Document e5Qdj7vqgp4gJm31w5a8NaY8E

EAGLE LilDPICHER January 26, 1988 Dear Customer: Because the health and safety of all those who come in contact with our products are primary concerns of Eagle-Picher Minerals, we want to call to your attention the recently published conclusions of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). These come from a June 1986 symposium, published in 1987, and received in October 1987. In volume 42 of its "Monographs on the Evaluation of the Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals to Humans -- Silica and Some Silicates" (1987), at page 243, the IARC concluded that there was "limited" evidence that crystalline silica is carcinogenic to humans and "sufficient" evidence that it is carcinogenic to animals. The IARC further concluded at that page that there is "inadequate" evidence that amorphous silica is carcinogenic to either humans or animals. (The quoted terms are defined at page 22 of the monograph.) The IARC monograph principally studies the effects of the quartz form of crystalline silica, and notes at page 103 that the authors had before them no case report or epidemiological study of the diatomite industry. However, since our diatomaceous earth products contain varying amounts of crystalline silica, we wanted to inform you of the IARC's conclusions. Our natural (non-calcined) products generally contain less than 1% crystalline silica by weight, while the calcined and flux-calcined products contain crystalline silica (as cristobalite) in varying amounts, from a low of less than 1% for some calcined products up to a high of about 80% for some fluxcalcined products. Please refer to the appropriate Material Safety Data Sheets to determine the percent in the products you purchase. In addition to informing you of the IARC's conclusions, we also wanted to assure you that we are studying those conclusions and reviewing our Material Safety Data Sheets. When we have completed our review we shall of course furnish you with the pertinent results. Meanwhile we would reemphasize our current advice to use Bureau of Mines or NIOSH approved respirators for protection against pneumoconiosis-producing dust and, to the extent possible, to avoid creating dust. Thank you for your business and we shall keep you advised of further developments. Very truly yours EAGLE-PICHER MINER REMsief Eagle-Picher Minerals. Inc. 1755 E. Plumb Lane A Subsidiarv of Eaale-Picher Industries, me. Roger E. Malone President DPMC-08624 P. O. Box 12130 Reno. Nevada 89510 (702)322-3331 Cable Address* Eaaoirh LAM 002470