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John E. Wright To: 87-7-9 As we think through the situation with MMMFs, I commend to you the attached article on asbestos. It is a clear, concise review that should help us to avoid repeating errors of omission and commission that continue to be troublesome. John Attachment Same note to: H. D. Belk - 6 C. F. DiMascio - 6 R. W. Porter - 14 L. F. Schneider - 13 N. B. Sussman - 6 E. S. Thomas - 16 i j ; j I I j j 1 i L.F.S. ct'l-ZZOS'OfOOO'Otl |jUL 09 1987. .Category Cole 0ALCOA tsoi Alcoa Building PttUDorgn. PwxMytwnia ISJI* 4251070001 SAMUEL C. FLORMAN ALUMNI LIGHTS ABROAD Asbestos: Hindsight Is 20/20 Exceptional Experiences for Selective Travelers. Egypt Ancient. Greece Asia Minor the Aegean Classical. Carthage Central Asia the Kyber Ffess Mysterious. India Nepal the Himalayas Japan Oriental Southeast Asia Java Borneo Enigmatic. Ceylon Sumatra South America Primitive. the Galapagos the Amazon Ancient Civilizations Vibrant. the Andes Australia New Zealand Compelling. New Guinea Kenya Tanzania Exciting. the Seychelles Northern Italy Burgundy Southwest France Artistic. Alsace-Lorraine the Rhine the Moselle Cultural Flanders Scotland Wales Historic. Highly acclaimed itineraries, especially designed for alumni of Harvard, Yale and other distinguished univer sities. For further information, please contact: Alumni Flights Abroad Department TR-49 A.F.A. Plaza 425 Cherry Street Bedford Hills. New York 10507 TOLL FREE 1-800-AFA-8700 N.Y. State 1-C914) 241-0111 sbestos is very much in the news Athese days and giving everyone in the technological community a lot to think about. The mineral is recognized to be extremely carcinogenic, and expo sure to it is stringently limited by federal regulations. Congress has authorized the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to distribute S47.5 million dollars to school districts for a massive cleanup this summer. States and municipalities are also mandating the removal or abatement of asbestos; more than 700,000 public and commercial buildings in the United States have so far been found to contain poten tially dangerous quantities of the material, mostly in the form of insulation. Government officials are also regulating the way asbestos is removed. In June, for example. New York State instituted reg ulations to control asbestos-contractor licensing, worker certification, and work site procedures. San Francisco is consid ering an ordinance- that would require The asbestos building owners to have asbestos inspec tions even where no alteration or demo lition is planned. Similar actions are being tragedy is not solely the contemplated across the nation. The National Institute of Building Sci ences has published comprehensive spec fault of "evil" executives; society's expectations ifications for abating asbestos in buildings. The National Asbestos Training Center at have changed. the University of Kansas has developed mobile facilities to train companies on estimated at 9,000 a year and rising. As how to control and remove asbestos. Tak for "opportunities," the asbestos tragedy ing note of the burgeoning activity in this has created plenty of these for all sorts of field. Engineering Times, the publication people--particularly lawyers, judges, and of the National Society of Professional En politicians--as society tries to apportion gineers, has run an article under the head responsibility and compensate victims. line "Opportunities in Asbestos." In addition to coping with the present, -^i Thr idea that the asbestos crisis repre we must not ignore lessons from the past. sents an "opportunity" for engineers is That we have learned some of those les bitterly ironic, for if engineers had not sons is evident in the attention now being elected to use asbestos in the first place, paid to fiberglass and other manufactured humankind would have been spared much mineral fibers lone deemed rdanvcly safe suffering. When Manville Corp., the substitutes for asbestos. Recent studies world's largest asbestos producer,, de suggest that.these synthetic fibers, already clared bankruptcy in 1982 it was facing in wide use in insulation, cars, tumiture. nearly 17,000 lawsuits from workers who and building materials, may pose a health were victims of asbestos-related diseases. threat to workers who-make them. These The number of premature cancer deaths studies are inconclusive, so manufacturers from inhalation of the pernicious fibers is* I of the synthetic fibers are undertaking costly new tests on their health effects. /RMM I It, gdtfM n /tUTMM kImBH VMSwm pPfg SAMUEL C FLORMAN, A CIVIL ENGINEER. IS THE A UTHOR of engineerING AND THE LIBERAL ARTS, THE EXISTENTIAL PLEASURES OF ENG1NEER- 1NC- blaming technolOGY, AND THE CIVILIZED In learning from the past, however, we shoutd be careful not to draw the wrong conclusions. I fear this is being done by those who view the actions of people in volved in the. asbestos story in terms of good and evil. Admittedly, as far back as the 1930s, some researchers and industri alists were aware of the health hazards to 20 JULY l87 4251070002 ILLUSTRATION: JOHN O'SULLIVAN r* Whatever your problem, I'll solve it. which asbestos workers were exposed. In today--from injury, sickness, and pov light of such knowledge, lawyers have erty. At that time, a certain callousness convinced juries that failure to take ap- prevailed that today we would find shock propriate steps to protect the workers con- ing. But dare we conclude that this made stituted ''outrageous and willful people of that era--even the leaders misconduct.1 "" among them--morally inferior? Such Paul Brodeur has chronicled that story hindsight would lead us to despise Thomas in his book. Outrageous Misconduct. But Jefferson for tolerating slavery, indeed to Brodeur's angry denunciation of corpo despise all people who accommodated rate America contains evidence that mit themselves in earlier times to public exe igates against his presumption of cutions and the exploitation of child labor. wickedness. For example, he quotes a If we have gradually developed higher high-ranking industry executive (who was standards for public health and worker himself to die from asbestos-induced me safety, this is largely because we can now sothelioma): "1 realized that precautions afford them. Paradoxically, the wealth needed to be taken in the handling of this that allows us to be more caring and sen material. 1 realize now 1 was in error about sitive--as well as the new knowledge that the extent of precautions which needed to enables us to reduce risks--comes from be taken." the very technological development that it An even more telling argument against pleases so many second-guessers to view the "misconduct" theory is to be found in with contempt. Brodeur's description of a symposium held The compelling need now is to cope ef at Saranac Laboratory in 1952. This event fectively with the dangers at hand and to brought together more than 200 leading compensate, humanely and rationally, doctors, research scientists, academics, those people who suffer from past mis lawyers, public-health officials, insurance takes. Under the aegis of the courts, Man- executives, and journalists, as well as peo vitle Corp. has agreed to establish an ple from the asbestos industry. Ample evi Asbestos Health Trust that would make dence was presented linking asbestos to available more than S2.5 billion over the cancer. Yet more than a quarter-century next 25 years for settling injury and prop was to pass before society came to grips erty-damage claims. The trust funds with the problem in a definitive way. would come mainly from insurance pro Clearly an inertia prevailed that was ceeds, 50 percent of Manville's common rooted in something other than evil intent. stock, and a specified portion of future Nor is it rational to condemn, as does Bro corporate profits. deur, "a huge cross-section of the insti Application of this plan, however, has tutions that make up the private-enterprise been stalled because supporters of the tort system." That cross-section, incidentally, process have filed legal appeals against it. includes trade unions. I infer from Bro Prominent among this group, of course, deur's accusations that one might expect are lawyers who specialize in negligence socialist nations to be more prescient and cases. Without wishing to minimize the caring about public safety than capitalist good qualities of our litigation system, 1 countries. Yet we know they were not. must agree with those who feel that at this stage in the asbestos tragedy, an equitable Redirecting Our Moral Outrage alternative to thousands of more costly, repetitive, and often erratic jury trials must The plain fact is that our communal view be pursued. The proposed Manvilte set of the world changes from time to time-- tlement, which offers arbitration on ap not only concerning religion, sex, civil peal, appears to be such an alternative. rights, and women's rights, but also about In addition to demanding that we create environmental pollution and worker a system for fairly compensating victims, safety. When 1 first entered the construc the asbestos fiasco challenges us to develop tion industry, work sites were dirtier, nois materials and methods that will safely and ier, and very much more dangerous than -.efficiently do what asbestos used to. Since they are today. One heard it said that for insulation is a key element in energy con- every million dollars spent there would be [ servation, it should exert a compelling a worker's life lost--a rule of thumb that claim on our attention. As for moral out speaks volumes about the ethos of the rage, let us direct it against the inequities times. of our own time, of which there is no Thirty or even twenty years ago, people shortage, instead of against the sins and expected less protection than- we expect foibles of our forebears. I'm Riva Poor and your success b my business. T've helped hundreds of suc cessful people achieve the Results they want in life. And I can help you. ' I'm a professional problemsolver who can help you solve your problems. I can .help you identify THE REAL YOU, WHAT YOU REALLY WANT and HOW TO GET IT. I can provide you with new ways of looking at yourself, your busi ness, your personal relationships or whatever is important to you. I can rid you of any negative atti tudes keeping you from attaining your goals. I can catalyse your best thinking. You will get clarity, reassur ance, direction, self-confidence. Results! More money, power, achievement, productivity, leis ure time, better family relations, whatever is important to you. My clients are the proof. And they'll be pleased to talk with you. Challenge me now. Call me to explore what I can do for you. No charge to explore and no obligation. Your success is my business. Why Wait? Call me. Right now. MIT. SM in Management "The Dr. Spock ofthe business world"-- Notional Observer. mMother ofthe4~day week ~-- Newsweek. Originator of Dial-A-Decision*^ to give you immediate Results regardless of distance. 617-868-4447 Riva Poor, Management Consultant 73 Kirkland St., Cambridge, MA 02138 617-M8-4447 Dcpl.TR-3 .lm. . ' r l9iQ ftrv* Poor. TECHNOLOGY REVIEW 2* 4251070003 MEETING NOTICE Date: FRIDAY, JULY 24, 1987 Time: 9:00 - 10:00 Location: ROOM 636, ALCOA BUILDING Subject: OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH NEWSLETTER Attendees: H. D. BELK, M.D. C. F. DiMASCIO R. W. PORTER L. F. SCHNEIDER N. B. SUSSMAN E. S. THOMAS J. E. WRIGHT - 6 AB - 6 AB - 14 AB - 13 AB - 6 AB - 16 AB - 16 AB Arranged By: Beverly Lewis, ext. 3570 tn-3305-0t00c- Oft, -j {Jategoary Cefl.e ( 00056. bal )l. F.S. JUL 16 1987 4251070004 Meeting Notice Date: Time: Location: WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 1987 9:00 - 10:00 ROOM 636, ALCOA BUILDING Attendees: Arranged By: H. DEAN BELK, M.D., PITTSBURGH 6 C. F. DiMASCIO, PITTSBURGH 6 R. W. PORTER, PITTSBURGH 14 L. F. SCHNEIDER, PITTSBURGH 13 N. B. SUSSMAN, PITTSBURGH 6 E. S. THOMAS, PITTSBURGH 16 J. E. WRIGHT, PITTSBURGH 16 BEV LEWIS, EXT. 3570 tl-$305-Of600 ~OU> Category Co&e L.F.S. JUL.09 198T 4251070005