Document da4GJ0vQM2zR6o37pmKDbJj9R

BC: J. L ^JJyers File UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION METALS DIVISION . P. 0. BOX 579 . NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. 14302 TEL: 716-278-3376 January 30, 1976 Mr. K. N. Campbell Montello, Inc. Box 130 Sand Springs, OK 74063 Dear Mr. Campbell: The enclosed article may be of value to you and/or your customers. It contains some common sense answers to some questions often encountered. Please use the article as you see fit. Best regards. Very truly yours R A Marketing & Technology REBrcjb Enclosure 12' The Northern Miner December 11.197S Tlortbern ITUtier Asbestos and health l f Some com m op q uestions answered B.vJ.D. CHRISTIAN P What is the weight of 25.000.000 speak of '`asbestos", we are. there- i (2) Bronchogenic cancer - There Chairman {fibres? What percentage is being' fore, really talking about the fibrous ' is now medical evidence to indicate Cassiar Asbestos Corp.* j discharged by my body and what forms of rocks which are quite com- that asbestos exposure is associated I recently received a letter from | percentage is being retained? Ifl am rnon throughout the world. The-with an increased frequency of _an associate of mine that prompted unfortunately going to contract as- commercial asbestiform amphib- 'bronchogenic cancer in workers - me to speak to you-on the very im ] bestosis. is there any cure for this? oles are largely found and mined in who have first developed asbestosis. portant and currently topical sub . What is^ happening to me with as- South Africa and Brazil, whereas At the present time, we do not know ject of "Asbestos and health*'. Let i bestosis? the chrysolite variety of serpentine what causes the cancer, whether it is me read you his short letter -- you j I happen to live in Toronto. What is more widespread and is found in the chemistry of the asbestos, the ft- may well have the same thoughts in is rpy mortality rate living in this city most countries of the world. The brous nature of the material, or mind: {as compared to Thetford or Sud- fact that asbestos fibres are very something else quite unrelated. As Dear Mr. Christian: I have been pondering over this question of the health hazards ofas bestos and putting myself in the po sition of an asbestos worker or a cit izen living in an asbestosdominated community. Here are ; bury or for that matter Regina? I | would pose the same questions with respect to particles of fibre con' tained in volumes of water as 1 did .above with respect to air. Over a lifetime, what kind of weightj>f fibre are we actually talk- strong (similar to high tensile steel), you are aware, there are many other and can be broken down to ex- known carcinogens, which include tremeiy fine dimensions (1.000th coal tar.. benzidine, tobacco, vinyl the diameter of a human hair), chloride, x-rays and even sunshine, makes it a very useful material for These, along with asbestos, are curreinforcing cement.* plastics , and rently the subject of a great deal of rubber, or it can be spun or woven research. You will also DC interested some questions that I might be ' ing about? Is it visible to the naked prone to ask. I'm bringing these eye. even over a lifetime? Life is fi questions up as I think that the ma nite. but-1 don't want to die pre- into yarn or doth'for clutch facings, to know that few. if any. asbestos- brake linings and protective related lung cancers have been dothing.* found in workers who are non terial that has been put forth both i maturely. What assurance can you by the press and by the industry is so j offer me as a potential employee in Why is it so dangerous? First of all. let me say.that it is not cigarette smokers and do not have asbestosis. This fact has been well highly technical that the true mean ing or significance of these reports is - vour operation that I am not going I to unnecessarily, shorten my life? a poison like arsenic, as you sug gested. nor is it dangerous to touch. documented searchers. by a number of re being lost on the man in the street Yours sincerely. The health hazards that, in recent (3) Mesothelioma -- Mesolheli- and instead he is being fired with - _ ; . ......... T! ! years, have been found to exist are ,om* is one of those rare - and anxiety by the sensationalism ofjar-, This ts a verysincere letter from a . borrooaaadtlyy aassssoocciiaatteedd wwtitthn ,tnhee jin,,.- ,tn--ew-yly r--e-c--osgn--i-z-e--d----c--a--n--c-e- r d-i-se-a-s-es gons that are over his head. deeply concerned person. 1 have ' halation o-f large quantitie--s of fib--re , ?n.d,s a tnafignant tumor of the Itn- What is asbestos? What kinds are - replied to the best of my ability and ; over prolonged periods of time, and 'n8 membrane of the chest and ab- there? What are the differences be ! would like to read what I said. tween the different types of fibre? . De^arrtvMtr. Xa1: - I I mean 15-20 yekrs or more. During .domtnal cavity. By no means are all - j processin. some or the fibres be- ,** `"mors associated with as- Where do these fibres come from? It has been made to sound like a Thank -you" foorryour vefryy bthoouugghht- ! jJxo)me vefr5y fine. m>ndd without propecr bestos. but where a relationship can J**ful letter. You will appreciate that I 1' d-ust contJro-l w--ill read--ily -float in t*he | established, the exposure has poison similar to arsenic. Why is h am not a medical doctor, nor a ;! ^air. Natlura|ll]yy, some of these will be! krgely been procidil.te (blue as- so dangerous? What makes it so dangerous? What is happening in the body when excessive amounts of asbestos are taken in? What is hap pening to me when 1 have asbestos', particles in my lungs or in my stom ach or in my digestive tract? Is it dangerous to touch? Can it do me harm just by handling the material? What is. the meaning of five fibres'per ce? scientist, and that the opinions and facts, that 1 can give you in reply to ^.your questions, nave been gleaned from studying published reports from the medical and scientific world. As you have expressed con- i fusion over the use of highly tech nical terms and numbers. 1 will attempt to express myself in everyday language. eCen though it may be at the expense of absoluteaccuracy. [.in:hvval,e_ dr, but a high --------percentage will ' be rapidly removed from the respi- j ratory tract by ciliary action. i J j bestos). Far fewer cases have been found where the exposure was limited to chiysotile fibre, which is the type mined in Canada. An in What are the asbestos diseases? vestigation of the 236 known cases ' There are now three recognized diseases: of mesothelioma in Canada be tween I960 and 1970 showed that (1) Asbestosis -- This is one vari- only nine were associated in any | e,?rthe ?ng dese called "pneu- way with the Quebec chiysotile mcon...is. . .It ts a rp.ro.g-ressive .li . mining and hullingindustry. Seven brosis of the hint which can make mcn fa been employed and two We have trouble as lay people vi j What is asbestos? sualizing any fibre smaller tnan a ! The term^asbestos" applies to all human hair, so when I think of five ! minerals which have one common fibres 1 think of five short pieces of attribute, namely, the ability to be hair inside a thimble. If I was to in I separated from the parent rock in hale 5.000.000 c.c of air per day. ' the form of a fibre. Chrysotfle as then I must'"be consuming bestos is the fibrous form of .ser 25.000.000 fibre particle per day.. . pentine rock and represents 95% of the world's commercial fibre pro b['alh!nfud,1fncu``and "9 " were women whose fathers worked rther disabilities. Occurrences have . |he indusUy- - been clearly related to prolonged in--< J * halation of respirable sized fibres . ' . The McDonald report over a period of many years. Those' -A group of vety capable Cana- cases of asbestosis which are ap- dia.n. doctors ana scientists have pearing today are the result of ex-, since 1966 been studying the history posure to heavy concentrations of-of 11.572 persons born between asbestos dust prevalent many years' .1891 and 1920. who were or Are still duction. Crocidilite and amosite are ago. when little was known about employed in the Quebec asbestos * From Mr. Christian's address to share holders at the 23rd annual meeting of the most important fibrous forms of another rock known as amphibole. line risks involved.'-It has been, mining industry. They have found drown that, when the level of ex-j that the industry has a lower mor- Cuiar Asbestos Cocp.in April this year. ' --p,^ udcs ofasbHtMhaveslIehtlv I Posure " reduced- the incidence ofj tality rate for people of comparable There have not been any technical , _ vP - nhvskJl .asbestosis is also reduced. '. | age than the general population of dcvdopmenuunce that date towage Quebec. Hen. withi^th' industry of exposure 10 ihe two highest dust be under control and the risk of pre hazard" as "something which may Amongst insulation workers in classifications showed a higher mature death or impairment of posslhlr occur", even though they the United States and the United de?th rate from respiratory cancer health is very remote indeed. are-unable to produce any evidence Kingdom, particularly those who 'aAd pneumoconiosis than the Asbestos from our Cassiar and to support their contentions. No one worked in tne dockyards during the others. The studies are continuing Clinton mines is used for the great denies that there have been -- and war years, some very serious health and the report encouragingly sug est pan in the asbestos-cement in still are -- problem areas. The world conditions have been found and gests that a 1% risk of acquiring a dustry. followed by the asbestos tex clinically significant disease over a tile industry,* and to a much lesser today is raced with many, many ably researched and reported upon. problems, all of which must be It is a sad story, and the result of a . working life 'of 50 years in an as-vbeslos mine can lie achieved by maintaining threshold levels of 2-4 million particles per cubic foot degree in the manufacture of filters, compressed sheet packing.' rein forced plastics, and so on. Of these, the textile industry', which until re viewed in their proper perspective, and "panic" reporting and "panic" legislation is not the answer. The as bestos and other industries are lack of knowledge at the time and possibly the exigencies of the war years. Very valuable lessons have been learned which will be of great - Possibly. I should at this point tell cently was exclusively a dry carding, woiking hard to correct the con benefit in serving the problems of you about the two methods of mea spinning and weaving process, has ditions which are thought to create a (lie present and the fi*~"" -- suring the dust. The impinger had some comparatively serious method sucks in a given amount of dust problems. air and the fibre and dust particles In the early 1930s. in a particular present impinge on a treated glass textile factoiy in the United King slide. They are counted under a mi dom. signs of asbestosis were found croscope and are reported as mil in some 807 of the workers with 20 health hazard. Unfortunately, final proofwill not be available for 20.30 or even 40 years. In the meantime, the best that any prudent person can do is to continue to research all as pects of the problem, to analyze the Tn the matter of'publicizing and reporting, there is no doubt that it is far more dramatic and eye-catching to use headlines such as "AS BESTOS K ILLS'" or for example to report "TWO MILLION FIBRES lions of .particles per cubic fool of air. The newer method is the mem brane filter. A measured quantity of air is pulled through a membrane or more years' exposure. Another survey in I9S7 of the same plant showed that in workers with 20 years' exposure, after the in facts and trends as they become known, and to set goals and stand ards which will progressively reduce the element of risk and hopefully PER LITRE OF WATER*" than to report the same thing as approxi mately 4/l.000ths of a millionth part of a gram. Let me put these fig filter which removes all the dust and stallation of dust control, the in will finally eliminate it entirely. ures to you in another way. If 5.GO0 fibre. In this method only the fibres cidence of asbestosis .had dropped What is the industiy doing? people agreedto drink two quarts of are counted and hence it is difficult to 3%. The lung cancer rate in work' In addition to the continuous water containing 4.000.000 fibres to relate the two results. This latter ers in the plant exposed to pre-1933 development of techniques "and per quart, eveiy day for 80 years, test is reported as the number of fi conditions was at 10 times that of equipment to improve dnst control, then they -- the 5.000 people -- bres in a cubic centimetre of air. the general population, whereas it is the Canadian asbestos mining in would have swallowed in total one Both are highly susceptible to currently reported to be the same dustry. through the Institute of Oc .' gram of asbestos, which is a cubic human error. Your thimble is a level as the general population. This cupational and Environmental | pile a little more than half an inch good estimate of a cubic centimetre, example clearly demonstrates that Health in Montreal, the Industrial 1 on each side. but it would take 2.000 fibres placed end to end to span the width of the thimble, and the thickness of the ft bres would be many limes less than the human hair you envisage. The McDonald report on the as bestos mines and mills of Quebec confirms the results of other studies in the Soviet Union and Italy which indicate that the risks are much lower in the chrysolite mining and milling industiy than reported from . the New York insulation workers pr the British naval dockyards. At our Cassiar mines most of the emissions to the atmosphere are now .under control, or in tne process with experience and improved tech nology asbestos can be handled safely. A hazard to the public? You have asked about the risk of living in Toronto, as compared to Thetford or Regina. Most of the studies on the relationship of as bestos diseases to mortality rates have been carried out in the oc cupational field, and before abso lutely denying any public health risk, scienusts agree that more data must be collected over an extended period of time. However, a number of studies have already been carried out and there is to date no evidence, 1 - Health Foundation in Pittsburgh, and selected hospitals and univeisi- ties, is sponsoring or cooperating in major epidemeological and research projects, designed to identify and ' eliminate asbestos-related health risks. There is still search to be done. a great deal of re Active studies are . also under way-in other countries, such as England. South Africa. Italy and Russia. There is already strong evidence-to suggest that the physical aspects (i.e.. the length, diameter- and stiffness) of a fibre is the real source of trouble, and not its chem-, ical composition. If this proves to be. the case, then certain other fibrous I Whenever I have the opportunity. I assure you that I will urge all those who have the responsibility for researching and reporting to the pub lic. through whatever media it may be. to remain as factual and fair in their research as possible and to avoid the "half truths". Excellent progress is being made in Canada in improving industrial health and safety. in controlling pollution, and in protecting the environment. Reg ulatory bodies are being established at various governmental levels and in cooperauon with industry itselfto measure and control to the best of of becoming so. Inside the build ings. in spite of extensive control scientific or otherwise, to suggest, that anyone in the general public material may and the work also become suspect, currently being done our combined technical ability ( . those conditions likely to create a measures, there are still some areas where the wearing of masks is re quired. These troublesome areas are under active study and an extensive . program, designed to achieve, the best possible threshold levels, is being undertaken. has ever contacted any disease from exposure to the minute amounts of asbestos released into the commu nity air through the use. or wearing, or weathering pf finished asbestos products. ... . As far as water is concerned, the on asbestos may well prove to have been a great step forward in our search for a healthier environment. I sincerely hope that what I have said so far has answered most of your pertinent aueslions. Beforei dosing. I would like to add a few! ' risk to the well-being of workmen and .the public. The use of any of these problem areas to solicit public sympathy and suppori for indi vidual political or monetary gains should be looked upon with scorn by all decent thinking people. The most serious obstacle in our Conference of the International comments of a general nature. 1 Thank you once again for-your path is the shortage of personnel. ^Agency for Research on Cancer. It has frequently been proposed letter. 1 hope that I have put things You are already aware of some of , held in Lyon. France, in the fall of that asbestos should be replaced by In a little better perspective for you. the serious effects this'has had on 1972--which 1 feel should represent production over the past several - as 'qualified~.artd authoritative .an years. Incidentally; in 20 years of opinion as is available-- provided other types of materials. This can and has been done in some' | products, but in others such substi J Yours sincerely. J. D. Christian. J operation we have not had one re Hie following information: ported case of any of the three as Question: "Is- there evidence of bestos-related diseases.' but we must an increased risk of cancer resul ting not be complacent in view of the from asbestos fibres present in long latent period (30-45 years) water, beverages, food, or in fluids which can elapse between the first used for the administration of exposure and the development of drugs?" mesothelioma. This, along with the Answer: "Such evidence, as there Quebec studies, is the best as is. does not indicate any risk.".. surance we can give any potential You might well ask at this point. -.employee that things now appear toj "If this is so. then why the great hue and cry?" in the scientific, legal and tution has been either very ex pensive. much less effective, or even impossible. To forgo - the many benefits of asbestos products.'sim ply on the basis of a suspicion of possible hazards, would be irra tional . and - unwarranted, par ticularly, so when we are still un certain of the health hazards that might ari^e from many other re placement materials, u . * bureaucratic world, there are those