In 1900, a London physician, in performing an autopsy upon the body of an asbestos-textile worker found asbestos particles in the lungs and attributed this death to the worker's occupation. Several iso lated instances occurred subsequently where an examination of the lung tissue of deceased asbestos workers indicated the presence of asbestos. In 1924 an English physician. Dr. Cooke, after an extensive autopsy and subsequent search of medical lit erature. concluded that the death of a patient resulted solely from the in halation of asbestos fibers and as signed the name asbestosis to this disease. An investigation of some 363 as bestos-textile workers in Great Brit ain in 1928 disclosed that 95, or about 25 per cent, showed evidence of asbestosis. As a result, legislation was enacted in Great Britain to re quire improvements in ventilation and exhaust systems in asbestos-tex tile plants and periodic examination of workers. Although this improve ment in working conditions length ened the life expectancy of these workers, it was learned in 1935 by Dr. Lynch in this country that as bestos workers were dying of cancer as a result of their association with asbestos. Independent investigators in many parts of the world were like wise coming to the same conclusion based on their studies of the associ ation of workers with asbestos. Dr. Sellkoff, of New York's Mount Sinai Hospital, had an opoprtunity to examine the records of members of the Asbestos Workers Union. The study covered a total of 1522 in sulation workers between 1942 and 1962. It was found that the death rate from cancer among these as bestos workers was about seven times greater than that of the gen eral white male U. S. population. These observations are staggering.' In addition, one must conclude that not only are people who actually work with asbestos exposing themselves to asbestosis and cancer, but also that allied tradesmen in the building con struction industry, closely associated with this work, are subjected to this exposure. Steam fitters, electricians, carpenters, acoustical workers, ma sons,. structural steel erectors, and others employed on projects using spray-asbestos insulation in the area of this contamination, and who in hale these asbestos particles, are ex posing themselves and are likely can didates for this disease. Equally disturbing is the fact that asbestos is practically indestructible; while it may disintegrate, it is an ev erlasting contaminant in the atmo sphere. It has been estimated that during its application as fireproofing to structural steel members and metal decks, about 10 per cent overshoots and is projected into the atmosphere. On high-rise structures in urban areas, spray-asbestos fireproofing has been found three and four blocks trom tne construction site, so that the unsuspecting general public is likewise subjected to thir hazard as well as the tradesman directly in volved in its application. While this relationship between a casual en counter with asbestos and possible development of disease in the public has not been established, it behooves the architectural profession to con sider other materials to perform the" work of sprayed-on fireproofing an<f insulation. Not only is there a clear ana pres ent danger in the initial application of asbestos on ths health of the in stallers, but 30 or 40 years hence, when these buildings are torn down, the demolition operations, if not properly controlled, will add more as bestos fibers to the atmosphere. The time to use substitutes for aabestoasprayed insulation is now. Reprinted bom PROGRESSIVE ARCHITECTURE. February 1970 20062<,7