Document VwGXyg3qb8M1vZzgKmYxYj1q

Office Memorandum TO : Mr. Bleleh FROM t Benjsain T. Wake SUBJECT : 0G0336S3 MONTANA STATE BOARD OF HEALTH OATS* March 31, 1S& v thought you mijht be interested in this. 03161 . ,w0.v30 .iunititu use si7.iww io c^spwa.. _; .. .... . mkgfebeiestcrat drug, Mer/29. Lawyers eeonUasuog these claims estimate that cm total punitive damages agatnst Richardsee-Morrell my mmm t am than 560 million. aad that tots! dtaa*i claims agaast Uw company may reach u kigfi 4a Sllftvlliaa. Meanwhile, tuu mill ia iheeffisj sgaiaat companies ia otherindustries are being pursued actively by coepdrating trial ausnies. Tbcsa attorneys apaaalatc that somesf the claim eould easily rival the projected figures ia the Rithardanc Marrall csss. ASBESTOS UNDER SCRUTINY Craata totalling 4324.000 have baaa av*M ta Or. irriaf J. StiiLafT m Ik. Saai Hospital ia N'w York Gty for tha study of the health hasards of airborne miaoral dusts. Uw traata will be usad ta support the hospital's eew onviree* maul health laboratory, hooded by Ob. SelihafL The aew facility baa already bogaa a 5-year atady of tha dangers of aabawaa dost. Ia thia stody, the tea; tissee of up ta 4,000 parsees aha are ospoatod ta die at -kb.. Saai aad other hospitals doriag thia period will bo osamaod for traces of asbestos fiber. Is additioa, iavestipcars will look for tha oorroUtioas betwooa oaasaa of death aad the pe* seaoa of asbastoa fiber ia leaf tissue. aad will dotormiaa the ooaopatioaal histarios of the doeeaseJ sad their ratatires, Atbowoo-Ciaaor Ltah Stadied t Aavioaa research by Or. Setikeff, Or. Char; aad Or. E. Coyler Itamomnd. tha Asterioao Caaaar Society, haa sham hi|h rata of saaoor among Moor York Gty asbestos iasalatiao earbeta. The research team haa bees studying a oaioa group of insulation arbors with tesaty or owro years of sspoaara to asbestos desk They foead sis to saves times the "expected** rata of eaaear of the leaf aad throe times the sermal rate of exaesr of the stsmash, ooioa aad fsttw. Mosotholioou. a form of etacor ordiaarily so rare that it ia eat separately tadad ammg eaesaa at death, was found ta hava "astraordiaarily high iaeideeee** amsag ithettae workers. A farther eoasiderstiea ia that the expome to asbestos dam does oot seed to ho oaatiaooes for the link with osacar ta ha show*. Leegs of sfloctod ashomoo workers aad others have hose foead ta sosuia aaboataa particles svea aftsr a tea. fiftooa or twaaty year gap ia the sppmeat tim af espoewe. Then also appears ta ha a latest period of about 20 years betwees iaitial exposers sad tha dotaction af teasor tyaytama. _ Thuat Swat researehsrs paiag *K dot. If the aa--i'aahaatat liah ia eoaelosive# tha pressat iaaideaaa of aabastaax. (ndeetd saaoer ia tha setsom of exposure as laag as twooty years ago whoa the world's axhastes produetioe wax 500,000 teas mutually. Today's graduation ia 3.500.000 taaa aaosally, a seven-fold increase. Aotapay studies have show* axhwstos fibres ia tha luaga af at laam 255 af tha general population, wmifyiog ta a widespread distributioo of asbestos dust is our stawspber*. Ashastaa ia oaad chiefly is beildiag eeaatnmtiaa aa aa iaaulatiaa matariaL Supporttag Or. SelDtofTs view that sshostoa duet ia already a serious air pollutant. is the research conducted by Dr. Osidra Cauaa. pathologist at PresbyteriwL'niwrtiiy Hospital ia Pittsburgh, aad Or. Robert S. Tousa of the L'nivarsity of Pittsburgh's School of Modiotae, Or. SeliWrs assoeistamiaformod tha Eavtrenmental Seioaea Bullotia that they wilt eaaduct a thareugh inventory of all siineral dusts ia the lungs. Spesialisu st tha Public Health Service feel that there ia a crucial tack of basalina data ia thia area. XCT STUDY SUCCESTS LINK BETWEEN PESTIGOES AND BIRTH OEFECTS A possible relationship between pesticides snd eengenital defeats in children was suggested ia a case reported ia the Fob. 21., 1966. issue of (ha Joeriul af (ha American Medical Association. Or. Fred Matthias. an investigator at St. Benedict's Hospital, Ogden, Utah, said (he iafaat was bora with aaetia. facial paralysis, and cardiac anomaly, a combination of defects usually associated with the use el thalidomide by the mothers. The mother in this case, an agricultural worker, did net one thalidomide during the sensitive period of organogenesis, but did piek eotton daily Aiemorandum TO : FROM t SUBJECT : Mr. Bleieh Beajaala F. Valce 060336S3 MONTANA STATE BOARD OF HEALTH DATE: March JL, 1$66 Ve thought you sight he interested in this. 03161 . .jii.idii .' a-ijus anti ais.iww in cuatti.'a... ;er *:...;> a.u.tusiiiwmi.i-.; .. .... , airholesterol drug, Me/29. Lawyers coordinating these claims estimate that the total punitive damages against Richardseo-McrrcIl may amount to more than 560 million, and that tots! damage claims against the company may reach as higfi is 55f(vl!iaa. Meanwhile, cases still is the offing against companies in other industries are being pursued actively by cooperating trial attornies. These attorneys speculate that same of the claims could easily rival the projected figures in the Richardsoo-Mcrre11 ease. ASBESTOS UNDER SCRUTINY Grants totalling 5324,000 have been swarded to Or. Irving J. Selikoff at Mt. Snai Hospital in New York Gty for the study of the health hazards of airborne tuneral dusts. The (rants will be usad to support the hospital's new envirooacsul health laboratory, headed by Or. SeJikafL The new (anility has already begun s J-year study of the dangers of asbestos dust, to this study, the leng tissue of up to 4,000 parsaas wise are expected to die at'Mt.-Saai sod other hospitals during this period will be examined for traces of asbestos fiber. In addition, investigators will look for the correlations between causes of death and the pro* seaee of asbestos fiber in long tissue, and will determine the occupational histories of the deceased and their relatives, as well as ether peniaeat bsctrgrnund. Asbestos-Cancer Link Studied ' Provioos research by Or. Selikoff, Or. Churg sod Or. E. Ceyior Hammond, the American Cancer Society, Jtas shown high rate of cancer wong New York Gty asbestos insulation workers. Tho research team has been studying s union group of insulation workers with twenty or mare years of espesora to asbestos dust. They found sis to seven limes tho "expected" rate of cancer ct the long sad three tines tho normal rate of cancer of tho stomach, colon and rectum. Mesothelioma, a form of cancer ordinarily so rare that it is oat separately coded among causes of death, was found to hare "extraordinarily high incidence** among asbestos workers. A further consideration is that the exposure to asbestos dust docs sot need to bo oontieuoos for tho link with esneer to bo shew*. Lungs of a/fccted asbestos workers sad ethers have been found to contain asbestos particles even after a tea. fifteen or twenty year gap ia the apparent time of espesm. There also appears to ho a latent period of about 20 years between initial exposure and tho detection of cancer symptoms. Mount Sinai researchers point our {hat. iftke aaacar*asbestos link is oonoloeivor tho present-incidence of asbestos^, induced eaneer is the euteeem of exposure as long as twenty years ago when the world's asbestos production was 500,000 tons annually. Today's production is 3.500,000 tons annually, a soveo-folj increase. Autopsy studies have shown asbestos fibres in tho lungs of at least 255 of the general population, testifying to a widespread distribution of asbestos dust in our atmosphere. Asbestos ia esed chiefly ia boilding construction as an insulation materiaL Supporting Or. SelOtefTs view that asbestos dust is already a serious sir pollutant, is the research conducted by Or. Dsidra Cauna, pathologist at Prssbytcriaa*Uaivcrsiiy Hospital in Pittsburgh, and Or. Robert S. Totten of the Uni versity of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine. Dr. Selikoff*s associals*, informed the Environmental Science Bulletin that they will conduct a thorough inventory of all mineral dusts in the lungs. Specialists at the Public Health Service fed that there is a crucial lack of baseline data in this area. NEW STUDY SUGGESTS LINK BETWEEN PEST1C10SS AND BIRTH DEFECTS A possible relationship between pesticides and congenital defects in children was suggested in s ease reported in the Feb. 21., 1966. issue of (he Journal of tho American Medical Association. Or. Fred Mauhies, an investigator si St. Benedict's Hospital, Ogden, Utah, said the infant was bora with saotia. facial paralysis, snd cardiac anomaly, a combination of defeets usually associated with tfcc use of thalidomide by the mothers. The mother in this ease, an agricultural worker, did not use thalidomide during the sensitive period of organogenesis, but did pick cotton daily