Document dY1pvob3aj0Oqwq4eOxQXOy7G

November 22, 1977 Mr. Lewis B. Weisfeld Cincinnati Milacron 4701 Marburg Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45209 Dear Mr. Weisfeld: Five (5) copies of the complete text of the paper I presented at the recent Denver meeting are enclosed. We would like to request that it be considered for publication in one of the Society of Plastics Engineers journals. It was a pleasure to appear on your program and I enjoyed the meeting very much. Very truly yours, Harrison B. Rhodes Manager - Technology HBR/rmm Encs. BCC: Messrs. J. F. Collins T. W. Carmody R. F. X. Fusaro J. L. Myers C. Thurber This is the final edited version. The talk presented was abstracted from this. rttCElVED NOV 2 8 1977 UCC 018212 CONSUMER "SAFETY" IN PLASTICS SYSTEMS CONTAINING BOUND ASBESTOS FIBERS Harrison B. Rhodes, Ph.D. Technology Manager "Calidria" Asbestos UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION Metals Division Niagara Falls, New York November 9, 1977 UCC 018213 ABSTRACT Asbestos consumption in the United States in 1976 was 726,000 tons, mostly chrysotile. Of this total, 65% was used in a wide variety of plasticsbased materials. Extensive airborne asbestos exposure data are presented for tape joint compounds, roofing products, and coatings. The highest consumer exposure found was 1.2 fibers/cc ceiling and only several tenths of a fiber/cc on a time-weighted average basis. A risk estimation procedure devised by the Consumer Product Safety Commission was used to calculate the risk to the consumer from these highest levels measured,which occurred during drywall installation. The risk was found to be only very slightly different from zero, but the CPSC is moving to ban asbestos in this application on the basis of a regulatory philosophy of "no safe level for a carcinogen" and "absolute zero risk" as an appropriate regulatory policy. The consequences of this regulatory approach are discussed and an alternative is proposed. UCC 018214