Document YgyjN9Z3p9R4RrX2JM2nmkRO

FILE NAME Painters and Allied Trades PAINT DATE 1976 Dec DOC PAINT046 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Article from Painters and Allied Trades Journal CIRCULATING MATERIAL DECEMBER 1976 (eS = Journal CORNELL UNIV - IVES HALL | ITHACA NY le i o Journal On the Cover NEWS AND FEATURES To all IBPAT mem- page wernt bers and their families Merry Christmas and a Inside Front Cover 4 From the General President Chemical Culprits and IBPAT Members Happy New Year 6 Dues Increase Effective January 1 9 Mondale A Victory for Labor 31 The GST Reports DEPARTMENTS page : Local 15 Local and District Council News 21 Labor Beat 24 Sports and Recreation 26 Financial Report DEVOTED TO THE TRADE INTERESTS OF IDENTIAL COMMERCIAL USTRIAL SIGN 'PICTORIAL COACH fiAUTOMOBILE AIRCRAFT MACHINERY @ RAILWAY EQUIPMENT e _ SHIP AND SCENIC PAINTING DECORATING fi PAPERHANGING WALL COVERING e DECORATIVE AND ARCHITECTURAL GLASS WORK GLAZING fiCARPET 'LINOLEUM SOFT TILE PAINT AND VARNISH MAKING BRUSH MAKERS AND TO THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT IN GENERAL Any member or subordinate body publishing programs souvenirs or other documents of any description must not designate them as The Official Journal of the Brotherhood or as The Painters and Allied Trades Journal either upon the publication itself on their advertising contract forms or stationery Robert J. Petersdorf Publisher Sam Parker Editor 1750 New York Ave. N.W. Washington D.C. 20006 Published monthly by the International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades Second Class mail entry authorized at Washington D.C. POSTMASTERS ATTENTION Change of address cards on Form 3579 should be sent to THE PAINTERS AND ALLIED TRADES JOURNAL 1750 New " k Ave. N.W. Washintgon D.C. 20006 scription Price 2.00 per year - Single copy 20 cents PRINTED ON UNION MADE PAPER PRINTED WITH UNION MADE INK VOLUME 90 No. 12 DECEMBER 1976 TheThe official journal of the Interna- tional Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades organized March 15 1887 and the only publication issued under its auspices a aT TR, , 4 3 i a PRINTED IN U.S.A. S. FRANK RAFTERY General President 1750 New York Ave. N.W. Washington D.C. 20006 ROBERT J. PETERSDORF General Treasurer 1750 New York Ave. N.W. Washington D.C. 20006 General Vice Presidents BERNARD SNIEGOWSKI 1st District 1443 Westchester Blvd. Westchester III 60153 A. L. MONROE 2nd District 7909 Bayberry Drive Alexandria Va 22306 JAMES WOLFORD 3rd District 100 Devon Lane Williamsville N.Y. 14221 JACK T. COX 4th District 2212 DuPont Dr. Irvine Calif 92664 GUY LEBER 5th District 1930 Bishop Lane - Louisville Ky 40218 JAMES B. COX 6th District Ridge Blue 8800 Ridge Ext No. 10 Kansas City Mo. 64138 WILLIAM A. DUVAL 7th District 1750 New York Ave. N.W. Washington D.C. 20006 The Decade of Job Safety ChemicaMlountCulprits and Sufferng . Last month the Painters Journal reported on the National Joint Safety and Health Committee's discussion of the Mount Sinai School of Medi- The Sinai School of Medi- cine health hazards study recently completed after nearly three years of work has exposed culprits re- sponsible for death and suffering ing nose after a day of spraying or mixing paints and solvents dizziness and exhilaration followed by nausea a loss of appetite headaches and sleeplessness a cough won't : tradesm 4 and rub q lumps ' bellies : }' laborato cine health hazard study " . . 130 pages documenting the acute symptoms of over posure found among painters 19 and allied tradesmen ... This month begins the first among the ranks of painters and allied tradesmen The principal in- vestigator for the NIOSH project Dr. Irving J. Selikoff said the situation requires urgent de- tailed study with appropriate cor- quit shortness of breath stomach problems and skin irritation not to mention broken bones and maiming so prevalent in a scaffold trade But as the MSSM study is quick point out few if any studies had . proof o } ing con Dr. : : epoxies . ingly u - since in a part series designed rective measures defined and insti- 1. monom to inform you about those chemical culprits found in the MSSM study and the harms they can cause to you tuted One tragic death reported in the study was that of a woodfinisher For years he complained of chronic The highest rate for serious accidents was among painters : of chrc been te _ Man inen ar The Background is the tiredness and weakness As time centra first part of that series Next month Identification of the culprits and the harms they cause passed he experienced difficulty breathing he developed high fevers and he lost weight When he died at age 59 his autopsy showed him to have had pneumonia pleuritis hyperplasia of the lymph nodes nephrosclerosis arteriosclerosis and many other problems as deadly serious and harmful to him as their names were big and difficult to pronounce His was not a natural death For years while he happily worked making and painting furniture several companions of his trade slowly and subtly poisoned him taking his health and 15 years from his life been undertaken to determine what though the health effects might be under . incomp . conditions of use of these materials . mice ar in the construction industry A review of the scientific litera- ture by Dr. Kingsly Kay of MSSM revealed only fragmentary and speculative evidence of chemical health hazardsin the paint trades For example the Workmen's Compensation Board of New York discovered from statistical analysis that the highest rate for serious accidents in the state was found among general painters exposure They speculated that" to solvents and other neurotoxic Thus whodi | ' filled w * : and na : helped } myster . IBP | 1 vided 7: tions o # S. Fra {) IBPAT y health- Nation @ Comm Cemnt According to the MSSM study this is not an isolated case Each day precious years of life and moments of health are robbed from the painters and allied tradesmen by trade companions who - cannot be stopped or controlled be- chemicals in a scaffold trade was responsible for this However the speculation was not followed up with scientific investiga- tion Laboratory testings proved no more helpful Surv _ 4.by IB ; were r 4 Resear | Leade level it }: arrang cause of a lack of evidence These Rabbits and mice infected in- 7 tant | killer companions are the chemicals jected and dissected in numerous of the painting trades laboratory toxicological evalua- > examii No doubt many of the painters have long suspected some of their chemical companions of detrimental activities the sore throat and burn- tions have demonstrated that harm from acute exposure to chemicals of the paint trade do exist However painters and allied Oth The g andC 4 THE DECEMBER | fong Among the IBPAT Ranks ing or zziness lausea | es and helped won't tomach | mystery not to laiming trade s quick lies had - aime ts 5 tradesmen don't shave their heads and rub solvent on them nor inject lumps of silica or coal tars into their bellies or lungs so the findings of laboratory studies cannot provide proof of harms under actual work- ing conditions Dr. Kay also found many new epoxies solvents and paints increasingly utilized in the paint trades since World War - including monomers polymers and a variety of chromapolymerstwheicsh have never been tested Many painters and allied tradesmen are exposed daily to high con- _ centrations of these chemicals the study's director Dr. Selikoff to meet with them At the meeting the materials manufacturers expressed their support to help uncover the potential health hazards so that appropriate corrective measures could be considered The United States Government provided consultation and informa- tion as well as money to fund the projects Dr. Marcus Key NIOSH director was especially helpful and . sympathetic ; By late 1973 enough information had been gathered by the MSSM detectives to devise a plan to expose the chemical culprits and their The form included occupational histories of the workers so that IBPAT the doors on the open those exposed to similar chemicals could be grouped To complete the examination a battery of skin lung nervous systemi pulmonary cardiac gastro- intestinal and locomotor tests were selected Administering the examinations el ine what je under - naterials ic a- of MSSM and speccal health orkmen's New York 1 analysis or serious as found though their toxicological harms are incompletely known even among the mice and rabbits of laboratories Thus the study began like a whodunit thriller in a dark room filled with boogies and suspects and nary a clue in sight But IBPAT helped open the doors on the mystery IBPAT's Executive Council pro- vided MSSM with detailed descrip- tions of trade conditions President S. Frank Raftery helped organize IBPAT industry government and science personnel into the National Joint Safety and Health modus operandi They divided the culprits into five broad catagories @ organic solvents thinners cleaners etc. pigments mainly lead but also cadmium and titanium compounds 'silica dust sandblasters and metal painters asbestos dust tapers etc. firesins and plastics epoxy res- ins PVD The painters and allied tradesmen were grouped into six broad categories based on their predominant was a lengthy process At one test location St. Louis a team of 27 doctors and technicians spent six days working from 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. examining 600 participat- ing Brothers see Painters Journal June 1975 Before the study was completed the MSSM team would face many obstacles A lack of previous scientific information would hamper their efforts to organize study guidelines the overwhelming confusion caused by multiple exposures to chemicals among the tradesmen would frus- trate them and the accurate deter- exposure neurotoxic rade was nwas not > investiga- proved no fected innumerous al evaluadt harm heals heals of and . allied Committee which provided the MSSMa forum for discussion Surveys and statistics compiled by IBPAT's Research Department were made available to MSSM by Research director Frank Burkhardt Leadership from the international level to the local level worked to arrange clinics And most important IBPAT Brothers cooperated 100 precent submitting to lengthy examinations Other organizations also helped MSSM shed light on the mystery The National Association of Paint and Coating Manufacturers invited type of work painters and paint manufactur ers mination of past and present exposure levels among tradesmen would be elusive a tapers floor tile workers Over the next months more than 1000 painters iron painters sand- . blasters paper hangers dry wall sandblasters and metal painters construction workers and tapers titanium dioxide manufacturers other glaziers carpet layers , etc. They devised a worker examina- tion form listing the many adverse health symptoms they expected to find among workers exposed to the chemicals in the five main areas of the study paint factory workers wood finish- ers and floor tile sanders from Los Angeles New York Toledo St. Louis and Patterson N.J. would be examined The net was closing on the culprits responsible for death and suf- fering among the painters and allied tradesmen THE DECEMBER 5