Document dnEJBpNQDB94kp2LBvw4YVzg5

FILE NAME: Talc (TALC) DATE: 1975 A p ri DOC#: TALC090 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: NIOSH Memo RE Analysis of Talcs for Asbestos Fiber Content MEMORANDUM i . / . DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL _ NATIONAL INSTITUTE TOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH to : Howard J. Schulte D Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration , . Deputy Associate Director for Cincinnati frm : Operations, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health - su bject: Analysis of Talcs for Asbestos Fiber Content ` April 1, 1975 Your request dated March 5, 1975 to Mr. Edward J . Baier, Acting Director, NIOSH, for analysis of 19 talc.products from the R.T. Vanderbilt Company _ is being handled by the Division of Field Studies and Clinical Investigations, NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio. In your memorandum, you requested that these products be analyzed for asbestos by the method proposed by the Food and Drug Administration in the Federal Register of September 23, 1973 (21 CFR Parts 121 and 133). At the time this method was proposed, NIOSH expressed its concern about the adequacv of this method to the FDA (see attached memorandum dated January 21, 1974). As you probably are aware, the promulgation of this method has been delayed by the FDA as stated in the Federal Register of March 14, 1975 (Pages 11865 - 11869). Therefore, the analysis^of the subject talc products for asbestos fibers will be completed_utilizing the techniques we are presently using, which includes identification by electron microscopy with selected area diffraction and x-ray microprobe analysis. In addition, optical properties such as refractive index and angles of extinction will be determined. We do anticipate difficulty in obtaining the subject talc products, especially considering the fact that we want to obtain representative, unbiased samples. Also, the analysis of these samples by the techniques mentioned above takes a good deal of time to assure accurate and repro ducible results. I t is estimated that this project will take the Division of Field Studies and Clinical Investigations from three to five months to complete. For your information, we are attaching a NIOSH internal report, nom the Division of Field Studies and Clinical Investigations which was prepared at the request of the OSHA Toledo, Ohio Area Office for their enforcement action against the Borg-Warner Corporation. The talc sample 4711 which Page 2 - Deputy A sst. Sec. of Labor was identified as containing asbestos fibers by NIOSH is R .T ._Vanaerbilt s NYTAL 200. (It should be noted that R.T. Vanderbilt had speciiiea to the Borg-Warner Corporation that this talc was free of asbestos timers Since we have already performed the necessary analysis on NYTAL 200, this will not be repeated in the future work. We hope the information gathered during this project will be useful to both NIOSH and OSHA in our research efforts to evaluate ithe "hceoamlmthui iei fcfaeticotns associated with occupational exposures to talc. Any furtr you have on this matter should be directed to Mr. Ronald D Dobbin , Chief, Environmental Investigations Branch, Division of Fela Studies ana Clinical nvectications, NIOSH, Post Office Building, oth & *'>alnut Streets, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 (513/634-3258). Attachments (2) Bobby F. Craft