Document g2kR4x0w3jEVdGGB2rK5a64Ve

FILE NAME: DuPont (DUP) DATE: 1966 Nov 7 DOC#: DUP104 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Memo to J.F. Morgan from R.A. Darby RE Toxicity of Asbestos - Missing Pg. 2 Plastics Department ^ ! Commercial Resins Division s Experimental Station RECEIVED v .. r 1955 HASKELL LABORATORY cc: H. L. Cates, Jr. - 323 J. w. Clayton, Jr. - Haskell R. C. Doban - D Bldg. B. N. Epstein - 323 E. H. Price - 323 E. H. Ten Eyck - WWL File: 33A November 7* 1966 J. F. MORGAN - Employee Relations Department, Haskell Lab FROM: R. A. DARBY TOXICITY OF ASBESTOS We certainly appreciated your visit on November 3 to discuss health problems associated with the use of asbestos. In accord with your recommendations, we are proceeding as follows: 1. Work with any type asbestos has been halted until we have obtained approved face masks (recommended by the Bureau of Mines) for filtering asbestos dust. 2. Haskell Laboratory will be invited to observe our semiworks operations whereby asbestos will be extrusion compounded. At the moment we do not have a firm date for this, partly because I the approved masks are not in hand. 1 3. In view of your comments, we will not purchase or work with the crocodolite form of asbestos pending further classi fication of this material. As I understand it, this form of asbestos contains measurable amounts of benzpyrene, a carcinogen, and the incidence of cancer in South African miners has been related to exposure to crocodolite. The major form of asbestos, *> chrysotile, apparently is much safer than crocodolite in this respect. We would appreciate your opinion of the hazards of anthophyllite asbestos, which is supplied by the Blue Rock Mining Corporation. 4. Haskell Laboratory will keep us informed of developments in their study of the toxicology of asbestos. For example, the investigation of an instrument (impinger) to measure dust concentration may be a significant benefit to us and other groups working with such materials as asbestos or glass. I gath ered from your comments that dust levels below 5 MM particles/ft future