Document RJ1YdQM1ezXJDw9Qq8rZ1yEn8

FILE NAME Painters and Allied Trades PAINT DATE 1977 Feb DOC PAINT048 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Article from Painters and Allied Trades Journal eR CORNELL Newesesmeene: LINCOLN ON THE RIGHTS | - OF LABOR am glad a system oflabor prevails under which laborers can strike when they want to where they are not obliged to work under all circumstances and are not the system tied down and obliged to labor whether you pay them for it or not -like which lets a man quit when he wants to and I wish it mightprevail everywhere.- Ido not believe law toprevent man getting rich that would do more harm than good So while we do not propose any get war upon Capital we do wish to allow the humblest an Equal chance to rich with everybody else && chance & * * * * * Iwant every man to have a chance to better his condition have that is the true & system 3 e% A true I was am ashamed to confess that25 years ago was hired laborers that that to to years ~~ Journal On the Cover Lincoln's Labor message on the cover was printed on a postcard provided by Brother Morris Silverman of Local NEWS AND FEATURES " page Inside Front Cover From the General President 4 AFL Calls for 30 billion Jobs Package 7 James Cox on the Open Shop 8 Respiratory Disease Causes Identified 12 Bob Petersdorf Honored 31 The GST Reports DEPARTMENTS page 15 Local and District Council News 20 Labor Beat 21 Canadian Labour 25 Sports and Recreation 26 Financial Report DEVOTED TO THE TRADE INTERESTS OF RESIDENTIAL fiCOMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL @ SIGN @ PICTORIAL COACH fiAUTOMOBILE AIRCRAFT @ . MACHINERY @ RAILWAY EQUIPMENT SHIP AND SCENIC PAINTING DECORATING fi PAPERHANGING WALL COVERING e DECORATIVE AND ARCHITECTURAL GLASS WORK GLAZING 'CARPET LINOLEUM SOFT TILE 'PAINT AND VARNISH MAKING BRUSH MAKERS AND TO THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT IN GENERAL Any member or subordinate body publishing programs souvenirs or other documents of any description must not designate them as The Official Journal of the Brotherhood or as The Painters and Allied Trades Journal either upon the publication itself on their advertising contract forms or stationery Robert J. Petersdorf Publisher Sam Parker Editor : 1750 New York Ave. N.W. Washington D.C. 20006 Published monthly by the International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades Second Class mail entry authorized at Washington D.C. POSTMASTERS ATTENTION Change of address cards on Form 3579 should be sent to THE PAINTERS AND ALLIED TRADES JOURNAL 1750 New York Ave. N.W. Washintgon D.C. 20006 Subscription Price 2.00 per year Single copy 20 cents PRINTED ON UNION MADE PAPER PRINTED WITH UNION MADE INK VOLUME 91 No. 2 FEBRUARY 1977 The official journal of the International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades organized March 15 1887 and the only publication issued under its auspices i bg INTERNATIONAL AGG LABOR PRESS S. FRANK RAFTERY General President 1750 New York Ave. N.W. Washington D.C. 20006 : ROBERT J. PETERSDORF . General Treasurer 1750 New York Ave. N.W. Washington D.C. 20006 General Vice Presidents BERNARD SNIEGOWSKI 1st District 1443 Westchester Blvd. Westchester Ill 60153 A. L. MONROE 2nd District 7909 Bayberry Drive Alexandria Va 22306 JAMES WOLFORD 3rd District 100 Devon Lane Williamsville N.Y. 14221 JACK T. COX 4th District 2212 DuPont Dr. Irvine Calif 92664 GUY LEBER 5th District 1930 Bishop Lane Louisville Ky 40218 JAMES B. COX 6th District 8800 Blue Ridge Ext No. 10 Kansas City Mo. 64138 WILLIAM A. DUVAL 7th District 1750 New York Ave. N.W. Washington D.C. 20006 : , : The Decade of Job Safety Respiratory Disease Cause This is the third in a fivepart series dealing with the Mount Sinai School of Medi- cine investigation into the health hazards of the painting trades The investigation completed after nearly three years of detective work exposes chemical culprits responsible for death and suffering among the ranks of painters and allied tradesmen Last month neurological harms and the chemical cul- prits that cause were ex- amined This month disorders and diseases of the respiratory system are discussed Suffering in the IBPAT Ranks Part III Respiratory disorders and dis- eases encompass those of the nose throat mouth lungs and bronchial and trachial tubes which form the wind pipe to the lungs The chemical culprits span from the solvents discussed last month as the Number One cause of neurological harms to the known respiratory culprits asbestos and crystalline silica The disorders and diseases range from mild irritations of the respira- tory tract which cause minor coughs stuffiness and headaches to major breathing problems which often result in death Most respiratory complaints among painters and allied tradesmen stem from solvent and dust irritation of the upper and lower airways The solvent and dust culprits responsible include the solvents alcohol aliphatic hydrocarbons aromatic hydrocarbons benzene chlorinated hydrocarbons esters ketones toluene turpentine and xylene and the dusts from asbestos bichromates leads zincs and assorted pigments Other culprits include ammonia antimony boric acid oxalic acid shellac sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid Irritation by these chemical culprits affect the upper airways the nose mouth upper throat and connecting air passages 45 percent of the painters metal painters sandblasters floor tile workers and tapers tested Irritation of the lower airways the bronchial and trachial tubes and the affect 38 percent Among tradesmen who work with epoxies 57 percent have upper airway irritations Fifty percent have lower airway irritations These are the highest percentages of irri- tations for any tradesmen Mount Sinai School of Medicine detectives in New York believe such high percentages of irritations show that the special chemicals epoxy workers use are more dangerous than the more conventional chemicals used among other painters Titanium pigment manufacturers work with few of the solvents and chemicals which other painters and tradesmen are exposed to constantly They also have the lowest percentages of upper and lower airway ir- ritation The MSSM detectives say this helps to show that solvents and chemicals are responsible for respi- ratory disorders and diseases among other painters But many titanium workers are exposed to sulfuric acid fumes dur- ing the titanium dioxide manufactur- <: hi ing process These fumes do cause. ities respiratory disorders and diseases among titanium pigment manufacO1 turers Among exposed workers 76 percent claim trouble with lower respiratory irritations 70 percent experienced coughs 41 percent shortness of breath 30 percent tightness in the chest and 12 per cent audible wheezing upon expos , ure to fumes " Several medical tests assisted the MSSM detectives in finding respira tory disorders and diseases among painters and allied tradesmen They are the pulmonary function test the chest ray the Sputum Cytopathology and the Serum Carcinogenic Embryonic Antigen test known as , CEA The pulmonary function test assesses breathing difficulties such as obstructive and restrictive respi ratory dysfunctions Obstructive dysfunctions occur when the breathing passage is blocked by the swelling of the bronchial and tra- 8 THE FEBRUARY usAre Identified by high per v that the rkers use chial tubes Restrictive dysfunctions occur when the capacity of the lungs is reduced Among the painters in an MSSM study more than half who smoke or bronchitis is among sandblasters 38 percent followed by paint manufacturers 33 percent floor tile workers 29 percent and general painters 28 percent have opacities Once again especially due to the large amounts of sili- ca to which they are exposed pneu- moconiosis and silicosis among sandblasters are very likely the more had smoked experience obstructive According to the MSSM detec- Other ray abnormalities found facturers vents and nters and onstantly : percent percent airway ir es among dysfunction Forty percent of Ithose examined who did not smoke at all also experienced obstructive dysfunction The MSSM detectives pointed out that the high number of smokers who experience breathing difficulties is a sure sign of the dangers of the chemicals to which they are exposed tives the higher prevalence of bron- chitis among sandblasters is due to higher concentrated exposures to solvents and silica Once again among titanium workers who are exposed to much lower levels of sol- vents and dusts diagnosed disorders and diseases are lower In fact says the MSSM report among titanium The pulmonary function tests of titanium pigment manufacturers who experience lower exposures to solvents and other chemicals - also show fewer obstructive or restric- workers cigarette smoking had a more pronounced effect upon bron- chitis prevalence than did a history of symptoms due to irritant expos- ure tive dysfunctions Only nine percent have mixed obstructive abnormal- ities And only six percent have re- Chest rays were used by the MSSM detectives to get inside information on the disorders and dis- strictive respiratory diseases eases that affect painters and allied Once again the MSSM detectives - tradesmen find the greater the exposure the greater the disorder and disease and the less the exposure the less the disorder and disease The chest rays show abnormalities among 20 percent of all ex- amined tradesmen Among painters and paint manufacturers changes among painters and allied tradesmen include pleural changes The pleura are like large sacks and are filled with a lubricating liquid that enfold and protect the lungs When irritated the pleura can thicken and calcify becoming stiff and unelastic This restricts the lungs from expanding to full capacity creating breathing difficulty Pleural changes are found in 10 percent of the painters rays Among tapers 48.1 percent of the rays show lung and pleural abnormalities Four percent of the ~ tapers also have pleural fibrosis a disease in which thickening of the pleural tissue destroys the pleural cavity The MSSM study found that the ray abnormalities among asbestos insulation workers are nearly the same as among tapers clearly indicating that asbestos is the cul- The breathing difficulties among in the lung tissue are found among prit responsible for taper ray ab- painters and allied tradesmen shown 14 percent normalities by the pulmonary tests are trouble- Five percent of the painters X- Further the number of abnormal- some problems that lower enjoy- rays show small round dense ities increased with the number of ment of life and affect the quality growths of abnormal cells which years of exposure The increase in work for any tradesman They appear on the rays as white abnormalities is greatest among tap- also lead to even greater concerns cloudy areas These growths are ers with more than ten years experi- pneumoconiosis chronic bronchitis known as opacities Nine percent ence fibrosis and cancers of the painters also show irregular- Cancer is one of the big concerns rcinogenic Chronic bronchitis is a disease shaped opacities of nearly every person in the United mitre known characterized by severe trachial and The presence of opacities MSSM States Currently one person in 10 lung inflammation which produces specialists say indicates a high like- can expect to be struck by cancer n test persistent coughs soreness in the lihood of pneumoconiosis from dust Many experts believe 80 to 90 per- chest difficulty breathing and in ex- treme cases fevers Chronic bron- btisv trucStpive chitis is reported by MSSM among .30 percent of all painters and allied ' tradesmen tested " The highest percentage of chronic exposure among painters Pneumo- coniosis is similiar to silicosis and hinders the ability of the lungs to exchange oxygen and carbon diox- , ide in the blood stream Among sandblasters 8 percent cent of cancers are caused by chem- icals and other materials which we have introduced into the environ- ment during the 20th Century Because painters are exposed to a high number of irritants MSSM THE FEBRUARY 9 Respiratory Diseases cont'd cont'd detectives felt cancer could be a problem among them To find out MSSM examined past histories of the painters and al- lied tradesmen and conducted two tests the Sputum Cytopathology test and the Carcinogenic Embryonic Antigen CEA test The histories of workers revealed malignancies in four percent of all examined workers Most of the problems had been skin cancers About 1 percent of the workers had undergone surgery for bronchial or larynx cancers Next the MSSM administered the Sputum Cytopathology test The sputum test is very simple person determine the likelihood of painters and allied tradesmen developing cancers is the Carcinogenic Embryonic Antigen CEA test Like the sputum test it is also designed to reveal cell abnormality All painter and allied tradesmen examinedin the study had abnormal CEA tests significantly different from normal groups Further smoking tradesmen had the same abnormalities found coughs then spits on a slide The among smokers in the trades- before . coughing spitting causes loose men normal groups This means cellsin the throat to mix with the say the MSSM experts that the en- se ee spit These cells are deposited on vironmental exposures to solvents ee 38 Chemical Culprits the slide in the spit where they are and dusts among painters and allied Causing 15 Respiratory se examined for abnormalities The tradesmen is at least as harmful to Disorders in the puachiern Painting Trades So sputum test can reveal abnormali. ties ranging from bronchitis to can- cer the healtahs smoking The environ- mental effect on tradesmen who smoke is even greater Cell abnormalities are classified- The combined findings of respira- according to the severity of change tory symptoms chronic bronchitis et Nceewer wom ndaiw vo Acetic Acid Alcohols Aliphatic Hydrocarbons Ammonia Antimony Aromatic Hydrocarbons Asbestos Barite Benzene Bichromates Boric Acid ee Cadmium Compounds Carbon Tetrachloride Chlorinated Hydrocarbons lampen Chromium Compounds ___ Crystaline Silica Esters Glycols Ketones Lead Compounds - Emphysema Asbe toisBronchitis Bronchitis Emphysema Fibrosi Ir ita on of Lung Tisue Bronchial Tubes XXXXXX eps. XX X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XXX XX X XX X XXX XXX X X XXXXXXXXXXX [pdeoe Pt og X X X X XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX ^^ 7 XX Pneumocis PulmonaryRespiratoyShortnes Silcosi of 7Edema Tract Breath Pneuoits Cancers X ^ xx The cell change called atypia can be either mild moderate or marked Most persons with mild or morderate sputum deviations do not develop lung or bronchial cancers However they do have a greater chance of developing cancers than do persons with normal sputum tests Even marked atypia does not mean the person has cancer However unless some form of health corrective measures are taken example stopping smoking or re- ducing exposure to irritants person very likely to soon have cancer The sputum tests show 54 per- cent of the smoking painters and 69 percent of the smoking painters have abnormal sputums Forty percent of the nonsmoking painters and 61 percent of the smoking painters sputums are the opacities the pleural changes the abnormal sputums and all other | disorders and diseases strongly sug- gests that chemical culprits includ- ing solvents and dusts do present a 5: significant hazard to the health and f being of painters and tradesmen Two things are certain allied | ; : The longer a tradesmen isf exposed to the chemical cul- prits of the trade the greater the harm and The higher the concentra- tion to which the tradesman is harm exposed the greater the Consequently the message clear Avoiding lengthy and con- centrated exposure to the chemical culprits will be beneficial to worker health and being Further anything that a trades- man can do to eliminate other irri- Maganese Magnesium Carbonate Methylene Chloride Mineral Spirits Naptha Oxalic Acid Pigment Dust Shellac Silica Compounds Sodium Hydroxide . Sulfuric Acid | Titanium Dioxide Toluene Turpentine Vinyl Chloride Wood Dust Xylene Zinc Compounds X XX XXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XX X XXXXXXXXXXXX | | XXXXXXXXX XX XXX XXXXXX X X XXXXXX XXX ^ XX X X XXX XXX XXX XXXXXX ^ mild atypias Seven percent of the tations that might act in concert smokers and smokers sputums with the harms of the chemical cul- are moderate atypias Marked atyp- prits with which he must work XX ias are found among one percent of should be done In other words if all painters examined In addition you smoke stop | during the course of examination one case of lung cancer was diag- Next month the fourth part of this part series harms caused to nosed The painter is currently un- the digestive system the organs of dergoing treatment by his physician The other test used by MSSM to the the body and all other parts of body 10 THE FEBRUARY