Document evmXabjZZ6QX73BjQpL3aVbZq

FILE NAME: Dental Asbestos (DEN) DATE: 1976 Aug DOC#: DEN004 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Published Letters - Journal of the American Dental Association of the American Dental Association August 19/b J ^ ne 93 No ^ j !![ i Dr. Slovis regarding the need to ex pand programs to include heavy equipment evaluation and intends to move as quickly as possible into this area in accordance with available funding and manpower. JOHN W. STANFORD, PHD SECRETARY ADA COUNCIL ON DENTAL MATERIALS AND DEVICES DA office polier a Congratulations on your editorial in the May 17 ADA News. It is quite apparent that the " hierarchy" of the ADA A is doing its best to ruin its or ganization. Perhaps we can help them on their way by adopting the " Stay and Git" or " Git and Stay" office policy. This policy means t'hat if the assis tants want to stay in the ADAA, then let them get out of your office; but if they want to stay in your office, let tnem get out of the ADAA. If we dentists follow this policy, perhaps the " troublemakers" of the ADAA would listen to the "grass-roots" members of their organization who are opposed to the recent actions of the ADAA. I W 1 OR W. H SMI L TON . D D S H U N 1SVIL1 E. AI A 1`e r s i s t e m c is t he key a My respect for Chuck Amenta is no secret. From close observation, I have come to think of him as some kind of genius. Fie de\eloped the American Society for Preventive Dentistry from nothing to a growing movement. But when he- suggests, " . the goals we set out to achieve have been reached," 1 am certain he is wrong. To effect lasting change, we need persistence Many organizations and individuals identify wTth the preven tive philosophy but fail to follow through in practice. If they once were "enthusiastic." most have now fallen hack to the easier, less demanding, icpan philosophy of the past. Patient persistence works with pa tients. It will work with the profes sion. We need a strong ASPD now to keep up the good start given us by Amenta, Brackett, and Ross. JLROMF Ml IT E L MA N , DDS N E W YORK LT I Y Asbestos in dentistry a The report by the ADA Councils on Dental Materials and Devices and on Dental Therapeutics regarding " Hazards of asbestos in dentistiy" is very timely and appropriate (April. j a d a ). We are pleased the Council no longer considers asbestos-con taining periodontal packs eligible for its Acceptance Program and we fur ther hope that dentists w'ill discon tinue use of these packs in private practice. Although in 1973 the Food and Drug Administration considered the health hazard from ingestion of as bestos particles inconclusive,1 recent evidence demonstrates neoplastic response in experimental animals following ingestion of asbestos fiber. In rats fed talc or chrysotile, two gas tric leiomyosarcomas were observed, while no tumors occurred in the con trol animals.2 In addition to lung cancels and pleural and peritoneal mesotheliomas as-indicated in the Council's report, numerous epidemiologic studies ot defined populations occupational^ exposed to aiiborne asbestos fibeis have consistently shown an excessiverisk of cancers other than of the lung, especially of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT).1"1 in a review of the literature. Schneiderman111concluded that inci eased ex posure to airborne asbestos particles leads to an increased risk of digestive system cancer. While lung cancels and mesotheliomas are assumed to result from inhalation, the exact pro portion of GIT cancers w'hich would result from direct inhalation of asbes tos fibers as opposed to indirect in gestion of sputa contaminated with asbestos fibers is not possible to as certain. For any substance which is known to cause cancer in humans, a thiexh old level below' which such an agent w'ould not cause cancer has never been demonstrated. Thus, w-e urge the Council to go beyond its position of no longer making asbestos-con taining periodontal packs eligible for its Acceptance Program and take more aggressive steps to educate the dental piofession about the carcino genic properties11" and potential mu tagenic hazards" associated with asbestos Although the Councils' report mentioned that airborne fibers may occur in dental laboratories, it did not indicate whether oi not environmen tal monitoring for airborne levels of asbestos fibers ever had been conduct ed in dental schools during laboratory casting procedures. The ADA re cently has shown interest in assessing the health hazards associated with waste anesthetic gases1- and mer cury11 in the dental operatory. Lead ership and appropriate measures should be taken to assure that dental students, instructors, and patients are not likewise at an increased health risk resulting from dental laborntoiy oi clinical exposure to asbestos. I`l 11 R i i n i v m i . DDS R I C HAR D A 1 I Ml V MS NAI I ONVI I N S I I I U I t LOR <H r I T VI I ON \1 S M I 1Y \ N I) III VI I H U N C I NN VI 1, OHI O 1 K -ile i.il R e ris lc i IS 27I17S xcpi 2K I'J'T 2 W a a i e i . I ( and o lh e is \ n i in.il L k p u - i m e n i s w it h t a L I n i n t h Into* n a t i o n a l S v m - poMiim on li.h .ilcil P .ntikles .iiki \ .tpoi s t dm- ImiLth. S ktU loiu l 19" ^ In p ie ss ' Mdi i ui no I \ and \ I V a n \ \ Moi tllllt k p a t t a n in a k1ahi H t o t n s h Ostia s m .Oi k e i s \ N. t u d \ b a s e d -on O H I pl o\ mont k \ poi !eiiko 1 ( ) u up Ma.! V 14 1W>7 4 1 linos. P (. !n d Si mpson M 1 ( 1Usili n t i o i i v\ oi kci ' in lie It a' 4 i Mu tal 'tv 1940-Gii Hut 1 M i d l i s t ! 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