Document jyQxM2a2e13KyM3RYJLdZQLjp

DISTf.-.hUT'.Ct'J W. T. Co; ` J. A. ' 5 received K. A- V."L. f Crcv; G. C. Br:ce 8 iafci6 q' Cr --C.-NG. t, METALS 01V. r* * MEMORANDUM 0 S. Kemens K. West G. Vessels D TO: MetyBrs. T. Dougherty R. A. Miller R. W. Stobaeus B. K. Barton DATE: s'Mwrch 22^.966 A. A. Ahdrade Q o T. R. van Fleet N. J. Setter CC: L. S. O'Rourke SUBJECT: Asbestos - Toxicology T. J. Hall H. F. Relchard/R. G. Woolery J. A. Riddle \/ J. Derbecker P. R. Cheston T. F. Frangos Gentlemen: Early In March the "New York Times" and the "Herald Tribune", reportln ; the establishment of a new environmental health laboratory at Mt. Slna . Hospital (New York City), revived some publicity (copy attached) In regar i to Asbestos dust as a health hazard. He understand that a few newspape ' s in other cities picked it up. "Out of context" reporting leads to erroneous conclusions, and this is Uo exception. Nevertheless, we should reckon that such a commentary will recljr, and all of us should use the tool we now have at our disposal to make certain our customers are acquainted with the facts: 1. You have copies of Dr. Dernehl's "Asbestos Toxicology Report." Additional copies are enclosed. Use these, and call particular attention to Dr. Dernehl's statements in regard to "Threshold Limit Value"fJr asbestos. Control of asbestos dust exposure is necessary, as is control of exposure to any of a variety of dusty operations. 2. Union Carbide pellets offer a clear-cut means of handling asbestos under exceptionally low du6t conditions. 3. No work'yet conducted or published presents, nor pro fesses to present. Incontrovertible proof of a relationship between cancer and asbestos. Some publications have re ferred to the association of deleterious organic compounds, among them jute oils from Jute sacking material, and 3,4 benzo(a) pyrene. He do not use Jute bags. Further, we are k03 i 5 -2- analyzing Random sonnies of our product, and expect shortly to prove the absence of any polycyclic aromatics. Your pelleted asbestos affords customers the best means of avoiding dust hazards. Make this clear. Very truly yours, A.E.Pufahl/dh Enclosures * I it I rts m uic irsr-s1. , '. ... -.. -" '":'=============r====sa ^Asbestos Dust Called a Hazard: j ` I To at Lerst One-Fourth of U,S. I *.-------------------------------------- ------------------ ! ! . By JANE B. nRODV I Asbestos -ust, which has al- structlon workers end their ready been connected with families. the development of fatal can- According to the findings of . :er in one-half of asbestos three recent limited studies, the workers, may be a ` potential dangers might extend to the health hazard for one-quarter general population.`The studies, of the population or more, it which involved autopsies on' , was reported yesterday. J1,100 persons in three cities, i] This preliminary finding was showed that 25 per cent of the I;described by Dr. Irving j. Seli- koff in announedng the estab people had their lungs. asbestos lodged - in l> ' lishment 'of" an environmental' health laboratory at Mount Sinai Hospital. The laboratory will further investigate the Dr. -Seiikoff explained that the studies had used a "crude technique" that disclosed only those asbestos fibers that had become coated by an irim-rich . dangers to man of asbestos and t other environmental contamilinants. material while lodged in the lungs.-A more refined technique now showi that ma:, persons Dr. Seliltoff said the link between cancer and asbestos had led him to suspect that other mineral dusts-that con harbor noncoatcd asbestos bers as well, he said. Now Study Storied fi taminate both urban and rural Dr. Seiikoff and his col air might create medical haz leagues at the new laboratory ards for the public. have started a three-year study The new laboratory will be in which they will: headed by Dr. Seiikoff who, ^Examine, with the with Dr. J - <b Churg, found ceased's family's approval, de tire ) t that asbesti workers cventu- lung tissue of the from 3,000 to \ all showed to seven times 4,000 persons expected to dtc in i tt normal death, rate from lung the next two years at MounL cancer and three times the nor Sinai, Elmhurst Hospital and l ma] death rate from cancer of Veterans Hospital in the Bronx. It the stomach, coloq and rectum. The doctors will look for un- . Other Workers Affected Dr. Scllkoff noted that the dangers of exnosuro to asbestos dust were n .mlted to tl sc who work directly with this ubiquitous insulator and filler material. The dangers, he said, extend to workers in "contiguous trades," such as other con- coatcd ns well as coated asbes tos fibers In the tissues. OLook for correlations be tween the causes of death and the presence of asbestos fibers in lung tissue. Determine the occupational history of the deceased and their relatives and other pertinent background Information. J iv lb g A tl u V p Asbestos is a fibrous mineral Si highly valued for its noncor rosive and long-wearing prop P erties. In addition to its common t use as a fireproof material, Dr. t Seiikoff said, asbestos makes up a about 50 per cent of asphalt h tile and is used in dental cement, F ' brake linings, plastics, beer fil g ters, gas masks and paper. Until 1 last .year, some schools used tl ' asbestos dust Instead of sand SI for children to play in. m | Study Links j Asbestos To Cancer By Earl Ubcll Science di(or . Scientists have known for a long time that asbestos was bad for your lungs. Now ' a study of New York City j workers, both roofers and ; 1.' .insulation blowers, reveals \:!. that exposure to the mineral sends lung cancer death 1 i I. rates skyrocketing. " t The figures--gathered by ' . doctors at Mount Sinai Hosi | pltal--show that such work! I ers have eight times the lung- ' cancer death rate as would be expected in a nan-exposed , population. :. More suprlslngly, the stud ies reveal that such workers i run four times the risk of I getting cancer in other parts J of the body, frith cancer of - ; the colon particularly singled out. For all other diseases, the insulation workers have > the same death rate as the . rest of the population. These findings were em phasized yesterday by Dr. Irving J. Seiikoff, head ' of Mt. Sinai's Division of Envi ronmental Medicine,' on the occasion of the establlshment of an environmental health laboratory In the hos pital. The laboratory has , received grants totaling $324.- I 00 from the United States ' Public Health Service and J the New York City Health Research Council. [ Dr. Seiikoff also pointed out that cigarette smoking 'seems to heighten the effects [ of the asbestos. Among 130 ' .' men exposed to asbestos 20 . years or more who were non" smokers, he found one lung- cancer-. death among 110 ' ; '. smokers, 21 such deaths. v. UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION 270 PARK AVENUE, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10017 ASBESTOS TOXICOLOGY REPORT It has been known for many years that some persons working in asbestos production were prone to develop a disabling lung disease. In time, this condition became known as asbestosis and was related to exposure to high concentrations of asbestos dust. With further experience, it was found that men could work with asbestos without development of lung disease if dust concentrations were kept below a certain level. It is now gen erally accepted that a man can work a 40-hour week for a lifetime without developing asbestosis if the asbestos dust particle count is kept at or below 5 million particles per cubic foot of air. This dust concentration of 5 million particles per cubic foot of air is the Threshold Limit Value for asbestos, and no cases of asbestosis are known to have occurred when exposures have been maintained at or below this level, despite large-scale utilization (now approaching one million tons per year in the U.S.A.). This concentration of dust is generally not'visible in the average work area unless a beam of light causing a Tyndall effect is present. Usually the dust concentration must be from 8-10 million particles per cubic foot before its presence is visible ir. average lighting conditions. Several years ago, it was reported that there was an increase in the incidence of cancerous tumors, especially of the lung, associated with asbestosis. Recently there have been reports of some cancers occurring in individuals exposed to asbestos dust, but who have not developed clinical asbestosis. It is believed by most authorities that these cases have been associated with exposures significantly exceeding the Threshold Limit Value. A major manufacturer of asbestos products who also mines asbestos has not been able to show an increase in cancerous growths in men working where dust concentrations were maintained at the Threshold Limit Value. Control of asbestos dust exposure is therefore necessary. The control methods are the standard ones applicable to a variety of dusty operations. They include closed flow systems, wet processes where possible, and adequate exhaust ventilation where openings in the system are necessary. Pelletizing is sometimes used to improve the handling character istics of otherwise dusty materials. Where satisfactory containment to stay within the Threshold Limit Value is impractical or impossible, efficient and reliable respirators are available for the protection of the employee. A program of environmental monitoring is highly desirable to determine that Threshold Limit Values are not being exceeded. In paper manufacturing, it would be desirable to know the dust concentrations where the asbestos is dumped from bags into the pulp slurry. Concentrations should also be determined where dusting occurs in finishing products. While Initial dust determinations should be made at frequent intervals, once the level has been established as satisfactory, the frequency may be extended to occasional tests to assure continuation of a satisfactory condition. -2 Pre-employment and periodic physical examinations of workers-are desirable. These should include chest X-rays to insure that the worker has no chest condition prior to work with asbestos and to determine that no lung changes are resulting from work with asbestos. It is believed that the addition of asbestos at the proposed levels during the manufacture of paper products would be harmless to the consumer. Total dusting would have to be well in excess of any levels acceptable to the consumer for the asbestos concentration to approach the Threshold Limit Value. In conclusion, while asbestos dust in excess of the Threshold Limit Value is potentially harmful, as are many other dusts encountered in industry, it is as readily controlled as other such dusts and it can be used safely with appropriate precautions. Carl U. Dernehl, M. D. Director of Toxicology K. S. Lane, M. D. Assistant Director of Toxicology