Document bB3yRgpwYOpyMQQBd3E7Nodg6

FILE NAME: Scotts (SCTS) DATE: 1978 Dec 5 DOC#: SCTS015 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter to EPA & OSHA RE Scott Employees with Asbestos Exposure and Pulmonary Disease s c o n s III* VAWM1IH*1.[ V L H ' J i i Is.',', John P. Kennidy Vico Piojident ft General Counsel PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT SCQ-40 t December 5, 1978 Hr. C h a r le s M. Auer Chemist :>t Finvironmcntal P r o t e c t i o n -Agency Office o f Toxic Substances (TS-792) 4th and M S t r e e t , S..W.. " .(Waterside Mall) Washington, D. C. .20460* R. Hays B e l l , Ph.D Director Technical Support Directorate N `3605 USnOL/OSHA 200 C o n s t i t u t i o n Avenue Washington,, j). C. 20001 Gentlemen: To confirm t h e o r a l r e p o r t given on November 29 t o your T a g e n c i e s , some i n f o r m a t i o n r e l a t i n g , to one o f o ur chemical f e r t i l i s e r P l a n t s has coino to t h e a t t e n t i o n o f S c o t t which may o r may not be r e p o r t a b l e Under the v a rio u s s t a t u t e s a d m i n is t e re d by your r e s p e c t i v e a g e n c i e s . We have r e s o l v e d any doubt on t h i s q u e s t i o n by t h i s l e t t e r in an e f f o r t to f u l l y advise you and seek your cooperation in dealing with the matter. ,Dr. .John'Prior,- o f Ohio S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y , who was r e t a i n e d th ro u g h o u r Company P h y s i c i a n to i n t e r p r e t X-rays and p r o v i d e e x p e r t i s e dn h i s s p e c i a l t y o'f pulmonary d i s e a s e , ad v is e d t h a t i n h i s p r a c t i c e he had e n c ou n te re d t h r e e *i n s t a n c e s o f bloody p l e u r a l e f f u s i o n o f the l un gs . Dr. P r io r also advised th a t t h is represented an unusually high incidence o f such n fin d in g . ' All th re e p a ti e n ts had boon employed by Scott e i t h e r c u r r e n t l y o r in t h c - p a s t fo r periods ranging from four to twelve ye a rs . 0 M Scott & Sans.- A Substdiary of t JT - Marysville. Ohio 43040. (513) 544 0011 *7^*~**~~^---- ------ ;--;--- -------11i n ii' iimii \ - - it - d t r --- - -- j .- / * SC-0000427 Scotts_Springer_022645 Our Company.Physician followed np on t h e s e ea se s ami i t was s u b s e q u e n t l y l ear n ed t h a t in a l l t h r e e o f the i n d i v i d u a l s limp t i s s u e b i o p s i e s had been performed. N eith er o f the b i o p s i e s r ev e a le d tumor c e l l s o r a s b e s to s bodies; however, chronic inflammatory changes and p l e u r a l f i b r o s i s were d e t e c t e d . The c l i n i c a l h i s t o r y o f t h e s e i n d i v i d u a l s v i r t u a l l y r u l e s ou t mesothelioma as a p o s s i b i l i t y and makes t h e p r e s e n c e o f a n y ' o t h e r malignancy u n l i k e l y . At t h e time o f Dr. P r i o r ' s r e p o r t , S c o t t had not- encountered any findings o f t h i s type in our medical program on P l a n t employees. However, w i t h i n th e l a s t two weeks, a n o t h e r e a s e o f bloody p l e u r a l e f f u s i o n was found from the X-rays o f a i c u r r e n t employee who* lias worked in S c o t t ' s P l a n t s f o r ap p ro x i m at e ly i twenty y e a rs. C lin ic a l study is c u rre n tly underway. t- . A review-of the published l i t e r a t u r e on bloody p leu ral effusions has not l o c a t e d any. r e p o r t o f a re s p o n s e o f t ill s type a s s o c i a t e d with the m a t e r i a l s found in S c o t t P l a n t s o r o t h e r c h e m i c a l s . Nor were an)' p u b l is h e d r e p o r ts found in which'.asbestos exposures were a s s o c ia te d with t i n s type of response. This point is'emphasized in p a rticu la r because pleural reactions i a r e a p p a r e n t l y a common f i n d i n g with a sties to s exposure and the S c o t t Pl an t where th es e i n d i v i d u a l s were employed does use verm.icul i t c , which has been found to c o n ta in low l e v e l s o f f ib r o u s t r c m o l i t c (a form o f a s b e s t o s ) . by way Q f ba c kground The 0. H. S c o t t and Sons Company i s a m an u fa ctu rer o f l aw n 'c ar e p ro d u cts which arc produced in our Chemical rfVC,-- P l a n t s i n Marysvill.e/" O h i o . Si nc e i t s i n c e p t i o n ov e r 20 y e a rs ago the fSEX T rio n iz ed Process a t the S c o t t Chemical Plant has r e l i e d upon v c rm ic u litc k as the i n e r t c a r r i e r on which the f e r t i l i z e r and, in the ease of combina if t i o n p r o d u c t s , f e r t i l i z e r p lu s p e s t i c i d e chemicals would he a p p lie d to form our fin is h e d p roducts. Almost a l l of our retail, f e r t i l i z e r s and f e r t i l i z c r - p e s t i c i d e combination products arc produced from th is Process. Raw v e r m i c u l i t e o r e i s mined and c l a s s i f i e d in Montana and South A f r i c a , rv,. and shipped to Marysville. In the Trionized Plant the ore is then ex panded witii heat so that i t s layered s tr u c tu r e accordions out creating a g re a te r surface for the f e r t i l i z e r m aterial to be applied to. S c o t t has advised i.ts a f f e c t e d employees of. the presence o f asbestos in the Plant and maintained a re g u la r program o f a i r sampling, employee .physical .examinations, Plant clcan-up and various equipment/ f a c i l i t y changes t o 'a s s u r e . c o m p l i a n c e with OS11A s t a n d a r d s . In a d d i t i o n , S c o t t lias s e c u r e d `a n a l y s i s o f i t s f i n a l p r o d u c t s by indepe nd en t la b or a - t. 't o p i c s , win eh u n ifo r m ly i n d i c a t e t h a t no f i l l e r s can he found in the it. Final p r o d u c t and; tha't the use o f . s u c h p ro d u ct s p r e s e n t no f i b e r expo su re. S c o t t lias a l s o s h i f t e d i.ts purchase p a t t e r n o f v c r m i c u l i t c so th a t a s i g n i f i c a n t s h a r e o f . the v c r n i c u l i t c used is Trot;} s o u rc e s with e i t h e r no f i b e r s o r s i g n i f i c a n t l y lower l e v e l s o f f i b e r s . 'a-//- fee - 2- )I I *>**< v*' V V ' ; tv " .. :z Y y / x * " A ' vd *vmV'-' ` v -fO M .'t' ItU.-0r SC-0000428 Scotts_Springer_022646 o ' J .} However, as n r e s u l t o f the employee p h y s i c a l exam i n n t i o n s i n s t i t u t e d , the c h e st X-ray films of one employee were interpreted, in 1976 as. being c o m p a t ib l e w it h a s b e s t o s i s . Another employee was s u s p ec t e d o f having an X-ray e x h i b i t i n g e a r l y evidence o f a s b e s t o s i s , but subsequent X-rays have ruled t h is fin d in g out. N either of these employees were ex p e r i e n c i n g any symptoms o f a s b e s t o s i s o r any d i s a b i l i t y ; b u t , both were advised of th is finding and tra n s fe r re d to other jobs out of the Tri.onized Process P la n t. Scott-, advised a l l employees a ffe c te d o f the findings and trie d to explain the -risks involved. Examinations performed since have not revealed any a d d itio n a l employees to have evidence of a sb esto sis. We have no rea s o n to b e l i e v e our c u r r e n t P l a n t s i t u a t i o n p r e sents any ris k of a s b e s to s -re la te d problems since i t is in compliance w i t h QSHA a s b e s t o s s t a n d a r d s . Based upon the low l e v e l s o f f i b e r s r e p o r t ed in our Plant a t th is time, the physicians involved have advised us that t h e s e fin d in g s do not. i n d i c a t e a c u rr e n t asbestos hazard to our workers, i f in fact the effusions are related to the occupational exposures at Scott at all. ^ In summary.,* t h e s i t u a t i o n p r e s e n t e d is a p e r p l e x i n g problem, it i t h e r e i s no medical e v id e n c e or l i t e r a t u r e i n d i c a t i n g t h e s e four case? a r c due to occupational ^exposures in the Scott Plant. Yet, the fact remains a c l u s t e r o f four cases of t h i s type would not he expected to be found in a much l a r g e r p o p u l a t i o n th an S c o t t 's SOf)-600 w or kf orc e. Adding to t h i s uncertainty is the .fact that this condition has apparently arisen several jpflW years a fte r.p la n t exposure, but not within the expected timing of asbestos i l i k e p r o b l e m s . : l Based upon, tiie q u e s t i o n s asked a t the meeting hold on November 29, 1978, witli r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f EPA and OSI1A to r e p o r t t h i s s i t u a t i o n L and the d a ta r e q u e s t e d by t h e t h r e e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f OSIIA who v i s i t e d o u r Chemical P l a n t t h e mornings o f November 29 and 30 on t h i s i s s u e , th e Rv following data i s enclosed with each copy of th is l e t t e r : 1. L ist o f Current Chemicals 2. ./Results o f Air Sampling in Chemical Plant (1/1/76 to Present) 3. Notices to S c o t t Employees * Or. P r i o r ' s r e p o r t oi.y t h e d e t a i l s o f the c l i n i c a l h i s t o r y o f the f o u r i n d i v i d u a l s w i l l b e 'ready w i t h i n two weeks and a copy w i l l be forwarded a s soon as we r e c e i v e i t from fir. P r i o r . A d d i t io n a l d a ta w i l l a l s o be forwarded ns completed on p r i o r clicmi cn Is- and o t h e r t o p i c s d i s c u s s e d at \t#r1.., t h e meeting on November 29. r- SC-0000429 Scotts_Springer_022647 i1 * At t h i s s t a g e c o n s i d e r a b l e q u e s t i o n remains with r e s p e c t to the cause, the meaning and the e f f e c t s o f these findings of pleural e f f u s i o n . We have s e l e c t e d P r . ' W. Cl ark Cooper o f Ber ke ley , C a l i f o r n i a , as an independent source of medical e x p e rtise . We w i l l k e e p li a d v i s e d a s o u r i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f t h i s m a t t e r p r o c e e d s . We would a p p r e c i a t e . a n y in formation your a g e n c i e s could p r o v i d e on s i m i l a r s i t u a t i o n s coming t o your a t t e n t i o n . We would a l s o ask to he advisc'd o f a n y '- f u r th e r r e p o r t i n g or o t h e r a c t i o n s ne c essa ry on our p a r t to secure compliance with th e s t a t u t e s adm inistered by your resp e c t i v e a g e n c i e s . Fi n a lly ', we would ask t h a t agency c o n t a c t s be c o o rd i n a te d so th a t d u p l ic a ti o n o f r e p o r t in g can be minimized. \ JPK:sh Enclosures Yours very t r u l y , f i ?! John P. Kennedy Vice Pres i d e m fr General Counsel & i f H': tfK i *5: Ft- -* i k. t*.. * - 4 .O V V * l V ..a , .............. -A-. . . 1,,.. r V V t^ a yA ,; r \ t**.* * *v ^ * r`* ' of> **sy V.d>.,tYbr<^ *'v " * J ' *. ** . . . ........ ..-- . A * , *. w *, ' ' ^ " *** SC-0000430 Scotts_Springer_022648