Document dY8wae1DgrrKzGzNdN6ZpVb35

FILE NAME Brakes BRK DATE 1975 & 1972 DOC BRK053 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Newspaper Articles - Warning of Asbestos Hazards qe etn aes Fe en . . o | 3 | W.S.J. 8/15/75 # 17 1/29/83 DJ DJ ALC * . . PLAINTIFF'S PLAINTIFF'S Depo 8 Date 6/13/84 e mdae te ~ Ye by JHT HEW Warns of Asbestos Hazard in Work and other members of the houschold to significant concentrations of asbestos they With Brake LiningsLinings Spackling MixturesMixtures Isaid concentrations The scientists said that even more im- portant none of the spackling compounds contained warning labels or indications that A WALL STREET JOURNAL News Roundup ficient to it contained hazardous materials They in- Government agencies renewed warnings tists at cause disease The study by scien- Mount urged that such labels be required with about exposure to asbestos a Sinai School of Medicine instructions instructions for safer commonly New York who usage ' used mineral that scientists have studied the harmful ef The Mount Sinai scientists were also say can re- serious and disabling lung disease cause fects of asbestos in various occupations ap- sponsible in part for the NIOSH warnings fatal lung cancer : including peared recently in Science a publication of about brake linings The NIOSH letter The National Institute for the American Association for the Advance- noted that the Mount Sinal investigators had Occupational ment of Science Safety and Health a research arm of the . determined that workers engaged in the Department of Health Education and Wel- Commenting on the report David P. maintenance and repair of automobile and fare said in a letter to health Rall director of the National Institute of truck brake linings are exposed to experts that Environmental Health Sciences said tially hazardous levels of airborne poten- gbarrakaege lipnienrgssonanreel bweihnog ecxhpaonsgeed otro pgortiennd sTihgneisfeicanftindings suggest the possibility of dust , asbestos : tially hazardous levels of airborne | tion exposure during home construc One of the scientists said in an interview asbestos The letter written by J. director of NIOSH's office William of Lloyd ) and repair Additional work by the Mount that particularly large amounts of dangerSinai cus asbestos dust were created in health surveillance said occupational scientists suggests that members of the en nance shops where the mainte- that although a tire household or other large asbestos lin- occupants mayings mayings of trucks and buses were systematic study of these workers hadn't also inhale been made levels of asbestos dust are high added asbestos fibers Mr. ground to fit Rall the brake drum or were resurfaced after enough to cause damage and that four can- These results use He said that the changing of asbestosi cer deaths associated with such work had are alarming when con brake linings for automobiles was also dan been reported sidered in relation to other evidence being gerous because mechanics Another arm of accumulated by the Mount Sinai group that air hose to blow the usually use an HEW meanwhile said it indicates that far less than the intense out loose dust after re- found alarming a study that showed var- sure of the work expo- moving the old lining : lous spackling compounds used for home re environment is capable of NIOSH estimated that as many as 900.000 producing asbestos pairs contain concentrations of asbestos su said disease he workers are exposed to asbestos in the man- The Environmental Sciences Laboratory of Mount Sinai which under the direction of Dr. Irving J. Selikoff has been the leader in research on the dangers of asbestos re ported in Science that it had analyzed 15 samples of spackling patching and jointing compounds purchased in New York City and found that five contained appreciable amounts of asbestos of these materials in home repair work for example mixing sanding and cleanup may expose the | user | ) ufacturing and servicing of brake linings and clutches most of whom are auto me- desig chanics The agency recommended as interim procedure that repair shops an nate a segregated area for all brake and clutch repairs and that signs be posted in as- those areas pointing out the dangers of bestos dust It also said that repairmen should wear respirators when doing such work and that strong vacuum cleaners be drums used to remove asbestos dust from before working on them working . brake copy copy RockvilMlDe call hime 301-4301-434-148 330-1-14443-114818 . . to . 16-8 72 : VOL CLXXIX NO 112 Perilous Particles M Tiny Asbestos Fibers Pose a Health Threat To Workers and Public Long Exposure Can Result In Lung Disease Cancer Industry Seeks Solutions ee The Bodies Are in the Street By BARRY NEWMAN Staff Reporter THE WALL STREET JOURNAL NEW YORK Joseph Marino's gas station on the fringe of Manhattan's Spanish Harlem the proven method of cleaning an oid brake assembly goes like this Pull off the wheel aim an air hose at the exposed parts and blow the dust out A cloud of brown dust invariably flies right into the mechanics faces says Mr. Marino But it doesn't bother them We got masks and everything Mr. Marino shrugs The guys don't use them What the hell What the mechanics don't seem to know- like thousands of other mechanics that the brown dust is dangerous Brake linings are made of asbestos And if a mechanic breathes in enough dust from the worn out linings it could eventually kill him The lethal quality of tiny indestructible asbestos fibers that lodge in the lung is well known Widely publicized studies by Dr. Irving Selikoff of the Mount Sinal School of Medicine lead him to predict that of the roughly 250,000 asbestos industry workers today about 95,000 will die unnecessarily of occupational cancer In the next 10 to 15 years we will enter the asbestos cancer cra says Dr. Selikoff This is one of the great disasters of our time Hazards for Others Too The asbestos industry is well aware of the problem and is taking action to combat it though critics say the steps aren't as drastic as | the situation demands But asbestos industry| workers aren't the only ones who might fall prey to the lung cancers and other i diseases caused by the nineral's irritating fibers It's likely that millions of workers in other industries using asbestos fibers could be affected as well as ordinary people who have come into contact with asbestos in the atmosphere upp Perhaps the most tragic fact is that for those who have already been sufficiently exposed changes in procedures and standards of asbestos including a new set announced yesterday by the Department of Labor | meaningless It takes as many as 40 years after the first exposure for asbestos diseases to surface Controls instituted now will indeed have an effect but not for decades Harry Balley is one man who isn't likely to find much solace in the new standards Mr. Bailey isn't an asbestos worker He's a brick- layer in a Mobil Oil Corp. refinery alongside the Delaware River in Paulsboro N.J. He has been working at the plant for 33 years and " every year he has gone to the company medi- cal.department for a chest ray 171 171 They never said there was anything wrong with me says year Mr. Bailey and in- | PLPAINLTIFA'SINTIFF'S deed he has thus far developed no outward outward symptoms But a few months ago he and 18 | other workers from the refinery went to Mount- Date Sinal for an examination and every one them proved to have scarred lungs sign of asbestosis a nonmalignant lung disease Mobil has refused to release his medical rec PLAINTIFF'S . 66/1/3/18436//183/486/413/68/413/84 he ords to the New York doctors Mr. Bailey says The company declines to comment on the matter First Scarring Then Complications Asbestosis begins with ray evidence of scarring like that found in Mr. Bailey's lungs As the disease progresses the lungs stiffen and breathing becomes difficult The heart has to work harder and can become enlarged Ultimately death may be caused by heart attack or suffocation The mineral can also cause lung cancer fact asbestos cancer just about any- place the body if particles somehow in- gested The ability of the sharp tiny particles to penetrate the lung once breathed in has pro- duced a high incidence of cancer in the mem- brane surrounding the lung a disease called mesothelioma In the general populace 16 by JHE > Mobil refinery works high factories where Mr. the oil and asbestos chemical industries uses for insula- tion Mr. Bailey works with insulation workers inside the furnaces ripping out soft brick There's asbestos and brick dust and a lot of sulphur too he says We complained about the dust and dirt Nothing is done to keep it down The fans make it worse and you can't wet it because of the heat in the bricks The company bought new respirators but under the conditions they clog in 15 minutes In there the asbestos cutting rooms he adds aren't any vacuum attachments on the power saws And when the insulation workers saw asbestos sheets outside the room or mix cement in a wheelbarrow anybody can get the dust Company Disagrees Mobil disagrees with the description of working conditions In response to a query the company issued this statement We have no problems at the Paulsboro refinery concerning the use of materials containing asbestos We use very little of such material and what we do use is used under strictly controlled condi- tions Recently the Occupational Safety and : Health Administration carried out an extensive and thorough inspection of the entire Paulsboro refinery No violations were found in the plant's handling of asbestos materials Mr. Bailey's union the Oil Chemical and Atomic Workers is protesting that inspection Steven Wodka a union health and safety specialist says little attention was paid to health violations And he complains that after a week of accompanying the inspectors the compa compa inexplicably had me kicked out of the t Mobil declines comment on Mr. Wodka's Wodka's charge the Oil refineries are by no mean the only places where asbestos turns up The versatile substance is a fireproof binder and insulator in thousands of products including such things as Please Turn to Page 16 Column 4 ate Yer Ko 27 by AAC od scan = 2 ~ + _ ~ _ erilous Particles Tiny Asbestos Fibers Pose a Health Threat 1 8.178 Continued From Page One 1 8.178 plastics shingles paper and pipes In most of these the asbestos is harmless to users But depending on how it's added to the products asbestos can pose a threat to workers in the factories where the products are made Until six months ago for instance asbestos was being used as an antileak ingredient in Prestone antifreeze made by Union Carbide Corp. At a Carteret N.J. plant run for Union Carbide by General American Transportation the asbestos would arrive in paper sacks Workers would cut the bags open with knives and feed the powdery white asbestos into tanks of antifreeze says James Irving a fire and safety engineer who has worked in the plant for 22 years They'd wear face masks but no protective clothing Mr. Irving says and the blowers in the room where they worked would send the | dust out to where others were working Then they'd pile up the bags outside the building and a crew would pick them up and throw them onto the truck raising a big cloud of dust Asbestos was removed from the Prestone formula late last year Mr. Irving says the change took place after the Oil Chemical and Atomic workers made an issue of it Union Carbide denies that The decision says Herbert J. Hannigan the company's technical manager of auto products was based on marketing con- siderations and had nothing marketing with ulti- Asbestos also can pose hazards to the mate consumers of certain products Bits of as- 7 bestos used in filters for beverage making have been found in wine and beer for instance and could be dangerous if swallowed The use of such filters in beverage making seems to have been curtailed but knowledge of the hazard ap-1 pin ears to have had little effect elsewhere even hospi- medical circles Asbestos says a soon published study is being used in some a filter for intravenously particles fed liquids giving entree into the blood stream The use of asbestos in fireproof textiles is common Once in a while asbestos fiber even finds its way into ordinary fabrics Dr. William Nicholson an associate of Dr. Selikoff at Mount Sinal has a girl's charcoal winter coat with red trim hanging in one of his ries It's one of more than 200.000 coats made with % asbestos fiber laborato- imported sold two years ago Some of them are presumably still | being worn Give that coat a shake says Dr. Nicholson and you get dust levels as high as in an asbestos factory 1 Afraid of a Checkup Among construction workers outside the as- bestos virtually all of whom are ex- posed to asbestos whether they work with it di- rectly or concern remains relatively low | Jacob Novak business manager of the Asbes- tos Workers Union local in New York says he has tried without success for instance to induce a group of plasterers to have checkups Some of these people don't want to face a free X ray because they're afraid of what they might hear says Mr. Novak a year veteran of the asbestos trades who had a nonmalignant tumor removed from a lung last winter Anxiety in the demolition industry also ; seems minimal We don't have a dust prob- lem in demolition says Leonard Kapy vice president of Wrecking Corp. of America one of the largest demolition companies in the country Some people think you can take down a building without dust he says with a laugh As for asbestos Mr. Kapy isn't worried I know fellas who have laid asbestos pipe for years and there's nothing wrong with them When working in closed quarters he says his men use drop cloths and fans but they don't wear respirators because they're too hot and they don't work Nevertheless the federal Environmental Protection Agency is preparing regulations ex- pected to be announced this summer that would attempt to impose controls on air pollution from demolition operations These could include requirements for wetting down the work areas or the removal of all asbestos be- fore a building is toppled The technical prob- lem of measuring dust levels however could toss out the demolition regulation entirely says James Krowder an engineer with the EPA's hazardous pollutants branch Setting a standard for asbestos concentrations at work sites has been similarly difficult for the fledgling Occupation Safety and Health Administration a year Department of Labor unit The reason Nobody how is much asbestes dangerous asbestos : dustry in- by Manville Corp. Corp. the larg est the field has fought for a standard allow- ing live asbestos fibers per cubic centimeter of safe aly in the factories But the doctors at Mount Sinai and elsewhere argue that the only true L level asbestos pollution would A Four Delay Delay The government's decision yesterday was to impose a fiber average with a maximum concentration in the work area of 10 fibers per cubic centimenter at any time In 1976 the new regulations call for a more stringent fiber limit with the year delay intended to give the industry a chance to control the problem The industry says even a fiber limit could hurt it economically J. B. Jobe JohnsManville's executive vice president said at hearings in March that it would be socially ir- responsible to adopt such stringent regula- tions Te 4 The company operates the largest asbest factory in the country at Manville N.J. wher according to a recent Mount Sinai study 40 of the workers die of asbestos cance Johr Corrective steps being taken already Manville maintains are adequate to deal wit cutback t the problem without causing a in plant's production the lifeblood of the No Jersey town of 15,000 At least one asbestos f^ tory run by a PPG Industries and Corni Glass Works joint venture in Tyler Texa closed last February because of profitabili and concern over safety a spokesman say Actually the curbing of asbestos contamir tion is more an exercise in good housekeepi than capital expenditure While the cost millions stopping pollution at a power plant or smelt might run into the hundreds of t cost of cleaning up an asbestos operation wou be closer to a 10th of that magnitude accor officials ing to doctors engineers and union Some of the staples of such an operation ready in use in many plants are compa elt 7 aaron ait' 1 tively inexpensive closed plastic bags bags for mi ing cement vacuum attachments on pow saws drop cloths suppressant chemica and powered respirators that blow f tered air into the user's face to ease discon fort . The new Labor Department standards indeed call for many of these practic rules But while they are unquestionably needed step toward strict controls Dr. Seliko says he also says he remains pessimisti The potential for surveillance is remote " says because of the small underfinance | staffs of federal and state inspectors A surve recently completed at Mount Sinal of 9,400 a bestos workers around the country for in stance showed that in 1970 and 1971 there wa only one dust count taken in asbestos plants fr every 20,000 days worked And while he says he appreciates the asbe T Asbestos workers in the construction indus- try are perhaps the most sensitive of all workers to the asbestos hazard It was the construction industry which uses thirds of all asbestos products that was the target of the first wave of antiasbestos publicity more than four years ago At least four cities York Bos- *. Chicago and Philadelphia banned raying of asbestos fireproofing material - Substitute materials are being deigh there's some question being their safety too tos industry's expressed interest in problem Dr. Selikoff is solving the plain the pressed to ex- continuing apathy among many ers and managers This isn't work work scare just another bodies he says Some people want to bodies in the street before see the they become cerned Unfortunately are in the street in this case the bodies _ .._., = a