Document baL2jw9OmVzj7y7ge2nmQEe8D

{) Turner 4 Newell Limited Doard Mrrtlng *" 3Sth MoyTTMT Aabestoe and Health Publicity Problem* I wae asked to mak* a report to the Itoard on tit* current ttuatlon on thl# topic, I think th* Itoard may appreciate a egmmary of th* background ftrat. Aa th* Itoard I* aware, aabeatosia (diffusa fibrosis of til* lung) ha* been a recognised problem alnre ahuul 1030, anil alnc* tlwn * very large amount of Group capital, revenue and managerial effort haa been expanded on controlling and diminishing the Incidence of Iht* dlaeaae. No cure haa yet been found; the dlaeaae, once begun* l* irreveralble and almoet Invariably ahortena life, except where tome other quit* diatlnct cauae of death supervene*. There le good evidence that In our factortaa condition* r* now auch that very few new raeea are now being caused, tut * the diaeea* cai, take 30 or even 30 years to develop rases wtU rontlnua to be initially diagnosed fur a good m.ny years to com*. At preaent new nottflratlone in the U.K, ere occurring at the rate of about *0 a year, with a tendency atlli to Increase. The annuel numlier of death* haa riern to 64 In the last two years, compared with 40 a year from 1*61 - 1*64 and only 26 a year in thi ten year* from 1*31 - 1960, Th* total number of death* from 19?S to th# and of 1*06 we* 776, Th# reaaona why th* improved condition* In factor!#* which data back, in part, for over 30 years - have not caueedlh* number of naw diagnose* to paaa the peak by now era four*fold. Firstly, barauae the inaulation contracting aid* of th* induatry waa not subject to Regulation* and did not recline Ita danger In .lima: moat of the naw caaea are now a rising on that aide, cauaed mainly by condition* 10-30 year* ago. Secondly, becauae the population employed in th* induatry increased rapidly during th* I930'a and thia ' population 1* now getting older and more liable to develop dlaeaaa of on# kind or another. Thirdly, because of the striking fall In th* Incidence of tuberculosis and th* death rata from pneumonia and other cheat dlaeaae#, so that more people liable to cheat trouble4iv* longer and gat aabestoaia. And fourthly, because methods of diagnosis are getting steadily keener and are causing the Medical Panels to diagnose disability at an earlier stage than before, Evm if no new caaea were being diagnosed, the number of deaths of aabeetoaia case* la bound to rise for a good many ^aar* yet, because the existing cases caused by expoaur# year* ago era getting older and when they die many of them well after retirement age Inquesta are held and their deaths *r* aeror.lated, at least partly, with asbaetosla. 0 I -I**a A further factor whtrh nit recta medical attention and adverse publicity la that an incrraalng proportion of aabeatoala caaea noer develop lung cancer aa a secondary effect. Thla increase, oddly enough, la partly due to a substantial rlae tn the aapactatlen of Ufa of aabeatoala caaea due to Improved condltlona. * Aa a reault of three facta, much medical reaearrh In many parta of the world ha a hern fnrueanl In the laet ten yea re on the health problema of aalieatna. leading tn tntrrnallonal meillral conferencea and the publication of many paprra, all of which rreata unfavourable publicity, even whan the rear archera themaelvee are not actively hoeiile to the tnduatry or courting prraonal fame, aa aoma of them art. A place of medical reaearrh In Capetown in IMS Indicated that many lunga of Ihe urban pnjmlntlnn contained bod lea whlrh were, or looked very like, the "fermginoua bodlea" whlrh are found in the lunga nf aahratoa wnrkera, Although three tKMitea are barmleaalh Ihemarlvea - and It haa alnce been ehown that very atmllar bodlea CM be rauaed by many different dual a whlrh are preaent tn uHan life Ihe euggeatlon waa made lliat aabeatoa may he a "genera) urban haaard", and thla haa been much written and talked about In I*ubllc Health circles, Finally, what really raught the public attention In Itrltalp waa the diaenvery ftrat In Africa and then In and around the Capo Aabeatoa Company's factory In Harking - of an association between aabeatoa and the rare fnrm of cancer railed meaotheltoma. While thla disease - which kills rapidly la predominantly associated with crocldollte, there la some evidence of an occaalonal aaaoclallon with chrysolite, and thla cannot be absolutely denied, ITili summary may teem long but It Is a eery brief and selective digest of an enormous subject. It will, perhaps, serve to show the magnitude of our problem. Research Problsme The main difficulty la that the exact causation of the pathology la not yet understood, and eo no one can aay why aome types or origins of eebeetoe may be more dangerous than othrra, or why the range of susceptibility tn Individuals seems to range from almoet.oll to quite rapid Involvement; there ta even aome evidence, recently, that the troubles may be mainly caused not by the eebeetoe Itself but by Infinitesimal trace elements of metal from the beatere of the opening machines in the mills. (This might explain why diseases sro relatively rare among the miners. I Ihrif problems art now belpf studied In almost avery major Industrial country, * * Publicity In the U.K. The allegation mainly in regard to mesothelioma, and even this la very questionable - that quite slight exposure to asbestos dust could be dangerous has led to alarm among dockers and also to very damaging and alarmist atetementa about the dangers of using Continued  II I ^ < * ! asbestos product* or even of living In asbestos* cement building*. Much of thia la hidlcroua bul some nf II ta bring pul oul by hospital and university authorities whoas word carrlaa weight, andiho um< distortion* reverlterat* and am picked up and repeated with * snowballing effect, Th Industry'* product* ar* oelng "smeared" directly and Indirectly In many wnya and ihla la almnat ae difficult to combat aa McCarthy1* political amcac campaign on Individual* la th* II, H. A. trn year* ago. Kvary aubeditor now knows that th* danger of asbestos dual ta newa, and unfavourable artlelaa and alarmlaf haadllnaa am appearing almnat ovary day. particularly In local pa|M>ra and in Trade Union Journale, whenever any event evich aa a medical lecture, an Impieat nr a ('oinmon Ua settlement coma* up. Queatlona In Parliament have bean coming up at th* rata of two or three a week, but the Minlatry of Ijilmur haa been parrying Utaaa very well. It, II. C. T. V, put out a vary Irraaponaibl* programme in "34Ilmira" In February. Th* attitude of labour in th* dock*, building allaa and th* contracting Industry (though not, fortunately, In any T. A N. Group factories, so far) haa naturally become rcellv* and lhar* have btan atoppagea of work, and thceata nf more, on building altea and ehtp* yanla wham aaba ato* tnaulalion or fir*>reeietlng parllllona ar* being Inatalled. fllg niatomer* euch a* I. C.t.. Hoepital Authorities, the Navy and tha C. K.G. It. ar* tending to turn to nnn>aabeaioa malarial* wham poaatbla; IS rill eh Hallway* or their Union* have quit* accidentally made matter* worae by widely publicising tha decision (which they had In tact made about a year ago) to caaa* using sprayed Limpet Aabeeto* on railway coaches. Everything possible la being don* through the Medical Advlaar to tha T. U. C,, through the Medical Officers and official* of tha Nationalised Inchiatrtea and by technical and commercial contact* with other customer*, to allay alarm and aatabllah practices which will eliminate rlak, but tha problem la becoming not ao much on* of convincing management but of calming do** their workers; even tf there la no rlak contractor* and users will tend to avoid asbaltoa If they fear that Its uae will give yet another opportunity for trouble* maker* to make trouble. Thl* makes a new problem for th* aslasman of all companies to surmount. Dio moat serious situation currently I* in th* dock*; every Important port in the country oacept Avonmouth. Manchester and Glasgow la now closed to asbestos unless It la not only In Impervious bag* but *l*o palletised or in container*. Palletisation I* being carefully Investigated by the Canadian end now the African Mines, but this will take many months to become the general practice. a Action Without etlkl further eatending thl a long report much of th* action being taken must go un-mentioned here. On the publicity front a small A aba atoa Information Committee haa been formed, consisting of myaalf as Chairman with Senior Directors of Cap* Aabaatoa Co. Ltd., Continued, < i( , V 4- the Itrltleh Halting 4 Aibiioi Group and GKPCO Ltd., and tht I onHon branch of an American firm, llk.ll 4 Knowlton International, haa hern appointed aa l*ubllc delations Consultants, Their Job will be to combat and, If pnaallile. to forratall adverse publicity I* all quarters, A I'reaa Conference haa been arranged on I till Mag and the Preea lleleaae will have been aeen by the T. 4 N. Director* before thla report la circulated. Codec of Practice have been published for the Inaulatlon and Ihiililing ConaimelIon Industries, A pamphlet addreaaed to dnrkera haa been eom|ieed, with collaboration from the l\>rt of tiimkm Authority, the National Aaaociailon of Port Kmployers, ` the Itnlnna, the Mlnlatry of labour and varioua medical authorltlea (every word haa to be checked and aireed/vlth many people an arduous and time* conaumlng proreaa) and will have been faibllehed before thla report appeara. A programme of getting thla leaflet arrosa la batng planned by Mr. Ilowa of T. A. K. Ltd, and by Mr, W.P, Howard, our Public lielatione Officer, Meellnga ere being planned with intereated M, P. ' and contacta hava bean or ara being mada not only with the ecademlo retearrhera but with University and other authorttiaa who maybe likely to emit damaging promunrementa. All the Greup'e big cuainmera and their medical aitviaera hava been contacted byths Unit Companies concerned or by the Group's Medical Advlaer, Dr. Knot, but until II can be proved that no riaka anae from uaing the Group'd producia the tendency ol oiiiomrr* to play for safety by looking for alternative materials can bo combated only by vary aetivo celling of the superior attractions of aabeetoe. John Waddell,* u Ia b c 1 ! i i: