Document dD9x3BK7n1QEggy5a9z5emyje

;v EAwironmsntal Sciences Laboratory ^*TX of Tba City University of New York FHOSV1 THE iraSULATlOfU IWDU5T8Y HYGIENE RESEARCH PHOGSAM Inins. J- Selikoff, M.D., Program Director Vol. 7 No 2 '=^^>0 Summer 1975 Identification System for Adhesives-Solvents Inadequate change and shower facilities can lead -to extensive amoun. t-s- o_ Cf a__stb_ e_ sto__s___a__nJd other dJu__s_kts- being brought, home to. contaminate workers' -households. Here, the only change facilities on thUiTs^ construction site ise aAnrt ortprtertnrt trreartitlteArr;t-.. .... ... .... . 'ilr AsBeStos'sDisease Can Spread "; f?: ." 7-L'~A 'wrdehingVspectrurn'bfaasbestos-- - home on -.the. clothes of the factory : -'disease'has been:found' by-vDr^'-Hehry 'c-workersa /d:;. i. :-:. ' -- '. . ; - Anderson and' other^scientisK- of the v" VThe workers were employed at a fac- ' ' Mount Sinai'School of Medicine." In "a: -tory that manufactured amosite insula- studyjust completed of326 family con- ' tion material, often for use in Naval tacts of former asbestos factory work- ships,- but also widely used in power ers. it has been found that .35% had . plants and industrial'insulation. It oper- X-ray abnormalities characteristic of ..atedfrom 1941 through 1954. Many of asbestos exposure. These data were the workers whose families later devel- presented by Dr/ Anderson on March 'oped signs of asbestos exposure were 24th to the Conference on Occup'a- employed for relatively short periods of tional Carcinogenesis held at the New time.. York Academy of Sciences.. ' .":...The- dust, exposures to the family The family members potentially af- ' members, however.- could have been fected included all in the household; it longer. Asbestos, once in the house, is was not simply the wife of the worker, difficult' to remove.' and exposures who would shake dust from her hus- could continue long after cessation of band's clothes before washing them, the husband's or father's employment. Affected were children, brothers, and In other studies by Mount Sinai re sisters. as well as wives. It would ap- search workers, asbestos dust has been pear that the dust had been present . found still present in households of throughout the household, brought continued on page 4- .- It is now possible to report that prog ress is being made on the development of ah identification system for hazard ous materials, including adhesive ce ment, sealants, and similar products used in applying insulation materials. .The Occupational Safety and Health ' Administration has an advisory com mittee which has developed the basic principles of an identification system. This committee, under the direction of Roy Resnick, has met with Roy Steinfurth. Administrator of the Insulators" Health Hazards Program, and Duncan A. Holaday, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, to review the special prob lems associated with the use of adhe-.. sives in the' insulation industry. Hazards Identified ` . ' The OS HA committee has decided on the basic principles of an identifica-- tion system which will be applicable to a variety of industrial products. Signal words, such as "Danger," "Cau-tion," and ''Warning" will be used to show degree of hazard. The principal types of hazards will be identified by words such as "Flammable" or "Health Hazard" and statements list ing additional information needed for protection will also be required. Some identification of the principal component will also be given. Particu larly hazardous substances, such as wood alcohol, benzene, xylene, and toluene will be required to be named if they compose more than stated percen tages of the product. Altogether, this could mean that labels on industrial products would be as informative as those now required on products in tended for household use. This would indeed be an improve ment over the present situation. Cur- -r-.. continued on mtee-3*- ETH00002869 Two asbestos workers cutting block. Relatively little dust is dispersed into the air . . . Asbestos Disease Can Spread to Workers' Families continued from page 1 of individual worker hygiene and demonstrates the need for adequate changing facilities and showers. Under these former factory workers 20 years no circumstances should dusty clothes after closure of the plant. be brought into the home, even to be.put . Mesothelioma, a cancer often linked .into the washing machine. They should to asbestos .exposure,' has. also been be washed separately, preferably by a found among these.family members. commercial industrial laundry service Of 252 deaths so far identified among equipped to handle asbestos contami household contacts of these former nated work clothes. .. workers, two have been from pleural For family contacts who suspect they mesothelioma. Additionally, two other have been exposed to considerable mesothelioma cases have been iden household contamination, medical sur tified in living members of this group. veillance is in order. The family physi-: These cases have the following his cian should be told the exposure history tories: . so that X-ray and chest examinations A.C.: The 40-year-old son of a man and subsequent medical problems can who worked from 1945 through 1948 be closely monitored for possible in the plant, when the son was 11 symptoms of past asbestos exposure at years old. ; home. B.P.: 'The 41-year-old daughter of . This current report by Dr. Anderson the' plant's chief engineer. is only the most recent in a series of I.Y.: The 42-year-old daughter of a scientific publications that show family, man who had worked in the plant for and environmental asbestos risk. As five yeans. The family lived near the early as 1960, scientists reported cases plant and the daughter used to bring of mesothelioma in individuals who her father lunch every day, when she had had no prior occupational exposure was 10 years old. to asbestos. L.N.: A 32-year-old woman who, at Later, mesothelioma cases were re the age of 13, lived in the home ofher ported in individuals whose only identi brother-in-law while he worked at fiable asbestos exposure was associated the plant for six months. Prior to with their having lived within one-half that, she lived one-half mile from the mile ofan asbestos manufacturing facil plant and played frequently in the ity or in households of asbestos work homes of friends whose fathers ers. Dr. Anderson's findings show that worked in the plant. such problems may turn out to be quite The results of this study dramatize common and that more persons than the need for .stringent dust control and suspected may be at risk from asbestos cleanup in situations where asbestos is exposure, and require appropriate sur used. It also heightens the importance veillance. - *>ut much's falling on theirclothes and shoes and may be carried home.' Label Report . Available Soon continuedfrom page 3 June 15, 1975. Following this report, proposed regulations would be pre pared, published in the Federal Regis ter, comments received, revised regula tions prepared, and hearings held. After the hearings, final regulations would be-drawn up and promulgated. The full process could well take a year. , However, when the committee re port becomes available, further discus sions will be held between representa tives of the insulators and OSH A, to determine which of the recommenda tions can be implemented without wait ing for regulations to be promulgated. This situation is not limited to pro ducts used by insulators, but is wide spread throughout the construction in dustry. Members of the International - Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades, especially, have need of ..adequate labeling of the products they use-. - Progress is being made but much still needs to be done to insure that when - regulations are adopted, they will be effective. Here, the Asbestos Workers, Painters, and other affected union members should review the published recommendations to verify that the proposed labeling is adequate for the materials they use and the instructional materials supplied for the use of hazardous materials are clearly written and understandable. - ETH00002870