Document RaKeL8b5RGEE4wG4Rx3p455r7

FILE NAME Brakes BRK DATE 1984 DOC BRK235 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Letter - To Barry Castleman from The Swedish National Board of Occupational Safety and Health ARBETARSKYDDSSTYRELSEN NATIONAL BOARD OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH Chemistry division Dealer Avdelningsdirekt^r Bertil Remaeus Date 1984-07- Your letter 1984-06-26 Our sign 511 Asbest T 1660/84 Your sign Barry Castleman 1722 Linden Ave. Baltimore md 21217 USA a Dear Mr Castleman In Your letter to the Swedish Metal Workers Union which has been sent to the Board for answering You ask for some information about the Swedish consumption of asbestos and the use of asbestos brakes for cars and trucks The Swedish import of raw asbestos has decreased from about 20.000 tonnes 1964 and about 18.000 tonnes 1974 to about 1.000 tonnes 1983 Figure ) The same reduction has taken place for products containing asbestos Today it's mostly gasket material used at high temperatures > 250 and high pressures which is imported About 30 % of the cars sold in Sweden today are equipped with asbestos AF brakes One Swedish manufacturer SAAB is using only AF The other VOLVO is partly using AF brakes In a month they will use AF brakes in all cars sold in Norden Sweden Finland Denmark Norway Some imported cars Volkswagen Ford GM have brakes today From september 1984 about 2/3 of all new cars sold in Sweden will be equipped with brakes This concerns cars manufactured in Sweden and abroad I think the manufacturewirlsl put AF brakes in the rest of the models pretty soon When it comes to trucks and buses the situation is more complex The two manufacturers in Sweden SCANIA and VOLVO are testing materials in a number of trucks and buses They think they need another in new buses year or so before they are ready to use AF brakes and trucks Some buscompanies have decided to use brakes when they replace elements The the replacement of asbestos in brakes has gone Board and the industry thougt a year ago faster than We have not heard of any negative results so far material in the brakes has been used in advertising as a salesargument Mailing address Telephone no Telegrams ARBETARSKYDDSSTYRELSEN National Board of Occupational 1984-07- 511 Asbest T 1660/84 Safety and Health Chemistry division Avdelningsdirekt^r Bertil Remaeus The Swedish Ordinance concerning asbestos does not differ between cars manufactured in Sweden and imported cars The Board does not regulate the import of cars just the working environment When the frictionelement has to be replaced the ordinance available of asbestos require use and can be used without of material decreasing the if such are technical prestanda of the car The Swedish Parliament has recently asked the Government for an investigation if it is possible to ban import of cars equipped with friction elements containing asbestos The Board 7 has to answer the Government in a couple of months I hope this will give You the answer You need Yours faithfully faithfully 21 21 A Bertil Remaeus Head of section Chemistry Division