Document VJNny3YqKYm6BRNV96D3YB7LN

FILE NAME: Asbestos Sacks and Bags (ASB) DATE: 1965 Oct 29 DOC#: ASB093 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter from Ministry of Labour with Copy of Letter to Trades Union Congress Insurance Dept from the Union /7^ n i / t"-1 n t-v ii C d ,y ,-<% \v*0 -- ^ REGISTERED O F F IC E S , Transport House,SmithSauare, WESTMINSTER, L O N D O N . S.W.t. r chief OrFICE J " n i S l A W / a1^ mmuw,c^ s ^ '^ ^ J * '* * Y / f I * p-,_^_S!_. < 7 > Atfl. Cti. S.iUrl 1I H. It. NICHOLAS, C.B.F.. 2E53T 29th October, 196,9 o ...rray, in c-cial Insurance Departm ent, .if. T ra d e s U nion C o n g r e s s , 7: .**1rrs s Rous e , oat R ussell. S tr e e t, L-! . V .1 . ear D r. M urray, As b &s t os - London Docks I thought you mip;ht be interested to see the attached copy letter today received from the Ministry of Labour. ' Yours s in c e re ly , NA'IlOEXb 3MC\j!TARY, Docks Group. M inistry of Labour {^aotiiftk<S4^^ap-ika7jSiSii Baynards House, 1-- 13 Chepstow Place, Westboume Grove, LONDON, W.2. \ ]. 27th October, 1965. r 1 f. their investigations into the ; in hand following complaints in eel in the London, docks. The . then obtained medical advice from Middlesex Hospital, to the effect eded to wear a mask in order to f vacuum. suction to remove, any The Inspectorate do not disagree probably necessary in the on, as asbestos v?a3 being unloaded ackaging are. used, the described below, is.that masks are to maintain satisfactory conditions appreciated for many years. The broiling Regulations since 1931. ;os or materials containing the use of such materials are >rate. The Inspectorate knov/s, employment in the docks unloading re been diagnosed by the ionally exposed to asbestos, but ere such as to make the development length of exposure, a series of os has now been undertaken by the d be understood that the signifl apable of penetrating to the to the amount visible to the xno ou-ccome of these tests is to indicate that the amount of air-borne dust of respirable size has been below the published upper limit of safety where hessian sacks with an impervious lining or laminated paper bags or other impervious bags havo been in use and it has also been below the limit when unlined hessian sacks were used and a slow rate of working has been in operation. The limit has been exceeded where unlined hessian sacks were used and the rate of working was normal. The Inspectorate's opinion is that with the normal intermittent exposure likely to be experienced by dockers, the risk of a docker developing clinically recognisable asbestosis is slight, provided impervious sacks are used. As they are unlikely to develop asbestosis, then they are no more liable to develop a lung cancer than the rest of the population. /Discussions