Document Yjb7njzKpEbJbmqazYJekN7vK

Atlas Asbestos Company WWiK NUMMtTM . t** OOO MOCMCLAOA STREET Montreal December 16, 1975 Jhdge Ren6 Baaudcy President Comitd d'Etude aur la SalubritA dana l'lndnatria da l'Aalanta Montreal - .. . . . . Monalour la President, . As president of Atlaa Aabestoa Company I am diaturbad by mlaundaratandlnga eauaad by tha raporfe and testimony given by Dr. Philippa Landry to tha Beaudzy Commission. . . .. X, do not deny that a large number of Atlaa ; . - / employees have aabeatos-related diaaaaaa caused by conditiona of tha paat. Thia information - la vail known to officlala of tha Quebec Work- " men'a Condensation Commiaaion. :. - y;'., '~i What doaa disturb me greatly is tha misleading publicity given our Company - easily identified because of our position in the Quebec aabestoa .. ;, industry and our past association with Dr. Landry. Thia portrays Atlas Asbestos Company as having no real concern about the health of its employeea and this is not true. X refer you to Dr. Philippe Duval and Dr. Fernand Grdgoire, officials of the Quebec Workmen's Compensation Commission, who are aware 'of our deep concern and activities . to improve health standards in our plant. Judge R. Beaudry December 16, 1975 m 2 In 1970 Dr. Landry expressed concern about a growing health problem at Atlas and, with the cooperation of the Quebea government we made it a policy to send all employees with over 15 years* service to the Lavoisier Institute for a three-day examination. This resulted in detection of the large number of cases referred to by Dr. Landry. Op to that time industry knowledge of the. . hazard and techniques for control had not been too advanced.. In 1973 we undertook to bring our plant to a 2 fibre per co level and went on record with the Quebec Workmen's Compensation Commission that this was our intention. We - started a three-year program which has now been completed at a cost . of $1/2 million.. . /. With existing regulations' requiring 5 fibres : per eo in Quebec and:in the U.S. we undertook, as responsible managers , a self-imposed flower' standard of 2 fibres' per',cc.and ye have'attained that standard. . ..v / ' -v'/&?... In 1974 there were 441-fibre counts f of these counts there were none.over. 5 fibres per.cc and only 19 over 2 fibres per cc. In eleven months through November 1975 there has been a.total . of 377 counts t of these there were none over 5 fibres per cc and only 24 over 2 fibres per cc Enough of these counts have been verified by the Quebec Department of Health to prove their validity. . . . Dr. Landry was our Company doctor from October 1967 to September 1, 1974 and was privy to Atlas health natters. He reported favorably on our program in improving duat control and achieving Judge R. Beaudry December 16, 1975 a 2 fibre level at a joint conference of affiliated companies' doctors in England in Hay 1974. He agree with most of the re made by Dr. Landry with refs medicals, a dust limit of 2 for our type of asbestosdust counts available to employees, visits by Government inspectors, as these are already our practice. He also agree with " tion with respect to smoking step vp our anti-smoking 4e do not agree with his recommendation on Incentive systems, as in our opinion, this is Irrelevant. The dust count mast, be kept below 2 fibres per ca regardless of the speed of >peration. He do not use Crocidolite but we to use a small quantity of Amos its fibre." He lave no evidence that Amosite fibre is mors larmful than Chrysotile but if this is proven, Its use will be eliminated. rith the evidence of our achievement in" dust lontrol, we resent any implication of apathy :awards the health of Atlas employees'and the : statement that the "industry should be cleaned ip immediately". ; . incerely. '."Barge resident ____a 1 ci Dr. Philippe Landry Dr. Philippe Duval Dr. Fernand Grdgoire i DR PHIUrrE UHDRT, M.O. F.C.C.F. iuumi ruuMNimil HI KIT, Huf HK,WHICH WatHU IM ta 9 , 1975. ' Is President, - J'ai ea la privilege intdressde 1 la trsac: ___ de eoastructioa. X'i la chrysotile (aaiaate hlanebe) (salute Mans) ou 1* De 1967 1197%. sur %5% par la Coaltd de pm 1 dlffdrents degrds. An preaier Janvier 197%, 90 encore 1 l'eaptoi ds la cospagnlc, at au dtait augnentd 1 pins ds IDO employes. * . -* v ' r. . f L'exposition aoyenne sux fibres coqpsosd* dtait entre 15 at 2% ana. if if. Sur lea 10 eaployds AtafAta out eu uns antopsla. Sur lea 10 ddcls, S at cor pulmonale, h aaplnyds area une am pulaonaire et 1 cas dd 1 un.mdsothdLiome sssocldes 1 de l'amlutose plus ou moIns ddsddds de cancer non localisd anx vo assoclde, 5 cas seat ddoddds pour des Id^svea^amiantose 1 un cancer bronchod'antres maladies cancer. % cas sent 1 area amlantose amiutose ou le. pepula septcSbre 197%. attaints d'uae pathologli examiner ila amian- C'ast pourquol je crams qu'il est de non devoir de vous ralre ndations sulvantes porf dllminer l'aaiantose ct dlsdnuer le nombre d'employda susceptibles d'ttre Ktelnts de cancer des voles resplratolres et qul travadllent dans l'lnduatrjp seeondaire de l'amlute y eomprls ceux des sous-contraeteurs.