Document Y9gxjyydMbO0Vp4VB9n5nDNOy

MARLENE W. JACKSON PITTSBURGH OFFICE - 13 MEMO TO FILE ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT DO NOT COPY CONFIDENTIAL 1984 August 27 RE: POINT COMFORT SUBPOENA On August 7 and 8, I met with Ron Hiserodt, Plant Manager; Carey Keller, Safety Director; and Claude>Scott, a retired Alcoan who was Safety Director in the 1970s regarding the use of asbestos products at Point Comfort operations. Point Comfort operations had two divisions -- smelting and refining. The smelting operation began in 1959 when the plant opened. Supposedly, it was in continuous operation until 1974 when the smelter was closed. It remained closed until the late 1970s (approximately 1978-79) when it was reopened for a brief period of time. It was closed because of the increased power costs associated with the natural gas driven engines used to produce the electricity. During its prime, there were seven pot lines contained in 14 buildings, two buildings per pot line (?) producing approximately 100,000,000 pounds per day. Each pot line had its own power generating plant with piston-driven engines. The smelting operation used insulation extensively. 1. Each pot was lined with asbestos block cut to shape by the pot lining repair crew. The block was filled with an asbestos cement made with asbestos shorts mixed with molasses and hand trowled or thrown in. The lining of the pots was always done by the repair crew. From 1950 to 1956, the lining was done in the pot room. Later, the operation was moved down to Building 54-E. The pots would first be filled with water to cool them down. When sufficiently cool, the carbon was broken up with picks, etc. Later, the pots were simply wet down in the pot room, transported by rail to the pot repair room where a man with a power tool cracked the carbon. In each of the above instances, however, once the carbon lining was cracked into pieces, the pot was upended with the aid of a crane and dumped on the ground. The pieces were picked up with shovels, the dust swept up. This was supposedly an extremely dusty operation. The craneman and his helper would wear dust masks and the rest of the crew would leave the premises, but the dust would fairly well travel throughout the building and into the masonry shop which was next door. Category Code ARCH 000062 ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT DO NOT COPY 1984 August 27 Page 2 Supposedly, the asbestos removed rom the pot was broken up and discolored, but basically intact. The major cause of the dust was the alumina that had infiltrated the carbon. Once the old lining was removed, the pot was scraped, repaired if necessary, and a new lining put in using 3 x 36 x 12 inch sheets of J-M Super 2000 which was later replaced by Superex 2000 which was asbestos-free. Pot lining crew personnel would cut the blocks to size, fit them into the pot and fill in and cement openings, etc. with the molasses-asbestos mixture. It is doubtful that pot crews would have been exposed to asbestos after 1956 since the relining work was moved out. The only other asbestos or asbestos product that would have been in the potrooms would consist of asbestos pipe insulation. The pot lining crew had exposure in cutting the blocks and mixing the shorts. Crucibles were also lined with asbestos block insulation with a braided asbestos rope being used to seal the lid. Cutting of the block would have been done by the masons and would have produced dust. The rope would be fairly dust-free but would disintegrate after a period of time. 2. The ingot plant used a significant amount of asbestos, particularly marinite and asbestos shorts. Marinite was used to line the troughs, basins and molds. Before 1969, the millwrights would dig out and reline the troughs, etc. In the latter part of 1968. early part of 1969, the carpenters grieved the work and got the right to line the troughs and basins. The millwrights kept the mold work. Marinite came in a large rigid sheet. It would be cut to shape and size with power saws, etc., and routed to conform it to the contours of the items. Sawing and routing would create a great deal of dust. In the '60s, Dr. Barbour recommended that the asbestos dust be controlled and that the men working with it wear protective masks or respirators. A shop and dust collection system was supplied for use when cutting marinite in 1972. It was equipped with a dust collection system that was supposedly quite effective in reducing ppm below OSHA set levels.- This is also evidence that even before that time, efforts were made ARCH 000063 ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT DO NOT COPY 1984 August 27 Page 3 to reduce free dust. Dr. Barbour insisted it be cleaned up and areas be kept free of marinite dust. Asbestos cloth was used in the insulation of furnaces. It was cut with a knife initially so it probably did not present a great danger at this point. Although some of the persons I spoke with indicated that it was dusty even when new, the more significant exposure would occur during the relining when the masons would be clearing out the old material from the furnaces. Apparently, by this time, the asbestos cloth would have disintegrated to a point that it crumbled readily and was extremely dusty. 3. The Paste Plant also used asbestos and asbestoscontaining products extensively as well. Asbestos block insulation was used in the mixers to insulate the steam lines and hoppers. All the lining work in the pitch plant would have been performed by the millwrights until 1968 or 1969 when the insulation crew took this type of work over. 4. The power stations used asbestos-containing product to insulate the manifolds and exhausts of the gas engines. The mechanics who maintained and repaired the engines would have been responsible for both removing and replacing the pipe covering which was normally cut to shape. They would not have used asbestos shorts or cement. The pipefitters maintained exhaust and steam lines outside of the power houses. The lines were covered with pipe insulation that would be wired in-place, then covered with asbestos cement. When the insulation crew came into being, the pipefitters would have stopped handling the insulation work although they would have been in and around the area. 5. Refining. Almost every square foot of the refining operation is insulated and would presumably have been installed with asbestos-containing products. Some of the insulation has been replaced, some has not and in some instances, old asbestos insulation was partially repaired or replaced with non-asbestos containing products. A lot of this work would have been done by the pipefitters and the insulation crew. 7. In addition to the discrete areas which would have regularly used asbestos products, one can safely assume that significant amounts of asbestos would have ARCH 000064 ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT DO NOT COPY 1984 August 27 Page 4 been used through the plants in a variety of non-conventicnal ways. For example, electricians, I am told, would regularly use asbestos shorts mixed with water to insulate fields when they were doing electrical repair work and needed to protect the integrity of the other electrical equipment. The plant insulated the entire ceilings of the lower floor of the seven power generating stations because the gas engines generated too much heat and there was almost no ventilation in the building. Asbestos blankets were used by crane operators when moving crucibles to protect them from the heat. Asbestos products were normally placed behind furnaces, kilns, etc., to insulate the building. THOSE WHO MAY HAVE HAD EXPOSURE TO ASBESTOS OR ASBESTOS-CONTAINING PRODUCTS Position Years Nature of Exposure Millwrights Lining troughs, basins and molds, general repair work. Carpenters Lining troughs and basins. Painters Sand blasting -- pots, crucibles, molds, pipes, etc., prior to painting. Pot Repair Crew Digging out and relining pots. Masons Lining crucibles, mixers, hoppers, furnaces, etc. Mechanics Repair work on engines. Pipefitters Removing and replacing pipe covering and vessel coverings. Insulators After 6 All insulation work. ARCH 000065 ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT DO NOT COPY 1984 August 27 Page 5 USE OF ASBESTOS PRODUCTS 1969 1970 1972 1974-1975-1976 1975 1978 Dr. Barbour suggested keeping shops clean and free of asbestos dust. Suggested all employees working with marinite wear masks. No dust collection system. Ineffective dust collection system. Marinite shops set up for cutting marinite -- dust collection system with procedures for collecting dust. Started replacing asbestos with asbestos-free products. - 1974-75 Transition to Superex. - 1975 No more asbestos in kilns. - 1974-75 No more asbestos in insulation crew. Use of respirators when working with asbestos. Job Safety analysis with standards for using appropriate clothing, respirators, etc. ASBESTOS MANUFACTURERS Johns Manville Marinite, asbestos block, asbestos shorts, calcium silicate. Owens-Corning Asbestos block, asbestos shorts. Eagle Pitcher Manufacturer Unknown Pabco. Moregran Manufacturing Skemal Manufacturer Unknown Econotherm Manufacturer Unknown Protex Reliance Houston Epoxy Foam MARLENE W. JACKSON MWJ:me ARCH 000066