Document o9D732yjV90v75QM3JR5LoENo

FILENAME: Flintkote (FLK) DATE: 0000 DOC#: FLK033 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Barry Castleman Notes Flintkote Documents Resilient Floor Covering Institute issued brochure repeatedlyurging against dry methods in scraping flooring or backings, and against sanding same (I98O). Members were: Flintkote, Amtico, Azrock, Congoleum, Kentile, Mannington Mills, and National Floor Products SRI International had done tests of exposures under various conditions (wet scrape, dry scrape, long handle vs. short), and generated exposure levels of 0.08-O.iH wet and 1 .06-2.03 f/cc dry. The work was done for RFC Institute (above) in March, 1979 There was a lot of activity to put warning labels on joint compounds and replace asbestos in them, in July, 1976, just after the petition for a ban on asbestos in these products was filed at CPSC by the Natural Resources Defense Council (July 15). Flintkote-labeled materials of this type were then made by Celotex, U-Do-It Co., Ruco, Inc., and Murco, Inc. All these suppliers were contacted in letters of July 23, 1976. Product liability exposure was discussed in detail, and a date of Oct. 1, 1976 was initially set as the deadline for getting asbestos out of Flintkote products. Discussion of warnings for flooring and flooring backings went on thru 1977* The first mention of warnings on joint compounds was in April 19, 197^, reiterated in Abbey memo of Aug. 25 - 1975 (week after publication of Rohl et al. study in Science) . Flintkote had a technology transfer agreement w/j-M in i960 re A-C pipe mfgr, r e c 'd a cryptic note on asbestos health hazard (2-7-69) from American Mutual, and accumulated documentation at the time the 1972 OSHA asbestos std. was issued. An 8-7-79 memo notes that the NIOSH method counted fewer fibers than the one then used by Flintkote, and asks to change methods used at Flintkote to take advantage of the difference. Published articles on file include Murphy et al. (1 9 7 1 ) and the 1982 item in Science by Sebastien et al. (also same author's work in ANN. NYAS vol 330, 1979). A rather humorous item att. to JC Schmitt memo (6-6-78) described the role of Dr. Keith Mrrgan in defusing public concern over asbes tos air pollution from roadbuilding rock quarried near Rockville, MD. Products also listed in copy of a brochure.