Document Zne2kBwDq6nw2NEE0m2Dekx77

FILE NAME: Eagle-Picher (EP) DATE: 1932 Mar DOC#: EP002 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letters between US Dept of Commerce & Eagle Picher RE Report of Dust Investigation of the Rock Wool Plant in Joplin, MO / l& iT E D S t a t e s D epa r tm en t o f c o m m e r c e BU REA U o r M INES C O O P E R A T IV E C U N IC PICHER, OKLAHOMA *`.rch 11, 1??2. Dr. E. E. Sarerc, Chief S'iTb*on, Burer'i of klr.os, Washington, u. c. Dear *>r. Severe: I an enclosing copies of the report on the Investig atio n of the Eagle Plcher Company*s Fock Wool P lant In Joy1In, which we diseueeed while you were here. When th is 1* f ln a llv erproved, oleese forward copy to Mr. Srhdn Mahon. Safety Engineer. ^ l e r icher CoSSny, P lcher, Oklahoma, a t the e a rlie s t possible date, as they are very anxious to receive I t . F. V. Meriwether, Surgeon In Charge. /I | la rc h 1, 1952. RMM/8JD i Mr. Irboo Itb c n , Safaty te g ln eer, i flC l Picher Company, " '"fic h e r, Ok ie I i '. Daar Mr Mabont I ia a rep o rt o f a H a lte d Inspection of the i"cck aool plant o f the Eagle Picher Mining and S aeltlng Company, J o p lin , Mo# by Dr. F. ? . Meriwether, of the U. S. Bureau of Mine. th le report is subnitted for your confidential Information. I n appreciate any suggestions or cooaent* you say have and s h a ll ho glad to hare ay atten tio n c alled to any e rro rs or n isatatea en t o f foot. ; Yours f a ith f u lly , SUiTT TURNER SCOTT TUBBEB, 4 Inolosure So* 4681 D irector. v/cv M - Dr. Marlwstbar AX iI n e o n or arar nrzarioATicv or r e i XAOLX PZCHXB BOCK OOL PIAR tt Za September, 19^ -. a t th r t f U i t of th Safetp Bnglnear * ` I ' a f th Xegle Fichar Mining and Saaltin e Compatir. aa lnapaetlo aaa aada a f tha aeapaap'a rock ool plant a t Joplia. lilsaonrl. fh le plant la aparatas la eoanaotloa U h a laaS a s a lta r and tha prodnet la onda fro a hpwprodaato a f laad a n sltlag . Xnaemoeh a j tha rocY ool plant la onlp apaxatad aben thara la a daaaad fo r tha prodnet, eonaidarahla delap aaa aaeeoatarad ln aeaambllng and co lle c tln g a l l data on tha procaaa. I t aa daalrad to ohtain Information on tha < m t, i t e ehealeal analpala, and to am aina th a oldar man emplopad a t th plant In ordar to dra* aoneluaioae aa te poaeiblo harafhlnaan o f^h a dot. Book to o l. Bock Vool la oda ftjom ala wtlch la boat ad to a a a lta a llon&d and la hloan ent of a anali o rific a a t eonaidarahla 1 praacara la to tha atraaa, breaklng tha aoltan liquid iato rerp fina h a lrllk a p a rtle la a . Thla la hlowa ia to a larg a rooa and a ft r Solleetlmg la fn aatltlaa l t lo ahoralad lato container^ for tranefarring to aaothar b aild lag fa r fa b ric a tln g . Tha m aterial l i mada la to ahaota, h rlck s, aad la eoahiaad wlth aaheatoe and noad fo r th a pnr^oaa of in en latin g bulIdInga, fnrnaeaa, a to . Za botb th a balldinge ln hieb tha fornace and tha fa b rle a tln g recaa ara locatad, larga arconte of duet ore detectad In th a lr. ! / *b* concluding atataaent of Mr. S e lrlg 1s report la ae follows: ia a ra l wool i t a alag and h at Wan thoroughly foaad i t mr j ha o lta I r r ita tin g i f hraathad la te th a th ro at and I n g a in the fo ra of teat." . i. Ehraical axaalnattona. On January 6. 1932. four of tha aaploreaa working a t tha plant ware azaalnad a t tha c lin ic to dataralna A a tb a r or not they ahov evidence of lung lnvolvaaant. Thraa out of tha four aan aaaainad ahov a decidedly aora flh ro aia than noraal, and ona f th a thraa ahowa an old tuberenloele. Tha othar aan maa negative, (h a h ia to ria a of th a aan ahow th a t they hara not baan employed ataad ily lus th la p la n t, hat thay hara haan angagad in th ia work fo r parioda ranging fire $ aonths to 1$ yaara, probably a t about h a lf tl a a . Tha an th a t ahowa no thiokaaing in th a bronchial tubaa la tha foreman who la probably axpoaad to th a alnloua aaouat of doat. CoBclutlona drawn. Basad on tha chemical analyala, quantity o f duat, and ewidanoa of ouch peribronchial thickening in the nan who hawo haaa expoead, according to tha h ia to ria a , only a re la tiv e ly ahort period of t l a a to tha duat. I t la wary lik e ly th a t th e duat is termful ** breathed ewer a re la tiv e ly long period of tin e . Thia ia p a rtic u la rly tru a ia tha a irin g room where i t la ateted by th e eaployeee th a t rook ool io alxad with aaheatoa In varloua mixtures ranging from 10 to 75 per oaat. Thia ia a p artic u la rly daaty placo, and i t 1 nowknown d e fin ite ly th a t aahaatoa duat ia ona of the aost dangcroua duata to which aan i s axpoaad. With th a ooahlnatlon of asbestos and a fused a ille a d uat, known to ba ir r i ta ti n g to tho lungs, i t i s reasonable to - 3- I eonclnda th a t th* i l l fa t i t m i w fU r a tie chanfaa ln a ra la tlx v ly hort p v lo d of tl a a . TMs 1 p a rtle u la rly ira* bar th el 1 l n d ith *ttoa. k etody of th X~ray pletnr of th m fh ll to raxl u r Ulooai t th prnt tla a , hat to proflne daeldadly or flh ro aia then ornai condition ln th nlnaa ln i th F ie ln r fl ld , th fro ip ho an avoraf orVinf tloM of lx yaara; I l a tbr orda, apparantly thaa mon haxe oontmctd th an aaoont of flV roala la 12 aonthx or laa th a t ooenr in th nlnaa of th Piefaar i f l l l a app ro riaatalp ix yara. ia a w in f th ia to ba c o rre c t. tha xldano, *bila aot ooaplat, eold lead to th conelnaion that tha dnat i anaoaatrd tgr tfaao nan 1 ora daagaroaa and 111 prodno* lune laxelxnaont in a xery aneh ahortar parla* of tla a than tha dnat hich 1 M a o t c n i ln th Pieher aine. . Paet Control. Machinas ahonld he^lntrodncad to eontrol th aaooat f dnat producad at thia plant, ln tha fnrnace rooa, hr th nl 1 hloan Int th rooa, n nathod of antlnf th dnat ont of th i n m r an npxnrd ayataa of xnt li t Ion ahoald h Inst 11ad. In th fh h rle a tln c roon, i t honld to a pn a poaalbl. and a d fin it dnat- a a tr o l lln f q rataa ln a t ll d . In th a ix in lI rooa, l t la aoegeated th a t a aaohia h lnatalld to do thia alxlng, aackinf, e t e . , a ia lla r to th a t nad tp eaaant lndnatrlaa. and it i l l Lot h nacaaaarp for tbe t aaa te h in th roop. Tha aaehlnaa ura ln eoanon naa and conld W nad bra ith eoaoaieal raanlta. i.