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FILE NAME Manville JMA DATE 1968 Sept 16 DOC JMA049 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Report - Asbestos and the General Public id September 16 1968 ASBESTOS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC People of virtually every nation in the world benefit from the many uses of the mineral asbestos Asbestos helps to build safety and durability into schools houses ships aircraft and ." public buildings With the increasing use of this mineral fiber the question has been raised as to whether asbestos especially when suspended in city air poses any health risk to the general public The > same question is being asked about many other materials in general use in our modern society Medical and scientific research is being conducted to find answers For asbestos some of the answers are already in To the extent that any asbestos fibers are in the general air +~ and there are literally hundreds of different animal vegetable and mineral fibers in the dust of the air -- there is nothing to show that these are a health hazard for the public To see why this is so requires understanding of how and why asbestos is used of some of the scientific research that has been conducted and of the meaning of this research with regard specifically to those with occupational exposures in contrast to the general public More MODERN USES GROW OUT OF ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE The word asbestos is from the Greek it means unquenched or incombustible The peculiar properties of asbestos have fascinated people ever since the mineral was discovered more than 4,500 years ago Although in the raw state it is as dense and compact as the rock which encases it asbestos can be separated into light silky fibers These fibers have many uses They can be woven into combustible fabrics for such things as fire curtains for theaters or protective garments for firefighters They can be added to other materials to produce floor and ceiling tile roofing shingles siding asbestos pipe and many other useful products The earliest known use of asbestos goes back 45 centuries Objects unearthed by archeologists in Finland indicate that it was used to hold together pieces of pottery before the clay was baked According to legend the Emperor Charlemagne owned a magic asbestos table cloth which his stewards cleaned after royal banquets by throwing it into a fire then retrieving it intact Marco Polo found asbestos cloth on his journey to Asia and was told that it was woven from a salamander skin but he later learned its true origin . a More MINERAL PROVIDES SAFETY AND DURABILITY In the twentieth century . asbestos has become an increasingly essential material of an improved way of life and an expanding industrial economy Asbestos has many vital functions in construction transportation and industrial processes It provides built protection against fire and deterioration in scores of common products in daily use Through the years it has saved countless lives and billions of dollars in property damage by preventing or checking the spread of fires Electrical installations are safer because of asbestos insulation When used as packings and gaskets asbestos promotes the efficient operation of industrial machines and pumps In transportation the brakes on vehicles ~- cars trucks buses and trains -- are dependable because asbestos is a chief component in brake linings OCCUPATIONAL RISKS AND STEPS TO PROTECT WORKERS To meet the increasing demand for this invaluable fiber a worldwide asbestos mining and processing : industry came into being As in many other mineral and materials industries the need developed to protect employees against occupational health hazards More 4 It was found that some workers exposed to excessive asbestos dust over a period of years developed a malignant lung disease called asbestosis As with many similar conditions asbestosis is time related -- that is it develops only after inhalation of excessive concentrations of asbestos dust over a period that averages 17 years Some medical studies have reported an association between the disease asbestosis and an increased risk of a certain type of lung cancer bronchogenic Even though the number of lung cancer cases among workers heavily exposed to asbestos fiber is only a small fraction of the total employed the industry considers the problem serious It is the subject of considerable scientific research through statistical clinical and pathological studies of exposed workers through experimental studies with laboratory animals and through studies of the physical and chemical nature of asbestos and associated minerals In the recent past the asbestos industry has invested millions of dollars in equipment and techniques to prevent the inhalation of asbestos dust by workers in the mining and milling of asbestos and in the manufacture of containing products A program of education and training is conducted for asbestos fabricators and applicators to provide them with a thorough under- standing of potential risks and encourage general adherence to sound industrial hygiene practices 5 Studies in asbestos industries in England and the United States indicate that where dust control measures have been taken the risk of lung diseases among the workers has been greatly reduced NO RISKS TO GENERAL PUBLIC SHOWN IN STUDIES Because of the occupational health hazards associated with asbestos some people who are concerned about general air pollution have raised the question of whether there is asbestos dust in the in constitute air sufficient quantities to a health risk to the general public Studies of asbestos exposuraned human health of the general evidence public have produced no | of any health hazard to the general public from the use of finished asbestos products Asbestosis does not occur among the general population it occurs only among those with time heavy occupational exposures There is no evidence that anyone has ever contracted any disease from exposure to the wearing or weathering of brake linings floor tile roofing or other products containing asbestos particular Brake linings in were States Public Health Service report the subject of Jeremiah Lynch a 1968 of the United National Center for Urban and Industrial Health U. S.Public Health Service conducted the tests He concluded that any asbestos that _ might lining come from brake wear was an inconsequential health CONFIDENTIAL TO H. N. Bates F. E. Dutcher Roger Hackney D. L. Hinmon C. W. Hite F. H. May Jr. R. F. Orth TO October 24 1966 H. M. Ball H. M. Jackson K. V. Lindell A. C. Smith K. W. Smith g CC C. B. Burnett F. J. Solon Jr. POSITION PAPER ON THE HEALTH ASPECTS OF ASBESTOS Attached is a copy of the position paper on asbestos put together by the Task Force with Hill and Knowlton This document largely a result of Hill and Knowlton's initial search of medical papers speeches publication clippings etc. presents a factual appraisal of the pros and cons and the best answers that are presently available to the health claims made against asbestos This position paper is being given limited distribution as indicated above It is intended to serve as guidance material for discussions you find necessary to have with employees customers Q.A.M.A. members and the like It will also guide the actions of this Department in handling such problems as the recent Chemical Week article and in answering legitimate press inquiries in the future It is our plan to revise and issue this position paper as additional evidence or changing circumstances make appropriate W. P. Raines CONFIDENTIAL October 11 1966 Mr. Carl Thompson Hill and Knowlton Vice President Inc. 150 East 42nd Street New York New York 10017 Dear Mr. Thompsons The following are the paragraphs we reviewed in yesterday's discussion of the white paper ate Faragraph cieamn Today with the greatly improved health of the average indioe Fe vidual people are living longer Life expectancy in 1920 was only - fifty years it has increased to over seventy years With this | increased longevity people now are developing many more chronic disabling diseases than they did years ago For example fewer people today die at an early age from tuberculosis or rheumatic fever They survive to develop chronic heart disease arthritis and cancer typical of older age groups ae Page_5Pa_ge_5_ wr Anthrophyllite is mined and processed chiefly in Finland EoEn It is not associated with other medical conditions such as cancer dat eS but great attent hai s o ben en given to the association of this fiber with plueral placques It is interesting to note without the ray ; this film plaque 4 formation would never have been discovered since few if any individuals are disabled The condition is really more of a abling dis esmcientific curiosity than an indication of dis- OR A. in - the fact that the diagnosis of asbestosis itself still BE is difficult Despite undeniable evidence of the disease and recent extensive reporting in the medical literature the great majority of : Mr. Carl Thompson Hill and Knowlton Inc. October Page 2 11 1966 physicians cannot diagnose asbestosis In entities asbestosis occurs so rarely that curriculum in medical universities and the relation to other disease it is not on the teaching average doctor has no exposure to a patient with this condition either in his training or in his practice Yours very truly H. M. Jackson Director of Industrial Relations and Management Development Copy to Mr. W. P. Raines 6 factor in urban air pollution The study provided scientific evidence refuting much recent unsupported speculation that the wear of brake linings might be releasing many asbestos fibers into the air Except only a in all but very small the most extreme fraction of the driving conditions 30 to 50 asbestos present as free in a brake lining escapes into the atmosphere fiber ... the remainder is converted into some other mineral as a result of the extreme temperatures generated at small spots on the lining surface Thus although urban contains few free fibers as a result of brake lining wear they represent a very small pro- portion of the total asbestos used in the manufacture of brakes Many sources of respirable fibers not associated with asbestos products have been identified and the free fibers from brake lining wear appear to be an inconsequential health factor in urban air pollution Other medical and scientific reports show that the occupational health risks from asbestos dust exposure do not extend to the public In 1967 Drs P. E.Enterline and M. A. Kendrick reported on the reduction of asbestosis among workers in asbestos fabricat- in industries where protective measures have been taken They pointed out that the small amount of asbestos to which people in general may be exposed is of little importance 11 if very level exposures of populations asbestos dust play any part in the pathogenesis development of disease it must be very small indeed .... Asbestos dust at levels to which general populations are exposed probably is of little importance in the etiology caustioonf disease CALLED ASBESTOS BODIES NOT RELATED TO DISEASE In the 1960's the question of public exposure was discussed in studies that reported finding called asbestos bodies in the autopsied lungs of some city dwellers were not known to have been exposed directly to asbestos dust The studies emphasized that these called asbestos bodies had no relation with either the cause of death or with any history or symptoms of pulmonary disease The authors of one such study Drs J. G. Thomson and W. M. Graves noted that it would have taken a tremendous increase in the number of asbestos bodies found in the autopsied lungs to constitute even a minimal case of asbestosis They said in their 1966 report It should be stressed that in spite of frequent asbestos bodies in the lung bases none of this group had pulmonary disability and all died from other causes .... to convert the scanty or very scanty bodies which we have demonstrated to be present in so many urban dwellers to the frequency present in a minimal basal asbestosis would require an increase hundred and to get a more diffuse classical asbestosis with pulmonary disability the multiplying factor might well be in many millions _?# Pa 4 In a similar study the same year Drs L. Anjilvel and W. M. Thurlbeck noted that there is no risk of cancer to the general population from asbestos exposure These researchers said In our series there seemed to be no particular association between malignancy and the presence of asbestos bodies ... asbestos bodies are not more common in patients with malignant disease in the autopsy populations we have _ Fee err nerenr re eee 6 te ree studied and an important population thus casual exposure to asbestos is cause of malignancy in the general not Other authors have raised the question of the real identity of these called asbestos bodies The term has for years been applied loosely to describe a tiny body of tissue in the lung containing a core of some inhaled particle -- asbestos talc made fibeorr certain other common substances The name asbestos body is misleading if the core substance has not been positively identified Thus it is not necessarily so that the finding of such bodies in city dwellers lungs means that these people inhaled asbestos Because the cores of such bodies do not always contain asbestos and because the growth tissue contains some identifiable iron Dr. Paul Gross who has studied the problem extensively has suggested that a more accurate name would be ferruginous iron bodies Other specialists have now begun to refer to ferruginous bodies in their papers Dr. J. M. G. Davis in 1967 deplored the current furor over asbestos bodies --- which recently appeared in the professional literature and was widely reported in the news media with varying degrees of sensationalism He commented specifically " the basic assumption that asbestos bodies can only be produced from asbestos has proved incorrect and this casts considerable doubt on the theory that has been the chief basis of the asbestos scare More Oe wee. MANY THINGS BESIDES ASBESTOS MAY CAUSE FIBROUS BODIES Much research work is going on to develop ways of identifying the particles that may be the core of these bodies It has been shown that a number of substances can cause bodies both humans and experimental animals L. J. Cralley and associates in the U. S. Public Health Service have discussed the great number of substances which might produce bodies in human lungs Publishing in 1968 they said On of the premise that the fibrous bodies observed persons at autopsy are all asbestos bodies in the lungs and that coated fibrous bodies are a specific reaction to asbestos fibers some investigators have concluded that asbestos fibers are significant air contaminants ... Respirable fibers may be mineral vegetable or animal in origin and may come from both natural and synthetic sources There are well over a hundred different natural minerals with some degree of fibrous structure .... Respirable fibers of vegetable orgin may be from both live and dead plant tissues +.. Animal insect hair fibrous materials include animal ... Synthetic fibers include the hair and scale newer ceramic fibers ... as well as a wide range of established and emerg- ing organic types used in textiles fillers containers filaments structural materials etc. Whatever their origin the bodies that have been reported have not been connected with any disease or with the cause of death in the subjects studied Even if some asbestos is among the variety of fibers in the air breathed by the public there is no evidence that it has any health significance SUMMARY People throughout the world benefit from the many uses of More asbestos -- in schools houses theaters ships aircraft offices and other public buildings furnances boilers firefighting equipment and in a myriad of everyday products 7 With the 20th century growth in the use of asbestos has come recognition of the need to cope with occupational hazards associated with excessive inhalation of asbestos dust Much progress has been and is being made in protecting workers who handle asbestos fibers in mines mills factories and in some building and insulation trades Medical scientists studying the occupational health hazards of asbestos see noevidence that asbestos poses any risk to the general public There is no evidence that asbestos dust is| present in the general air in amounts of any significance to human health PERSPECTIVE PERSPECTIVE It is important to view in its proper perspective the expressed concern of some people that asbestos in the ambient air is a health risk to the general public Asbestos is by no means alone in having the finger pointed toward it as a possible health hazard Literally hundreds of substances -- as common and everyday as fuel charcoal broiled steaks iron rust and egg yolks - are known suspected of being cancer causing agents under certain experimental conditions More 11 The point is that nearly everything we use and create in our increasingly complex society has been suspected by someone of being a potential hazard many To forego the many benefits of these products of modern technology -- simply on the basis of suspicions that are un- supported by medical evidence would be a great and unwarranted disservice to the American public REFERENCES Anjilvel L. and Thurlbeck W.M. The Incidence of Asbestos Bodies in the Lungs at Random Necropsies in Montreal --- CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION JOURNAL December 3 1966 Cralley L. J. Keenan R. G. Lynch J. R. and Lainhart W. Sources and Identification of Respirable Fibers AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE JOURNAL April 1968 S. Davis J.M.G. Asbestos Bodies and Bioeffects -Story presented at the meeting of the Industrial Foundation Pittsburgh Pa October 1967 A Detective Hygiene Enterline P. E. and Kendrick M. A. Asbestos Dust Exposures at Various Levels and Mortality - ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH August 1967 " Gross P. Cralley L.J. and de Treville R.T.P. Asbestos Bodies Their Nonspecificity AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE ASSOCIATION JOURNAL December 1967 Lynch J. Brake Lining Decomposition Products Meeting American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists Louis May 1968 St. Thomson J.G. and Graves Contaminant ARCHIVES OF Asbestos PATHOLOGY May as an 1966 Urban Air an July 1 1968 ASBESTOS - ~ A FAMILY OF MINERALS This paper asbestos sets forth should not medical questions some of be used the reasons why the term loosely in discussing There is no single mineral known as asbestos Asbestos is a name given to a family of minerals It includes two major groups containing a total of six varieties of asbestos Each of these six differs from the others physically chemically and biological effect Any study of the effects of asbestos is complicated by this diversity Studies of both people and animals show differing types of reaction to the various types of asbestos Animal studies of excessive exposure indicate that of the three major commercial types of asbestos commonly used chrysotile is least likely to produce a reaction Because different varieties of asbestos produce different reactions scientists are working on better methods for identifying the types of asbestos involved in their studies on human health Other complications arise because trace amounts of mineral impurities are often found in samples of raw asbestos ore and refined fiber WPR VARIOUS TYPES OF ASBESTOS Any attempt to assess the effect of asbestos on health is complicated by the fact that asbestos is not a single chemical or physical entity Asbestos is a generic name given to a group of hydrated silicate minerals that have one common attribute namely the ability to be separated into relatively soft silky fibers The known varieties of these minerals can be divided into two main classes on the basis of their crystal structures serpentine asbestos and amphibole asbestos The lone member of the serpentine class is chrysotile asbestos which is by far the most common of the asbestos minerals About 95 per cent of the asbestos used in this country is principally from mines in Canada There are five recognized varieties of amphibole asbestos crocidolite amosite anthophyllite tremolite and actinolite Of the amphiboles crocidolite and amosite have the greatest commercial significance although the use of anthophyllite is increasing Each of the six types of asbestos differs from the others chemically and physically To add the complexity the chrysotile from one Canadian mine for example will differ in chemical impurities and in physical properties from the chrysotile from another Canadian mine ~ tee = More wee. ee ee ee ee me ee CHARACTERISTICS OF THREE MAJOR TYPES Each of the three types of asbestos that are most important commercially - - chrysotile crocidolite and amosite ~ exhibits distinguishing characteristics CHRYSOTILE - By far the leading producers are Canada and the Soviet Union Smaller deposits are found in South Africa Rhodesia China the United States and Italy Chrysotile is a white serpentine asbestos and occurs in areas where serpentine rock was cracked by earth movement long ago and subjected to intense pressure and volcanic waters This transformed some of the granular serpentine into fibrous chrysotile Chemically chrysotile is hydrous magnesium silicate with a magnesium hydroxide surface It has a positive electrical charge It can be attacked by acids It is a flexible fiber and does not pulverize readily Commercial fibers contain small and varying amounts of iron and calcium compounds depending upon origin CROCIDOLITE - The bulk of the world's supply comes from ' South Africa There are also small depositisn Australia but they are no longer being mined commercially It is an amphibole asbestos occurring in rich sedimentary rock Chemically crocidolite is a ferrous sodium silicate with a silica surface It has a negative electrical charge More eaece It is resistant It is characterized by a deep blue color Crocidolite is less flexible than chrysotile AMOSITE - The Transvaal district of South Africa is the only place where amosite is mined commercially It is a member of the amphibole asbestos family occurs in the same type of rock as does crocidolite and has the same negative electrical charge but is brown in color Chemically amosite is a ferrous magnesium silicate with a silica surface It is also resistant but less so than crocidolite It is brittle and pulverizes easily The major characteristics of these three types of asbestos are summarized in a table attached to this paper Because of the basic chemical and physical differences among chrysotile crocidolite and amosite it would be expected that overexposure to the three varieties would show varying biological effects Scientific observation confirms this expectation There seems to be broad agreement that chrysotile the type of asbestos most heavily used in the United States is least likely to produce asbestosis a malignant lung disease brought on after inhalation of excessive concentrations of asbestos dust over a period of many years More eeece ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS SHOW DIFFERENT EFFECTS Dr. J. C.Wagner experimented with all three types of asbestos on various laboratory animals and found that crocidolite produced the most severe asbestosis and that amosite was more than five times as likely to produce a reaction as chrysotile He reported in 1963 With chrysotile dust it was possible lesions in the lungs of guinea monkeys while no significant effect rabbits Amosite dust causes marked to produce severe slight fibrosis in was observed in two asbestosis in all three kinds guinea chrysotile of animals Lesions occur more rapidly in exposed to this dust than in those exposed to There is an indication that the disease is | progressive in monkeys and rabbits Similar pathology to that which occurred in a monkey exposed to chrysotile for 22 months was observed in a monkey exposed to amosite for four months The impure crocidolite dust caused severe disease in guinea and the rate of respiratory infection among animals exposed to this dust was more marked than with the other types It is possible that this may be due to the high quartz content of the dust Finally asbestos bodies could be demonstrated in the lungs of animals exposed to all three types of asbestos dust These were scanty in the animals exposed to chrysotile and usually segmented Only occasional fibers were observed In contrast to this the asbestos bodies in the animals that were dusted with amosite were plentiful and segmentation was rare fibres were extremely numerous and far outnumbered the bodies Following further investigation Dr.Wagner offered an explanation for this observation at a medical symposium in 1965 More eeee A method of producing asbestos dust clouds has been devised and an animal inhalation experiment carried out to test it .... The elimination rate of Rhodesian chrysotile has been found to be three times greater than that of the amosite and crocidolite which suggests an explanation for the previously observed reduced fibrogenicity of this dust The reason for the difference in the elimination rate remains to be determined1 COMMERCIAL ASBESTOS CONTAINS OTHER MATERIALS Asbestos ore and refined asbestos fiber contain mineral impurities trace elements and trace quantitites of organics which vary from type to type and from mine to mine In transit the ore may pick up additional trace organic impurities These trace materials are also the subjects of medical study to see if they may have a role in any of the health effects observed in animals Trace impurities of nickel chromium and manganese for example were found by Dr. L. J. Cralley and associates in samples of chrysotile used in the asbestos textile industry Other impurities in commercial asbestos fiber include iron aluminum calcium sodium and potassium WORLD ASBESTOS BANK Much scientific research has focused on studying the varying biological effects of different types of asbestos and on developing techniques for identifying asbestos fibers of unknown origin In 1967 a World Asbestos Bank was established in Johannesburg more szseoe 6 South Africa under the direction of the British Medical Research Council The purpose of the bank is to provide standardized samples of asbestos from regions all over the world to be supplied to medical researchers for chemical physical and biological investigation and ~ for comparision purposes in clinical studies TABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF MAJOR COMMERCIAL TYPES OF ASBESTOS NAME CLASS COLOR CHEMICAL COMPOSITION SURFACE COMPSITION ELECTRICAL CHARGE REACTION TO ACID TEXTURE Chrysotile Crocidolite Serpentine White Amphibole Blue Hydrous Magnesium Silicate Ferrous Sodium Silicate Magnesium Hydroxide Positive Silica Negative Susceptible Flexible Resistant Medium Flexibility Amosite Amphibole Brown Ferrous Magnesium Silicate Silica Negative Resistant Brittle REFERENCES Cralley L. J. Keenan R. G. and Lynch J. R. Exposure to Metals in the Manufacture of Asbestos Textile Products AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE ASSOCIATION JOURNAL September 1967 Speil S. and Leineweber J. P. Asbestos Minerals in Modern Technology INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ASBESTOS Dresden East Germany April 1968 . Wagner J. C. Asbestosis in Experimental Animals JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE 20 1963 BRITISH Wagner J. C. and Skidmore J. W. and Retention in Rats ANNALS OF December 31 1965 Asbestos Dust Deposition THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES ASBESTOS AND HUMAN HEALTH INTRODUCTION uN Asbestos known since antiquity has spread and important applications in our modern industrial society With the 20th century burgeoning of the uses of asbestos has come recognition of the need to cope with occupational hazards assoc- iated with excessive inhalation of asbestos dust This statement summarizes the essential uses of asbestos the known facts about health problems associated with occupational exposure to asbestos dust and the research being conducted to identify and reduce these health risks AN ESSENTIAL PRODUCT Asbestos has many essential functions in construction in industry and in transportation Over the years fireproof asbestos has saved thousands of lives and much valuable property For safety fire prevention and other reasons products containing asbestos are used in schools houses theaters ships office and other public buildings furnaces boilers and firefighting equipment The brakes on automobiles trucks buses and trains are dependable because asbestos is a major component of brake linings WHAT IS ASBESTOS Asbestos from the Greek unquenched family of mineral fibers comprised of three is the name major types given --- chrysotile crocidolite and amosite --- each of which differs from the other physically and chemically Studies of the relation- ship between asbestos and health are complicated by this diversity Chrysotile is a white magnesium silicate can be attacked by acids has a positive electrical charge is flexible and ot easily pulverized is resistant Crocidolite is a blue ferrous sodium has a negative electrical charge and silicate is less flexible than chrysotile Amosite is a ferrous magnesium silicate with a negative electrical charge is brittle and easily pulverized ~ more - -2- In the i'ed States chrysotile amosite and crocidolite are all used but chrysotile is by far the most common account- ing for about 90 per cent of the asbestos consumed in this ed country NO RISK SHOWN FOR i \ GENERAL PUBLIC In studies of asbestos exposure and human health research has shown evidence of any risk to the general public from the use of finished asbestos products There is no scientific evidence that anyone has ever contracted any disease from exposure to the wearing or weathering of brake linings floor tile roofing or other products containing asbestos The lungs of workers known to have repeated exposure to the inhalation of asbestos fiber over a period of months or years contain myriads of small microscopic sized structures composed of a fiber coated with layers of protein and iron pigment The fiber within the coating under the circumstances is assumed to be asbestos and the small unit therefore is called an asbestos body These bodies are found in the lungs of those who are occupationally exposed to asbestos fibers regardless of whetheorr not there is any coexisting evidence of asbestosis Therefore the bodies as such are not an indication of disease but rather only of previous exposure to asbestos fibers Recently by utilizing special techniques it has been shown that the lungs of persons from the general population rather frequently contain a very scant number of similar small bodies composed of a fiber coated with protein and iron pigment In these instances it cannot be assumed that the fiber of these bodies is ashestos since other fibrous materials are known to develop a similar appearance within the lungs For the present the term ferruginous or coated body is more appropriate way The finding of ferruginous bodies in such small numbers indicates that disease caused by asbestos fiber coexists in no and the presence of such bodies diagnois of asbestos that these small bodies are does not in any way justify a disease If it is ultimately shown in fact protein covered asbestos fibers their wide dispersion in the population would not be too surprising in view of the many opportunities from baby powder to building construction for a small number of asbestos fibers to exist from time to time in the air that the general public breathes The presence of these few fibers bodies in the lungs my of the majority of the population is not associated with specific lung disease but simply reflects the chance inhalation of fibrous aa material The complete implications of large numbers of ferrugin- ous bodies within the lungs await further research KYT TC ee] KNOWN AND SUSPECTED OCCUPATIONAL RISKS For workers who handle asbestos fibers in wines mills factories and some building and insulation trades the shares with doctors public health officials and others industry involved in industrial medicine a concern about possible health effects from excessive the exposure to asbestos dust ASBESTOSIS The industry long ago recognized the risk of a particular lung disease called asbestosis among some workers and took steps to safeguard employees This malignant disease is brought on after inhalation of excessive concentrations of asbestos dust over a period of many years Asbestosis is one of the lung diseases called pneumoconioses Others are silicosis from silica stone dust talcosis from talc anthracosis from coal dust These are considered industrial health risks against which the various industries have instituted protective measures years the asbestos industry has to reduce excessive exposures to asbestos asbestosis among its workers taken protective measures dust and the risk of BRONCHOGENIC Lung CANCER The industry is aware of some medical studies that have reported an association between excess- ive exposure to asbestos dust and an increased risk of a certain type of lung cancer bronchogenic Even though the number of these cases fraction of among asbestos industry the total employed the workers is only a small industry considers the problem a serious one It has become the subject of considerable scienti- fic research through statistical clinical and pathological studies of exposed workers through experimental studies with laboratory animals and through studies of the physical and chemical nature of asbestos and associated minerals Recent studies have suggested that the trace metals often found with asbestos dust nickel cobalt and chrome should be examined more closely In 1967 results of a study of deaths occurring among a group of insulation workers indicated that occupational exposure to asbestos greatly increased the risk of lung cancer but only among cigarette smokers Although the number of deaths involved was small the study workers who were showed no cases smokers of lung cancer among insulation , MESOTHELIOMA Also under study is a rare disease called mesothelioma a tumor of the chest and abdominal cavity which is different from bronchogenic lung cancer Recently investigators have associated a frequency of cases of mesothelioma with exposure to asbestos in certain geographic locations This was originally - more - -4- reported from South African is produced areas where only crocidolite asbestos PN Mesothelioma has been reported so infrequently that there are + no accurate figures on its occurrence in the U. S. as a whole In Britain only two cases are currently being reported for every thousand cases of lung cancer The search for the cause of such a rare disease is themselves do not difficult particularly since medical people agree on its diagnosis and recognition The asbestos industry through research grants is seeking more know- ledge about mesothelioma INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE AND PREVENTIVE MEDICINE Today the asbestos industry has invested millions of dollars in equipment and techniques to prevent the inhalation of asbestos dust by workers in the mining and milling of asbestos and in the manufacture of containing products Manville continually strives to eliminate dust exposure in the mines and plants which it operates Processing areas and machinery are equipped with collecting devices Atmospheric dust levels are regularly monitored Filters and ventilators have been installed Individual respirators are used where indicated Employees are given physical examinations on a scheduled basis including chest rays A program of consultation with asbestos fabricators and applicators is carried potential risks and to on to provide a thorough understanding of encourage general adherence to sound indus- trial hygiene practices Studies in asbestos industries indicate that where dust control measu risks of lung diseases have been reduced in England and the U.S. have been taken the ASBESTOS AND HEALTH RESEARCH a Scientific research to identify and reduce the health risk from asbestos dust exposure is being conducted in many places throughout the world The research and cooperates in asbestos industry both sponsors such work being done by government agencies and private medical investigators Manville has extended full cooperation to the U. S. Public Health Service in In addition the company its study of asbestos processing plants provides funds asbestos materials equipment and information as the individuel situation may require a, -5- for research of such organizations as The Industrial Hygiene Foundation of America The Asbestosis Research Council headquartered in Great Britain The Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health in Montreal The Environmental Health Center at Mt. Sinai Hospital and others Manville also conducts studies on technical aspects of asbestos in its own Research and Engineering Center at Manville New Jersey Among the subjects scientists are now exploring are the specific identification and health significance of fiber ferruginous bodies found in lung tissues the health of asbestos mining processing and fabricating workers compared with the general population the relationship between cigarette smoking and cancer among asbestos insulation workers the accurate identifica- tion of particles found in the air over a major industrial city and the development and evaluation of the most effective industrial hygiene practices for use in the asbestos industry In cooperation and in conjunction with other agencies the asbestos industry will continue to seek new information about the biological effects of asbestos fiber and to develop ways of assuring maximum possible protection from occupational hazards for its employees in asbestos mines mills and plants and among fabricators and applicators of this essential material January 15 1968 pene Co, oo ; ) INTERIM POSITION STATEMENT : . / A ASBESTOS AND HEALTH eee ee . wwe + Newent teniee aanee _ March 3 1967 A - NOTE The following deals with many more items than are expected to arise at any given meeting or press conference However each of them has been in the news during the past year ON GENERAL QUESTION OF HEALTH HAZARDS FROM ASBESTOS We recognize that questions about asbestos and health risks have been raised to which answers should be found But the problems are complex and offer no quick answer -any more than there is a quick easy answer to the cause and cure of cancer Manville is undertaking directly or participating in research programs directly bearing on these health matters Manville is a contributing member of the Asbestos Research Council with headquarters in England The Council conducts research on asbestos and health questions in laboratories and research institutions all over the world We are also sponsors of The Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health which recently was formed in Canada where 90 percent of our asbestos is mined The Institute's research which is primarily concerned with asbestos is now getting under way under direction of a Scientific Advisory Committee We also cooperate with the United States Public ~ - more - -2- Service Health Service with and with other agencies agencies and investigators investigators investigators on health problems In addition studies on the physical properties of asbestos as they relate to health are being conducted in JohnsManville's own research facilities and through projects with other research institutions Industry has long recognized risks entailed in excessive exposure to asbestos dust and has introduced protective measures to reduce these risks which were resulting primarily . in the occupational disease of asbestosis If there are other health hazards associated with asbestos Manville wants to know about them so that appropriate steps can be taken to cope with them ON ASBESTOS AND LUNG CANCER As we all know the increase in lung cancer cases in recent years has been subject of many studies and theories and research on this problem continues Just a couple weeks ago President Johnson called upon the Health Education and Welfare Secretary to name a special task force on this problem Some studies suggest that risk of lung cancer is increased through certain industrial exposures including exposure to asbestos and we agree that a better understanding of these possibilities is needed and that all such risks should be reduced Certainly however the basic cause of more cancer remains unclear and certainly goes far beyond exposure to any single industrial product ON MESOTHELIOMA This is considered a very rare disease and apparently nobody knows very much about it including me Some studies have indicated that this rare tumor may be associated with certain types of asbestos but currently the great need is to find out more about it We are cooperating in some projects that I hope will bring more knowledge ON RISKS TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC There has been some suggestions that segments of the general public may be exposed to asbestos in the aire but there is a dearth of factual data to support this U. S. Surgeon General Stewart in running through a list of many substances that may be detectable in the aire including asbestos said that further investigation is needed to determine whether there are any publice health hazards In these days when everything in the air water and even the food we eat is under scrutiny it is not surprising that asbestos is among the subjects And we support such investigations Although we have seen postulations about significant amounts of asbestos getting into the air from say brake linings we have seen evidence that this is so Our own tests on asbestos - more -4- brake linings show that only about one percent of the dust generated from repeated application of auto brakes consists of asbestos fiber These tests are being continued and extended to other asbestos products ON ASBESTOS BODIES FOUND IN LUNGS OF CITY DWELLERS One recent report on post mortem studies emphasized that the subjects did not die of any respiratory disease nor did the presence of called asbestos bodies in the lungs of some of them appear to have any effect There is much medical debate over whether the term asbestos body should be used at all because some experts estimate that as many as 32 f > . \ different substances ranging from carpet fibers to whiskers vA _ . from an electric shaver v | can result in what are now loosely 5 ! 2 { called asbestos bodies -- even though there may be no - fl - fl ( asbestos involved ON RISKS TO ASBESTOS WORKERS Naturally we do not consider it advisable to inhale quantities of any foreign substances including asbestos We control dust levels in our plants and mines to protect our employees from this kind of exposure Some reports tend to talk about called asbestos workers in the insulating and building trades These people however work with a variety of different materials which may or may not include asbestos They are exposed to various types of dust Studies are going more -5forward to learn more about these workers and their health ON SEPTEMBER 10 1966 - CHEMICAL WEEK ARTICLE ATTACHED The prompt published refutation by Manville as well as by the United States Public Health Service of the misstatements in that article apparently set the facts straight I refer you to those statements in CHEMICAL WEEK of October 8. There has been nothing further head from this ON DIVISION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH NEWS RELEASES ATTACHED We have seen only the press summary of this study We know the workers were not Manville employees But we do not know the time period covered we do not know the population studied nor do we know what protective measures if any were instituted for these workers The news release did say that the exposures probably occurred years ago prior to present protective measures Also the statement stressed the need for additional information concerning questions raised in this survey AIR AND WATER POLLUTION Every industrial operation produces wastes and Johns- Manville is no exception In our many installations we have introduced practices and devices to help bring our waste disposal under control However to be perfectly MORE -6- frank like other companies we probably could do much more We are now in the process of examining our operations to determine what further steps may be advisable and feasible in the further clean of air and water around our installations To that end we established last month a new Department of Environmental Control which will direct and coordinate all activities necessary to improve environmental conditions within all Manville operating facilities and their surrounding areas This will include water pollution air pollution industrial hygiene accident prevention engineering and product toxicology