Document XO4Y28p87E0exbk6YVQ1rvK3K

FILE NAME: Asbestos International Association (AINT) DATE: 1981 DOC#: AINT020 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: AINT Correspondence with Turner & Newall RE Asbestos Developments in Germany [Note - Many originals are on legal size paper so text looks small when reprinted on 8.5x11 paper] 0000 0063 J3<?5 / ASBESTOS INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION (LimUffi by Guarantee) 8 GLOUCESTER PLACE, LONDON WiH JKL, ENGLAND TekpffK; oi-,: Teegrarss letag LssSan T rie- agSiiS OSTA G Mr. Horst Kutsch, WirtacHaftsvorband Asbestzement e.V, Harvescehuaec Weg 18, 2000 Hamburg 13 W. Gunaany, also to? D ipl, Ktm Harald Merkel Martin Merkel K .C ,, Postfach S3 02 80, ^ a j/. H - KwVtl f 2102 Haaburg 93. IA/1/FL 9 Ju ly 1981 fl 3 mi Organisation o f Associations At our AlA Executive Committee Meeting on Ju ly 7/8 the recent events in Germany wore considered and very great concern as expressed at the im p licatio n * not Germany and, following from t h i s , fo r us a l l . I t wag th is la t t e r consideration with a l l i t * grave im p licatio n s which led the Executive Committee to fe e l that they should communicate with both WVA and WVAZ to advise them earnestly to consider forming one HaLionel Genoa Association to deal exclusively with the asbestos and h ealth issue and quite separate from commercial or s c ie n t i f i c o rg a n is a tio n s. The advantages are c le e r s - (a) Concentration and id e n tity of viewpoint and thus o f representations to Government, Unions, Media and the P u b lic , so avoiding c o n flic t in g a c tio n . (b) a stronger voice because of speaking for a larger organisation. A method o f ach iev in g a sin g le German Asbestos A sso cia tio n fo r th is p a rtic u la r purpose without wasting precious t i l * night be as fo llo w s! - (a) Those people io WVA and WVAZ who re concerned with asbestos and health and i t s impact on Govemmant/Unioos/Media/the Public should bo joined into email group and form the new A s s o c ia tio n , leav in g the other two A ssociation s with resp o n sib ility for ju s t their comerciai a c t iv it ie s . (b) A headquarters to be se t up in the most convenient f a c i l i t i e s which e x is t . A responsible o f f i c i a l should be av a ila b le at a l l tim es. (c) To preserve an id e n tity for this new Association which would be separate from any e xistin g Association, company or organisation, a neutral address should be used. Sir S e ville Stack cc for inform ation! Executive Comaittee iim iu t * M i l. IWg :>, d r , fU-s, K G jr fr , S.rW i'vil*i!S tn tk (Wrrciary MUiKiMcryd edi-: at Above 0000 0083 !36 \ N mow CWVTO J TURNER & N E WALL LIMITED MANCHESTER H .D .S . HARDIE m . R. K. DAY, TAG CM l t d . RENS Sth J u ly 1981 COHFIPENTIAt ASBESTOS DEVELOPMENTS IX GERMAHY A t ye ste rd a y's meeting o f the Executive C o w ltte e o f the AIA, H r. Srhermer (German E t e r n i t ) , who was standing in f o r Dr. Schwar?, gave a b r ie f and p e s sim istic account o f developments in Germany and I thought th a t you would be in te re s te d to re c e ive my summary o f those comments, The present p o s itio n appears to be th a t the Federal Government Environmental P ro te ctio n Agency is preparing a catalogue o f products which can be used in place o f asbestos-cem ent. The EPA emphasis is on product s u b s titu t io n as they appear to reco gn ise th a t th ere is no s u b s titu te fo r asbestos f o r the reinforcem ent o f cement. _ This catalogue i s scheduled f o r p u b lic a tio n by 1 st September and w il l be w id e ly p u b lic is e d p a r t ic u la r ly in the tra d e p re s s . German E t e r n it understands that there w ill be e xte n sive quotation o f the Califano fig u re s on cancer r is k s in the U n ite d S ta te s . Although the a ttitu d e s o f the Federal M in is t r ie s o f Labour and Housing a t p re se n t suggest th a t asbestos-cem ent crea tes no health ris k to the general p u b lic o r in the environment, the M in is try of Economic A f f a ir s appears to be le s s than o p tim is t ic th a t those two departments w ill be able to w ithstand p o ssib le p o lit ic a l pressure which could be e xe rted on them to change t h e ir vie w . I t seems probable th a t a c o u rt a c tio n w i l l be brought a g a in st the German EPA by E t e r n it o r by the MYAZ. T h is development has been complicated by a press release three days ago by the W irtschaftsverband Asbest w hich c r i t i c i s e s the EPA. the WVA and the HVAZ v e ry r a r e ly see e y e -to -e y e l A t a conference o f S ta te M in is te rs o f the Environment on 8th May the Bremen M in is te r suggested th a t a l l States should fo llo w the Bremen le a d -in banning t o t a l ly the use o f asbestos w ith in t h e ir S tates by 1st A p r il 1983. The Bremen d e c is io n , which was taken on Z5th June, produced a vo te on s t r i c t l y p a rty T in e s and in te n s iv e lobbying is now tak ing place to t r y to g e t t h is reminded. I t appears from the Sth May meeting th a t two o th e r S ta te s in d ic a te d th a t they m ight fo llo w the Bremen approach. However, the next meeting o f S ta te M in is te rs on 1st November i s l i k e l y to con fin e d is cu s sio n to the replacement o f asbestos-cem ent based on the catalogue which 1s to be produced by the EPA. 0000 0083 lsen / Herr Ebrenberg, the Federal Labour M in is te r , is proposing to bold a conference on s u b s titu te s fo r asbestos 1n 1982. The present in d ic a tio n s are th a t th is may take place about tti<f-sua*>er. Gentian Ete rn i t are c le a r ly in near panic from the present p o s itio n and have se t up a task fo rc e fre e d from a ll o th e r management respon s i b i l i t i e s . Th is c o n s ists o f Schwarz, Bornemann and Schem er and re p o rts d ir e c t to D r. Reicher who is g iv in g not le ss than 33S o f h is time to the p o lit ic a l sid e o f asbestos and health developments. The task fo rc e is c o lle c tin g data and is undertaking p o lit ic a l lobbying a t Federal and S ta te le v e l and is co ntacting a l l i t s customers. We have suggested th a t the task fo rce should cover the whole o f the in d u s try and not be seen to be ju s t an E t e r n it i n i t i a t i v e . H .D .S . HMD IE