Document a10256EL11Nnev8dgmJBEYq4b

What Will Replace Asbestos Gaskets? By John E. Zeitz BASKET suppliers and gasket material pro ducers have been working lor several years on programs to develop asbestos-free gasket materials lot use in all the sealing needs ol vehicular and industrial applications. And the tempo ot this development is increasing. Asbestos has been an important part of gas ket materials since the advent ol the internal combustion engine. It has a number ol good characteristics, and has been used extensive ly. These good characteristics are the physi cal properties of asbestos, such as high heat resistance, excellent crush resistance, dimentional stability, and the ability to be pro duced inlo a homogeneous product. The ability to produce a homogeneous prod uct is greatly aided by the material's high sur face area per unit weight, a (actor as high as 60 sq. It./gram (5.6 m'/gram). Added to these physical properties, relatively low cost and ease ol processing must be included among (he advantages ol asbestos. John . Ztiiz is division chief engineer oi the Victor Products Division of Dona Corporation. However, there are a number ol disadvan tages with the material. First, there is growing emphasis on cosily preventive health and control substance programs required tor Ihose handling the materials. There is also a growing belief on the part ol influential users and producers ol asbestos products, as well as outside groups, that the use ol asbestos in automotive and other vehicles should be cur tailed. The cost of company-wide health programs and controlling the environment in which as bestos is handled Is causing many to seek al ternatives to using the product. One problem lor all suppliers and users ol asbestos products is how the end user disposes ol the prod uct. tn the gasket business this is a parti cularly sensitive area because olten th^ end user finds himself using a wire brush or scrap er to scrape asbestos off of an engine part to clean up residue gasketing. Unfortunately, it is the asbestos you cannot see that finds its way into ihe lungs. So unless special preventive health procedures are lotlowed. the end user ot asbestos gaskets may be in more potential danger than the person nel in the producer's facility. This could be particularly true in large volume engine re build operations. Government regulatory agencies are keenly interested in seeing asbestos usage curtailed, or eliminated from indusirial and commercial products. Though no timetables have been set, it is very likely a special license or waiver will be needed as early as 1985. And. by 1990. the use ot asbestos may not be permitted under any circumstances. It may be that government regulations alone may eventually force Ihe elimination of all as bestos from areas where it is now used -- in cluding gaskets. The number ol regulatory agencies controlling asbestos continues to grow. There are primarily six federal agencies concerned with asbestos. There are Ihe Envir onmental Protection Agency (EPA), the De partment of Transportation (DOT), Ihe Con sumer Protection Salety Commission (CPSC), the Mine Salely Health Administration (MSHA). the Occupational Salety and Health Administration (OSHA), and Ihe Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Among these six agencies, approximately 20 regulations have been promulgated to control VPD-142-0002633