Document gaOJwyg7pMy0daxvVaMJvBXLJ

* wf< PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE FOUNDATION OF AMERICA, Inc. A REPORT ON HEALTH ASPECTS OF FIBROUS GLASS Medic*! Series, Bulletin No. 13-68 4400 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania 15213 f. 1968 s SJ 04560 4 - Jiuuuwa V. FOREWORD From tima to time, since publicatioo of it> first bullatln ia 1935. the Industrial Hygiene Foundation of America. Inc. (IHF) has issued medical re ports on subjects of topical interest to its members. IHF is a nonprofit research association of industries for the advance ment of healthful working conditions and human relations in industry, and serves a unique function as the focal point for exchange of Information on health prob lems allegedly arising from industries' operations, products and wastes. The Foundation's ability it vested in individuals with highly specialised scientific, technical and professional backgrounds and experience ia its member organisations as well as in its full-time staff, its standing committees, and expert panel of advisors. Its work is therefore supported by numerous individ uals ia hundreds of companies deeply committed to the advancement and fulfill ment of the Foundation's mission. At the invitation of IHF. Dr. Jon L. Konsen. Medical Director of OwensComing Fiberglas Corporation. Toledo. Ohio, assisted in the preparation of this bulletin in association with Dr. Paul Cross. Director of the Foundation's Research Laboratory, based on an extensive review of all available experimental and human data, published or ia progress. The information contained herein is presented for the guidance of the members of IHF and all those ia the fields * of environmental and occupational health who should benefit from this documen tation which gives evidence that fibrous glass is inert and non-injurious to health. Robert T. P. deTreville. M. D.. Sc. D. President Industrial Hygiene Foundation of America. Inc. i \ \ SJ 04561 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword......................................................................... 1 Introduction.................................................................................... 1 Effect* of Exposure toFibrous Cine*............................... 2 Medical Research Studies....................................................... 2 Summary........................................................................................ 6 References...................................................................................... 7 Bit- SJ 04562 INTRODUCTION Fibroua flat* is produced in two forme--a* a wool-type product pri marily for thermal and acoustical insulation and as a textile fiber for fabrics and strength-giving reinforcements. Since its development in the early 1930's, fibroua glass has become one of society's most useful basic materials. Originally manufactured as a material for furnace filters and home insulation, fibrous glass now goes into more than 33. 000 end products. In addition to furnace filters and home insulation, major applications of wool-type fibrous glass today include acoustical ceilings, filters for purify ing water and thermal insulation for pipe, air conditioning ducts, food cold storage systems and household refrigerators, ovens and other appliances. Major markets tor textile fibrous glass are: curtains and draperies, bed spreads. table cloths, awnings, fire protective clothing and reinforcements for plastics, rubber and paper. Interest in possible occupational and environmental health problems with fibroua glass goes back almost as far as the first development work on the material in 1931. In most cases, this interest has centered on possible effects from skin contact, inhalation and ingestion of small fibrous glass particles. Results of medical research, including examinations of hundreds of persona who have worked in fibrous glass plants as long as 25 to 30 years, gives evidence that fibroua glass is inert and non-injurious to the individual's over-all health. Sj 4563 **> $! * V 2. The purpose of this report is to review the findings of the most signi ficant of these studies in an effort to clarify the health aspects of fibrous glass. EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO FIBROUS GLASS Obviously, continued exposure to excessive quantities of any dust or fumes should be avoided. However, dusts and fumes differ widely in their potential harm to human health. Some prove injurious in low atmospheric con centrations; others are harmless at high concentrations. Skin irritation occasionally results from exposure to fibrous glass particles, but this irritation has proved to be superficial and transitory. Fibrous glass manufacturers have always been interested in determining whether or not fibrous glass particles are injurious if inhaled or ingested. As a result, they have cooperated in many medical research studies conducted over the past three decades by medical scientists and physicians considered to bo authorities in their medical epecialites. Based on existing medical evidence dating back to 1940 through to the present, airborne fibrous glass is not a hasard to general health. Hundreds of fibrous glass workers have been exposed to higher-than-average concentrations of airborne glass particles virtually every working day for as long as 25 to 30 years without exhibiting any pattern of lung disease that can be attributed to exposure to fibrous glass. MEDICAL RESEARCH STUDIES Among the most significant of medical studies conducted to date on fibrous glass were the investigations in 1963 by George W. Wright. M. D. Head of the Medical Research Department of St. Luke's Hospital in Cleveland. \. \ \ \ SJ 04564 The study1 ia a review of periodic cheet x-rays, medical records and job exposure histories of 1.401 employees at the largest and oldest fibrous glass manufacturing plant. None of these workers had been employed less than 10 years. Many were employed at the plant upwards of 25 years. The report gives the purpose of the research in its opening sentence: "The question to be explored ia whether or not prolonged exposure of workers to an environment containing airborne fibrous glass coated with phenolic resin... is associated with a recognisable pattern of roentgenographic abnormality." The report's summary states as follows: "The effect, as revealed in the chest roentgenogram, of ten to twenty-five years of exposure in an environment containing airborne particles of fibrous glass has been studied. No un usual pattern of radiologic densities was observed. "The frequency of various radiologic appearances known to occur in the general population was no higher ia those with greatest exposure than in those with the least." Another important study^ made between 1956 and 1958 by Paul Cross. M. D.. Research Professor. University of Pittsburgh. Graduate School of Public Health; Senior Fellow. Mellon Institute; and Director of the IHF Research Laboratory. Pittsburgh. Pa., was a laboratory animal study consisting of three parts: 1. determination of the pulmonary response resulting from exposure 1 to high concentrations of respirable, airborne glass particles (hundreds of millions of particles per cubic foot) and the injec tion into the lungs of both coarse and fine glass particles to e determine pulmonary reeponse to the glase; Respirable means sufficiently small to gain access to the deepest lung tissues, ordinarily or less ia diameter, i. e. . microscopic and submicroscopic sised particles. Fine particles used in this study were approximately l|i in diameter. Coarse particles, put through a 32$ mesh sieve (U. S. Standard No. 40) were SOu or lees ia diameter with a few particles measuring as much as 400p or 0. 4 mm. SJ 04565 <b<w>.. V I. 2. to document the effect! of the meieive ingestion of ground gless of microscopic dimensions (leboretory enimels were fed a diet containing 50% finely milled glass flakes for one year); and 3. to study the effects resulting from dusting the eyes of laboratory animals with finely milled glass dust and glass flakes. Following are excerpts from Or. Cross' summary and conclusions: "No effect of glass dust and glass flakes was demonstrable upon the cornea or the conjunctiva of the eyes. "No toxic or traumatic effect was demonstrable upon the gastro intestinal tract. There was only slight depression of the growth rate when rats ingested a diet containing as much ground glass (50%) as food. This depression was due entirely to a lower food intake. "The pulmonary changes in guinea pigs exposed to fine glass dust for one year and those of rats either exposed to the same dust or given injections intratracheally with it were minimal in character and consisted only of small focal alveolar dust cell collections without fibrosis.. .Coarse glass dust injected into the lungs of rats behaved like inert foreign material...." Moreover, as recently as April. 1968. Or. Gross reaffirmed the conclusions as follows; "Based on all completed and in-progress experimental and human data of which we have knowledge, fibrous glass dust should be classified as 'inert', i. e.. without demonstrable pathologic effect. "There should be no adverse effects to health from inhalation of glaaa dust of respirable sise. whether in pulverised or filamen tous forms. "* Two of the more recent investigations were reported in the July. 1967. issue of the Journal of Occupational Medicine. In one article Carey P. McCord. M. D. . Professor Emeritus of the Institute stMHBBl'tlth at 0 From a memorandum to Robert T P. dsTreville. UL. dated April II. 1968. ul Grose. M. D. t 5. the University of Michigan. Ann Arbor. Michigan, summarised hia investiga tion of ftbroua glaaa manufacture and technology with thia statement: "Fiber glaea. like all common forme of glaea. ia a chemically inert tubatance. It poaaeeaea no known toxic properties. On a mechanical baaia. apiculea may abrade the akin leading to auperficial and tranaitory irritation. Among fiber glaaa makera. particularly new workera who are moat expoeed. akin irritation occura. but ia not remarkable...." In the aecond article,* Ahmed N. M. Naar, M. 0.. alao of the Inetitute of Induetrial Health at the University of Michigan, reviewed the world1 a litera ture covering health aepecta of expoaure to fibroua glaaa. Theae excerpta from tha report eummarixe Or. Naar'a concluaiona: "Ae far aa can be aacertained from a aearch of the American and European literature, available evidence indicatea that fibroua glaaa ia a relatively inert material with no fibrogenic or other aignificant toxic propertiea.'' 6 A atudy of human akin reaction to contact with fibroua glaaa waa con ducted ia 1957 by Eldred R. Heiael. M. O.. formerly Chief. Oiviaion of Derma tology. and John H. Mitchell. M. D.. Clinical Professor and Head of the Oiviaion of Allergy. Ohio State Univereity. Columbua. Ohio. Thia atudy included both patch and rubbing teata on two groupa of human voluateera. One group of 50 white women had never been expoeed to fibrous glaaa. The second group con sisted of 92 persona who had been exposed to fibroua glass for periods ranging from leas than one year to aa long as 15 years. Excerpta from the report's summary follow: ",.. We were unable to induce sensitivity in the first group , (e. g.. 50 women) and no sensitisation reactions were noted in the second group (e. g., 92 persons). "Rsactiona ware observed when finely cut fibers were applied to V the skin. These varied directly with the sise (diameter) of the fiber and were interpreted as being due to mechanical irritation...." i \ N \ Sj 4567 6. SUMMARY Midieil Investigations ud scientific medical studies conducted by highly qualified specialists in skin and lung diseasss have shown fibrous glass to be a biologically inert substance that produces no permanent injury to individuals exposed to it. The documented evidence substantiating this conclusion includes in vestigation of the health of hundreds of fibrous glass workers who have been exposed to the material on a regular basis for as long as 2S to 30 years. Medical publications on fibrous glass include other studies, investi gations and literature reviews. Several of these are listed for information 7-13 purposes. v \ \ SJ 04568 7. REFERENCES t. Wrifbt. George W. : Airborne Fib roue Glees Particles. AMA Arch. Environ. Health 16:175-181. February 1968. 2. Groas. Paul. M. L. Westriek, and J. M. McNerney: Glass Dust: A Study of Its Biologic Effects. AMA Arch. Industrial Health 21: 10-23. January 1960. 3. Hatch. T. F. and Paul Gross: Pulmonary Deposition and Retention of Inhaled Aerosols. Academic Prase. New York. 1964. 4. McCord. Carey P.: Fiber Glass: Chemistry and Technology. J. Occ. Med. 9:339-344. July 1967. 5. Nasr. Ahmed N. M.: Pulmonary Haaards from Exposure to Glass Fibers. J. Occ. Med. 9:345-348. July 1967. 6. Haisel. Eldred R. and John H. Mitchell: Cutaneous Reaction to Fiberglas. lad. Med. k Surg. 26:547-550. December 1957. 7. The Saranac Laboratory for the Study el Tuberculosis of the Edward L. Trudeau Foundation, Annual Report. Saranac Lake. New York. 1940. 8. Siebert. W. J.: Fiberglas Health Hasard Investigation. Industrial Medicine. Jan. 1942. 9. Sulaberger. Marian B. and Randolph L. Baer. Dept, of Medicine. New York University Collage of Medicine: The Effects of Fiber Glass on Animal and Human Skin. Industrial Medicine. Oct. 1942. 10. Irwin. J. R.. Boeing Aircraft Company. Seattle. Washington: Fiberglas Plastics--Industrial Medical Aspects and Experiences. Industrial Medicine. Sept. 1947. 11. Schspers. G. W. H., T. M. Durkan. A. B. Delahaat. A. J. Redlin. J. G. Schmidt. F. T. Creedon. J. W. Jacobson, and D. A. Bailey: The Bio logical Action of Fiberglas-Plastic Dust. Arch, of Industrial Health 18: 134, 1958. 12. Bjure, J. . B. Soderholm and J. Widminsky: Cardiopulmonary Function Studies in Workers Dealing with Asbestos and Glasswool. Thorax 19:22. 1964. 13. Keane, W. T. and M. R. Zavoa: Occupational Haaards of Pipe Insulators. Arch, of Environ. Health 13:171. 1966. SJ 04569