Document gDZOrbjY9yNKvLB0okyq54b0L

FILE NAME: Z/ZZZ/Ed DATE: DOC#: /Ed DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION:/Ed>Z'/Z WZ>/ EZDZZZZZ Z - . ~ ~ . ... r Y- .; .' ., ' 7tJta i i ASBESTOS INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION 61 CLOUC.:ESTEI\ PLACE, LONDON W1H 1HL, i;NCLANO E.E.~. AD\'ISOIW COUNCIL OF TUE A.I.A. Wurld TrJc Ccn1rc - Boa 17 1 Bd. E. Jcqm1in, 161 1 8- Bnmcl1 Tel: HI, -l It Tclca: "''' Fintcr B ,' Telephones ' JSU/t Tclc,umu In&& Landon Tclu; lnu C J'" 1I December 19 , 1978 . Ref. : AIA/EEC/B-9.1. ::::: GRACE INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL$, INC. Rue Marterey, S CH - 1005 LAUSANNE. ...... ......... To the attention of Mr. A.E. DAMBACH. Dear Mr. Dambach, I have been informed by Mr. Schwermer CWVAZ, Germany) that the problem which arose around your labelling initiative is new satisfactorily settled after contacts you had with him and with Mr. Mohr (Switzerland). In confirmation of the information given to y~u by Messrs. Schwermer and Mohr, and in order to explain why, at a given moment I got involved in this matter, a few words from my side would, I think, be helpful. - Some time ago I was asked by the Asbestos International Association, London, to inquire (in my quality of Secretary .. to the EEC Advisory Council of the A.I.A.), about a request :: for labelling by a distributor in Europe of asbestos containin{~ goods manufactured in the U.S.A. by Union Carbide Core The information I got was that the distributor had requested the manufacturer to label, from January 1979 onwards, asbestos goods shipped to the EEC, with the EEC label for harmful substances. As asbestos is, however, not (yet) included in the EEC list of (about 700) harmful substances, AIA's EEC Advisory Council CAIA/EAC) was of the opinion that this initiative was inappropriate, the more so as the AIA/EAC is at present preparing an ad hoc international Asbestos label. I .therefore tried to contact the distributor, and, in the belief (based on apparently wrong information) that it was a firm based in Germany, I asked cur German AIA/tAC representati Mr. Schwermer, to assist me to help and ~ocate this firm. - Meanwhile it became clear that the matter had evolved in such a way that it was finaily a U.S. firm wanting to use a U.S. label (OSHA) on its asbestos bags~ shipped to Switzerland, so that it became a ~4tter fully beyond the competence of AIA's EEC Advisory Council, since it involved neither an EEC label, nor an EEC manufacturer or distributor. JHM 07'111 ! ........'.,;-..: ... , l J Page 2 of our letter da~ed 19.12.78 to GRACE INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS, Inc. - As. no doubt. Mr. Sqhwermer and Mr. Mohr will have pointed out to you. most North American fibre producers are, at present, shipping asbestos bags to EEC which coct~in a warning, but :: not a label. The asbestos label AIA's EAC is now preparing, is intended for being used, as a first step, inside the EEC, but AIA is endeavouring to gain world wide acceptance of this label, so as to make it a truly standardised and international one. The decision on when to start the use of this label is left to each individual country. In view of this future use of a standardised asbestos label unanimously approved by the international asbestos ind~stry, AIA feels that the use of any other kind of label on asbestos bags by individual companies should, in the meantime, be avoided. We feel indeed that the generalised use of a truly international label is the only way to avoid the EEC autho- . :~::: rities. from~mposing upon the asbestos industry the use of the EEC "toxic substance" label (i.e. the skull &nd cross-bones). . :;::: I hope this summary clears up AIA's and EAC's views on both your labelling i~itiative and on labelling in general. ! !Y:'. In case you would like to ask more information on any specific I :'... point in connection with this matter, please feel free to do so. vur secretariat is also at your entire disposal for any EEC matter not concerning labelling. Yours faithfully, The Secretary, H.E. VANHERLE. I: . I .... cc. Sir Neville STACK, Director ~eneral A.I.A., London. .. ' ' I ;'. i .._..,: I I :. ' . JHM074J2