Document RJdOr31jJqvd90Mzo8qwKyBn

Gririi'Picture ? Of Asbestos ' .By Caroline^ Mayer .. Wuw'ntfcpr^swHWrittf j S `More than* 2<k>,000 of the 9 mil- '* 4ion surviving' `workers who have '.." 'Keen exposed, to asbestos during the b' jpsst 40 yjtara ryfll- die of asbestost jaisodated'.canct^'ljv the end of the ^.century, ahririlcriud JDepartment of 'iabor refwrljcoricludea. if*p Thousarujsiof n.iorc cancer deaths ^`.-wili occur'among the ayorkers1 family v'membm'as .wen a* among consum. an who .use.asbtt^os' products and , ; former* members'*^ oi_ the- Armed *." Forces whVwere exposed to the can ttr-cW5ingfmirierf,7lbe report con cludes. The*-6&0-page. report, which . is expk'.ed- -tb * be:t clerstd by -the Labor Dcpallmeat'.eirly next year, was - obtained'; by 'the Washington InsuraneeiN^jiVlritter* - Even before, its-release, a number of insurance^ 'cofnpahies -were criti cizing the report,*^*Which pre pared By D.r. Iu'fig'j.' Selikoff, a spe cialist in rkcupational'disease, espe cially esbostos-assoclated cancer. If its fmdmg$:are"&ccepted by the Department .*L'al#r, the report could lead`to'sigalficant changes in policy. For one thing, it could lead to 1. tighter standarda'-for asbestos expo*.- sure in theworkf place. The Occupa tional Heilth:';1d'.Safely Adminis.1 iration is"Schec|ik!d* to review the current rulefnaxt-jfear/ The;'report'fafeo could lead to changes inVyJdp.ker' compensation programs ahcLJirreluri liability laws. The report ''Concludes that as the number of- dejilhia`idciease and as the p'ublio.^eomeilrnore.aware of their. * causcv^sO-' many additional worker-disabllftyf'daims and damage suits Will be filed-- that the existing compensation ini legal systems wifi not be able to haadje them. - * The- increase'.; In't-litigation also could hurt.life.Randal stability of many insurance'-companies that end up paying.'the." ^monetary damage*. the report holes, .t-* Among ft* specific findings; Approximately 8,500 axbestos- See ASBESTOS, DIO, Col. 1 , |ASBEST^Sr;|fomB8 * related ^anc^;deaths:.*are occurring annually- among:workers who were . exposed to asbestos,since i94&. This total will rise-to ,about.10,000 by the year 1990.- r- - ' There wai:ho-minimum expo sure level at Which workers are safe. . Less than. one'..mohth` of work was sufficient ^tof.fuicteas* the risk of death significantly. IJven consumer* -who use asbes-- tos jnoducts nd employes who are not exposed; Uitecfiy to asbestos wheri itjs usd face.risks. "We may have!to Include 'risk to the garage supervisor ort'ofmcr'ib addition to the brake-repair/.rbfechanic, to the supen'isieg mtnifjct'&S' well as the carpenter, the. naval..-draftsman as well 6s the shipyard-Veldor, and to the pjenj. gua/dn t{jp!asbe$tos fac- . tory,'1 the ceporfspysj.ijj; *. bvposuie ;tb'r.as&tbs increased .the risk ofluijg`cancer about'four or five time}.'The .risk is even higher to 1 exposed workers who also smoke-- SO iirnes as'great as that of a non.smoker not exposed ^asbestos and five times greater th'Sn'.other smok ers. I ..... .. " '- The number of lawsuit* sgainst '.manufacturers of jisbeftos products ;has increased drimaticiliy. 1 In I the < fiscal''yEar that ended March 1,1976, 124 suits were pend ing ggainst-(Johns-Manvi)!e Corp., the nftiori'stegest asbestos compa ny. In 1978 'that 'number grew to .623, and from 19S0 to 1B81 the numbir.^osgvfroip-2^57 to 6,800, according `^to "'a' ` johns-Manville spokesman. CAP CO JEN 0013312 OAPCO JEN 0013311