Document kDd0wy8NgjMN2jzGYpk8kRLYD

NICOLET INDUSTRIES, INC. Manufacturers of Quality-Controlled Asbestos Products August 7, 1972 PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT BIR-149 TO ALL NICOLET CUSTOMERS Dear Customer: On June 7, 1972 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the United States Department of Labor published regulations under the Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, covering the use of asbestos in' industry. A copy of the QSKA standards is attached. In our opinion, based in part upon comments made by the members of the Asbestos Information* Association of North America, (our industry association); most, if not all, major United States asbestos manufacturers believe: - 1. That t:,e currently prescribed level of fiy>? or more in length) per cc of air .can be achieved by better housekespinc, improved work practices, process modifications and engineering controls, (i.e., dust collection systems), 1r> ail segments of the asbestos manufacturing industry, with the probable exception of asbestos textile carding and spinning. 2.. That the prospective level of tv.'c fibers (S microns or more in length) per cc of air,_ which is indiscriminately made applicable to all types of ascestos, (scheduled tc become effective in 157$) probably is unnecessary to protect the health of the asbestos work force. We anticipate, therefore, that the major companies in the U. S. ashesawr.ufacturlny industry, curing the next four yr-ars, will sponsor research to determine .r.yic-1 kind; of .vsoc-stos m-ay be dangerous, what fiba-' configurations may be dancero:r. end wnaf. levels and do vac I on c-f ashes fes oust exposure can be esneriericoa with out adverse effects uson health. If tde results of this research ers ?.s expectsj. t;;-r data gathered will bo used hopefully to persuade the Depanrient of Laoor not to i ~ni errart the two fiber stoodarc bacouss *:? think it is csr.ecossnry, aoc, T.h-;ref?to, u oasto cf Industry roc^urcos. >< tf-: ine antime, both ycu and -/s .rest take steps to Cixnoiy wfi.li foe-rive fiber :-t:rni-'-rd aod uarteln other provisions eft: rriuLivions. dicolei y-->. ]-a-o: co r-e. ?x;ert iv;-c geeorol ?iels of ::r:-;Cv.-'i'.' hytWvi*.?; PTC VO he a vaoo oust cr'jrts. end wo hive svooescfully 'ecu- e" -ov-tls I:1 <:f o -r own : '.CV-'irr'J 0 ' ` ': BIRD 014826 2- - We offer you our assistance within the limits of our resources in taking a first look at your situation. We will, at your request, at a reasonable cost to vou. measure dust levels in certain areas of vour factory and try to define which portions of your manufacturing process may pose problems. You may find that you already are under the five fiber leveK If you are not, you may wish to use our engineering staff to advise you on how to achieve the five fiber level. You will understand that, for this service, we will have to charge an additional fee. ^ It may still, however, be less costly for you to use Nicolet personnel than it would be to hire your own professionals on a full time basis. If a study of your dust problem should indicate that the capital cost of compliance is high, you may wish to consider having Wicolet perform some converting operations for you. It may he that we are already equipped effectively to handle your critical operations, (or we can equip ourselves at a nominal cost), so that it would be more economical for us to do your converting for you. If you would like to discuss any of these matters in greater detail, please contact one of our Marketing Managers or the undersigned. In suirmary, we are satisfied that most asbestos materials, (particularly those formulated with cnrysotile), will continue to be valuable ana safe when used by methods which comply with the OSHA standards. Very truly yours. NICOLE! INDUSTRIES, INC. CFW/emc.. C. FRED WORKMAN VICE PRESIDENT-MARKETING BIRD 014827 2 BIRD 014825