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Georgia-fecific intracompany memo to A. F. Hodges from Deanna M. Hall subject ^ (PLAINTIFFS | EXHIBIT GP-282 location location date Atlanta - 11 Atlanta - 9 November 20, 1984 Per your request to Marion Groover, and her subsequent request to me, here is the full citation for the attached article: Exposure to asbestos in the use of consumer spackling, patching, and taping compounds. A.N. Rohl, A.M. Langer, I.J. Selikoff, and W.J. Nicholson. Science 189 (4202) p. 551-3 (15 Aug. 1975). The bibliographies of asbestos work reported by these authors will follow. DMH/lam cc: M. E. Groover - Atlanta - 11 D. M. H. S,|C for most Of the elements in the --.1ter of the periodic table, such as the transill0n elements. Finally, when the ionic potential is high (> 10) the positive ion ap propriates one or more oxygen ion, freeing the hydrogen and formhry an oxyanion, which is generally soluble; this is charac teristic of the nonmetals-ib-sbe upper right corner of the periodic table. If life began in the primitive terrestrial oceans, elements whose abundances in the .iqucous phase are high should have a high representation in living material. In Fig. I, the enrichment factor for a number of ele ments--that is, the ratio of the concentra tion of the clement in an organism to its concentration in the earth's crust (7)--is plotted against ionic potential. A similar curve is seen for all major groups of orga nisms. as we proceed up the evolutionary scale from bacteria to fungi to plants to land animals, and for the ocean (Fig. 2). A general pattern is observed for all living organisms: (i) For elements of low ionic potential values (IP < 3) the log of the enrichment factor (EF) is in the range of -I to + I indicating small enrichment or small depletion relative to the crust, (ii) For intermediate IP values (3 < IP < 10) log EF is -3 to -4 indicating large de pletion in living organisms, (iii) For large IP values (IP > 10) log EF increases as the ionic potential increases and varies from -4 to +4 it should be noted that the ele ments mentioned by Crick and Orgel as showing anomalous distribution patterns-- Mo, Ni, and Cr --also follow this general pattern. Specifically, Mo does not show any significant enrichment in living organ isms as compared to the earth's crust. Obviously, taking each element and each group of organisms separately, we may ex pect many exceptions to the rules; still, the general pattern is strikingly similar for all the groups of organisms investigated. According to Oparin (8). some com binations of biochemical reactions are characteristic of all contemporary orga nisms. These arc combinations of patterns acquired by the emerging living mutter in its very early stages of development, before further specialization and differentiation took place. Thus the basic similarity of the elemental composition pattern of all groups of living organisms (Fig. I) in dicates that the pattern was determined at the initial steps of the development of life. It should be noted that in the range of ionic potentials higher than 10, where the major biochemical elements sulfur, car bon. and nitrogen are found, organisms have a very significant enrichment of 10 to almost 10,000 relative to the ocean. This 13 AUGUST I97J ec *t 20f- 1 l------ SCAV.ATCft to o -420 z 111 2 5-36o! -600 a wv e Ca Ctf C NI tfa * Cr. a St 30 JL 00 OS to 1.5 LOG IONIC potential Fig. 2. Elemental enrichment factors in seawa ter, ictaicd 10 the ionic potential of the elements. may be taken as a clue to a more exact lo cation for the origin of life. It can be specu lated that life began at the interface of the primitive atmosphere and the ocean, in the thin microlayers at the surface of the ocean where large enrichments of the atmo spheric constituents (mainly nitrogen and carbon at that stage) may occur. Various other elements may also be concentrated in these microlaycrs because of the clTccts of surface-active materials, surface tension, and the transfer processes between the liq uid and the gaseous phase. In any event, it is evident that a chemical environment similar to the earth's ocean is sufficient to explain the elemental abundance relation ships in living materials. A nonterrestrial explanation, especially one that has in- uuvantageous to the rapid development of life, is not justified. Amos Banin Jerzy Navrot Department ofSoil and Water Sciences, Hebrew University ofJerusalem. Rehovot, Israel Itiffimn nt Naif* 1. S Arrhenius. Worldt im the Miking (Harder A Row. New York, !90*|. 2. F. H C. Crick end L. E. Oriel, /rant, || J41 (1973). 3. W. R Chappell. R R. Meglen. D D Runnells ihtd. 21.313(1474) 4. T. II. Juke*. ihtd . p. 516 3. L. t. Orgel. ihrrf .p SIX 4. K B Krau\knpf, Introduction to Gmchemisirr (McGraw-Hill. New Yark. IV65|. 7. Oala on tunccniralitm range* and man values of elemental abundance* were compiled fiom ihc fol lowing source* (Earth's cro*l) S R. Ta>lor, Crochtm Coimttfhim Aril IS, 12)10(1964) (Scow., ler) J. P. Rile, and G. Skirrow. lids,. Chemical Occmography (Academic Press. New York. 1965k ol 1. pp. 164 I6J. (Bacteria and fungi) J. R. Porter, Bacicnri Chemistry and Fhynulogy (Wile,. New York. 194*). p. 363; W. S. Spector, Ed.. Handbook of Biological Data (Saunders. Philadelphia. 1956k PR. 1* *9; C. Long. Ed. Bio chemists' Handbook (Spots. London. 1961k pp. 1050 1052. (Plants) H. O. Chapman. Ed.. Diag nostic Criteria for Hints and Soil' (Univ. of Cali fornia Pres*. Berkeley. 1966k p. 743. (Land ani mals) It. J. M. Bowen. Trice Clements In Bio chemistry (Academic Press. London. 1966k pp. 174 210; A. Banin and 1. Navrot. Common Suit Sri. Ham Anil. 3. 177 (1972k Where available, data for range nf cnttccniralinnt were used In calculate a runic i>f enrichment factor* for a group of organism*. When onl, the mean concentration wat available, uni, one enrichment factor value was ftven. The ionic potential was calculated using crystal radius values given by L. H. Ahrens [Crochtm. Cosmochlm. Act1 2, 155 11952)}. For ele ments appearing in various oxidation states the most abundant form was chosen. I. A. I. Oparin, in Eiobtology, C. Ponnamperuma. Ed. (North-Hofland. Amsterdam, 1972). p. II. 9. For constructive criticism of Ihi* manuscript we estend our thanks 10 J. Rronftid and I. Cohen. It March 197} Exposure to Asbestos in (he Use of Consumer Spackling, Patching, and Taping Compounds Abstract. Analysis of representative samples of spackling, patching, and jointing com pounds. purchased at retail stores in the Hew York City area, has shown that some con tain asbestos minerals as welt as other biologically active substances. Measurements sug gest that home repair work involving the use ofsuch materials may result in exposure It dust of concentrations sufficient to produce disease. Spackling and drywall taping com pounds consist of extremely fine-grained white powders or prcmixctl pastes. Plaster of Paris ts supposedly the major constitu ent, but other light-colored materials in cluding clays, micas, quartz, talc, and ground limestone, supplement or replace the plaster in many formulations. Chryso lite is added to some products, apparently because these minute fibers act as rein forcing agents. The presence of amphibole asbestos in some products results from its natural occurrence in talc, carbonates, and other rocks used as raw materials (/). Fifteen samples of consumer spacklinj and patching compounds were purchaser at hardware stores in the New York Cit; area, four in 1972 or earlier and the re mamder in January 1974. Wc analyzed th samples for mineral phases by polarize light microscopy, x-ray powder diffractior and transmission electron microscop; with particular attention to quanlitaiiv determination of asbestos minerals. Th spackling and taping compounds const mainly of particles smaller than 3 am average diameter or length (Fig. 1). Pi tides of this size are generally too small 331 k. I. !* . J content >> and patching compounds and mdustru. uf> taping compounds. __________________ Frequency of occurrence of mineral phases Mineral phase In 15 consumer In 10 spackling industrial and patching drywall taping compounds compounds Chrysotile T rcmoliie Anthophyllite Talc Quartz Feldspar Pwophyllite M ic.i h .infinite Calcue Dolomite Plaster of Paris J (5-10*) 1 (4- 6%) l (10-12%) 2 9 (5-70%) 1 2 X 5 II 3 7 9(5-12%) 1 (5- 7%) 2 6(10-30%) 9 7 4 4 6 be individually studied by polarized light microscopy, and identification is further confounded because these compounds commonly are mixtures of four or more diderent materials. The analytical use of the optical microscope with its limited res* olution allows large numbers of fibers to go undetected. The asbestos minerals, in particular, are usually too fine-grained to identify. In such circumstances, x-ray pow der difTraction may be used to identify and quantify the individual crystalline phases present in the mixtures. In this investigation the amounts of as bestos present in spuckling compounds was determined by comparison with dilution standards (2). Binary systems of chrysotile, tremolite. and anthophyllite asbestos in plaster of Paris (CaSO, '/iH,0) were pre pared at varying dilutions on a weight-to- wcighi basis. Uiagnostic reflections each of the asbestos minerals were select ed. These reflections were step-scanr.ed b, x-ray difTraction at increments of 0.02* 21, where # is the dispersion angle, over a goniomsiric interval sufficient to define a pcal.-10-bacl ground ratio for the diagnos tic refections. A digital printout of elapsed time m a fixed-count determination was used to prepare precise positions and pro files of the diagnostic reflections. The area above background, determined with a compensating polar planimetcr, was taken to be proportional to the concentration. Details of the method have been presented elsewhere (2). Samples of spackling and taping compounds were prepared, ana lyzed. and measured under the same condi tions as the dilution standards. Com parison of the results of known dilution standards with the samples permitted the amounts of asbestos to be estimated with approximately 20 percent reproducibility. The presence of certain minerals may in terfere with the detection or quantitation of chrysotile in spackling and taping com pounds. For example, chrysotile and kaolinite have similar crystal structures and consequently similar x-ray difTraction patterns (i). However, electron micros copy can be used to corroborate the re sults of x-ray difTraction and to directly estimate the asbestos content of materials, since each mineral type has a characteristic morphology and electron difTraction pat tern. The results of the analyses of IS con sumer spackling and patching compounds arc given in Table I. Three of the samples were found to contain chrysotile asbestos, and two others contained tremolite and an thophyllite asbestos. Talc was a major con- Table 2. Asbestos fiber concentrations during use of taping compounds containing asbestos miner als Multiplication of the number of libers per milliliter by 10* gives the number of fibers per cubic meter of air. an amount which may be inhaled during I hour. An unstudied proportion of tnese fibers is retained and others are exhaled. Current (interim) regulations of the OSHA prohibit concentra tions of S fibers per milliliter or more, longer than 5 m. as a time-weighted average for workers. Concentrations above 2 fibers per milliliter will be illegal after 1976. Current regulations set a ceil ing concentration of 10 fibers, longer than 5 Mn, per milliliter of air. Operations Number of samples Peak fiber concentration (fibers per milliliter) Mean Range Pole-sanding (1 to I S m) Background (2.5 m). same room Background (7.5 m). adjacent room Hand-sanding (1 to 1.5 m) Background (2 5 m). same room Background (4.5 mi. adjacent room Dry mixing (1 to 1.5 m) Background (3 to 6 m). same room Background (5 to 10 m). adjacent room Sweeping floor (3 to IS m) 15 Minutes after sweeping 35 Minutes after sweeping 10 too 3 8.6 2 4.8 11 5.3 2 2.3 2 4.3 2 47.2 3 5.8 2 2.6 1 41.4 t 26.4 1.2 to 19.3 3.5 to 19 8 0.7 to 8.8 l.3to 16.9 2.1 to 2.5 1.5 to 7.1 35.4 to 59.0 0.5 to 13.1 2.lto 3.1 Fig. I (electron photomicrograph of a consumer spackling product. Large numbers of chrysotile fibers and fiber bundles are present Granular particulates are day, mica, and carbonate min erals. stituent in two samples and- pyrophyHite in two. The crystal structure and physical properties of pryrophyllite are almost identical to those of talc; pyrophyllitc may be considered (he aluminum analog of talc. Its biological activity is presently un known. Quartz was a major constituent in seven of the samples, and it was present in two others in lesser concentrations. On the basis of the x-ray intensities of several ma jor quartz reflections, including those at 4.26, 3.34, and 1.817 A, the amount of quartz present is estimated to be greater than 10 percent in the seven samples. Opti cal and transmission electron microscopy have shown essentially all the quartz to be of respirable size (< 5 pm). Both quartz and talc can produce pulmonary fibrosis (silicosis, lalcosis) (4). One sample con sisted largely of quartz with lesser amounts of feldspar and anthophyllite. This may in dicate that the source material for this product was an anthophyllite schist The combination of talc with some tremolite and quartz in another sample represents a common mineral association typical of commercial talc ore bodies. Both optical and electron microscopic analyses showed that the asbestos fibers present in the samples ranged in length from 0.25 to 8.0 um. Most were shorter than 5 urn in length, which is respirable size, yet they were not generally detected by optical microscopy. The possibility of asbestos exposure dur ing home construction and repair is in dicated by the fact that drywall construc tion workers arc exposed to significant concentrations of asbestos air con tamination. Mineralogtcal analyses of ten industrial drywall taping compounds show that nine contain chrysotile. in concentra tions ranging from 5 to 12 percent (by weight) (Table I). SS2 htauc ... 4-.uiemcm o had ceased, i . aal an ...ipie.i IllJt pui. ..J besio* air concentrations in the brea*. taken afier sanding was completed. The ha \Jous materials be eliminated from zone of drywall construction workers, uti* floors of the rooms and halls were swept nsumer spackling. taping, and wall li/mg the standard technique of the Na with a hand broom, which raised a cloud of patching compounds as soon as feasible. tional Institute for Occupational Safety dust. Fiber counts could not be made on As an interim measure, labels should be re and Health (NJOSH) for asbestos sam floor sweeping samples because the filters quired on such products staling their con pling and analysis (phasc-Cftfftrust optical were too heavily laden to count. Samples tent and providing instructions for the use microscopy at x 430) (5). These air sam were taken after 15 minutes h.:d elapsed, of appropriate respirator protection and ples were also analyzed by transmission and, in one case, 15 m away in another for safe cleanup procedures, including the electron microscopy. Air--samples were room. Measurements showed that signifi disposal of w aste materials. taken at various building jobs and job sites cant concentrations of asbestos remained A. N. Rout. and included such operations as hand- suspended and could pervade living quar sanding. pole-sanding, mixing of dry ters for a considerable duration of time af spacklc with njtcr, and sweeping after ter sweeping had ceased. A. M. Langkr I. J. SfcUKOFF W. J. Nicholson completion of suth operations. Personal In summary, our analysis of 15 repre Environmental Sciences Laboratory, air samples were also taken in adjacent sentative samples of consumer spackling. Mount Sinai School of Medicine, City areas; such air samples, taken in the patching, and taping compounds has University of New York. New York 10029 breathing zones of the operators, consti shown that five contained appreciable tute measurements of their exposure to amounts of chrysolite or other asbestos Stltincn h4 Noin dust. Table 2 shows that airborne concentra tions of 5 libers per milliliter of air or more, longer than S *m, are common dur ing the use of drywall taping compounds containing asbestos. This exceeds the inter im legal standard excursion set by the Oc cupational Safety and Health Administra tion (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor. The OSHA standard calls for an 8hour time-weighted average. The discon tinuous nature of these operations suggests that the 8-hour sampling is inappropriate in that peak exposures in the present in stance, under a range of application and cleanup operations, greatly exceed the maximum allowable excursions of 10 fi bers per milliliter for a 15-minutc interval. These concentrations, determined by the minerals. Many contained substantial amounts of quartz, talc, and other miner als with disease potential. Optical micro scopic analysis of personal air samples ob tained during the use of asbestos-contain ing compounds showed concentrations frequently in excess of the current oc cupational standard of 5 fibers per mil liliter, longer than 5 ?m. Use of these ma terials in home repair work (for example, mixing, sanding, and cleanup) may expose the user (and other members of the house hold) to significant concentrations of as bestos. Even more important, none of the 25 in dustrial and consumer spackling and tap ing compounds examined had warning la bels or indication that they might contain toxic or hazardous materials. It is, there- 1. M. Rou, W. L. Smith. W. Athlon. Am Mineral SJ. 7JI (I96X); W A. Df. R. A Huwic. J Zuuman. Rock Forming Shnrrall (Wiley, New York, t962k .ot, 2. pp 221 242; H S. Yoder. Am.J. Sri., Bowen volume (1932). p. 369. 2. A. N, Rohl and A. M. Linger, Eavtrom. Health Ftriptn 9.93 (Dec. 1974). J. G. W, Bnndley. in X-ray Identification and Crystal Strut lorn of Clay Umerals. G, W, Brindley. Ed (Mincialogiciit Society. London. 1931). pp. 32-7$. 4. For example, wc M. Klcmfcld. J. Meiinc, A. M. Linger. Environ Res. 6. 132 (1973): M. Klcmfcld, J. Motile. O. Kooyman. M Zuki.Arch Environ. Health 14. 661 (I9h7fc W. G. B. Griham and E. A. Gaenxkr. Ued Thurac 22,590 (1963k 5. S. G. Bayer.T. A. Brown. R. O. Zumwalde (Docu ment YR-IM, US. Department or Health. Educa tion. and Welfare. Public Health Service. National Institute (or Occupational Safety and Hcellh, Cin cinnati. Ohio. 197$). 6. Supported by National Intiitulc of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Center gram ES 00921 and by New York City Health Research Council ram U-2111. One of us (A.M L.) wishes lo aenowlcdgc support under a Career Scientist Award from the NIEHS (gram ES 44112) We thank K. Martin. R. Klimcmidis. and P. Formby for technical assistance. 7 March 1975 NIOSM method, arc only suggestive of the total asbestos exposure. Comparison of optical microscopic and electron micro scopic analyses of asbestos fiber counts of Water Wells as Possible indicators of Tectonic Strain identical samples showed that, for every li ber visible by light microscopy (x400 mag Abstract. Coseismic water level changes associated with the Izu-Hanto-oki earthquake nification). there were from 200 to almost of9 May 1974 were recorded in 59 among 95 observation wells located mi he districts of 1000 that could be seen only at electron Tokat and Kamo. Japan. The spatial distribution of wells in which the groundwater level microscopic magmlications of x 25,000. rose or Jell is rather systematic. The areas in which these wells are located closet v coin The background measurements in Tabic cide with the areas of contraction and dilatation expected by the faulting. This strongly 2 suggest that in home repair work in suggests a possible correlation between the observed chunges in groundwater level and volving sanding of spackling compounds, the tectonic strain The results may indicate that the water level oj wells is able io monitor members of the entire household or other at least acute coseismic strain changes. occupants of a building may inhale as- besios fibers. This could occur during mix A destructive earthquake occurred on Coseismic changes in groundwater level ing. sanding, or cleaning up of debris. Dur the southern up of the lzu Peninsula, Ja caused by the earthquake were examined ing mixing of drywall taping compounds, pan. at Ob:33 hours on 9 May 1974 The in 95 observation wells (J). located 50 to spuckle is gradually poured from a bag seismologica! data (/) are: epicenter, 34* 210 km from the epicenter. These wells into a bucket of water and the mixture is 34'N, 138*48'E; depth of focus, 10 km; were drilled originally for the protection of stirred until the desired consistency is at and magnitude, 6.9. The focal mechanism groundwater resources and measurement tained. Fiber counts measured during mix of the earthquake was a quadrant type of land subsidence. Most of the wells range ing were found to be from 7 to 12 limes with the maximum pressure axis in a near in depth from 100 lo 300 m, the shallowest greater than the current occupational ly north-south and horizontal direction. and the deepest being 33 and 2150 m deep, standard. Detectable fiber concentrations Distinct earthquake faults appeared along respectively. Groundwater level changes were found in adjacent rooms during the preexisting, dextral strike-slip faults were continuously monitored, in most mixing, and fibers were still suspended in trending in a northwest-southeast direction cases, with recorders manufactured by the ihc room air at least 15 minutes after mix- <. Nakaasa Sokki Co. The practical sensitiv- 15 AUGUST 197$ 353