Document o9vbpdQd159r0wwKvy300Ewk8

pw 1, V Ths Saranac Lasoratory Study < Twbrfluii, Occupational D.a, and industrial Hyo!*na founded by Eowau> i-mwosTW Tu8AU in I88j ? Om&H St.. $Afc*WAC UUi. HV# YOtK p.o. a ssi Rfarnc.; February 6, 1956 TtUphon.t Laboratory 013 01r,cur 5S0 Hr. H,D. Burch Director of Personnel and Industrial Relations Otfena-Corning Fiberglas Corporation P.0. Box 901 Toledo, Ohio Dear Hr. Burch: On the occasion of tbeir recent visit here to inspect our progress with the study on the pathogenicity of fiberglas, Dr. Bishop and Hr. Slack mentioned to ae that this research project falls under your general supervision. To facilitate your task of explaining to lay personnel, who sight be interested in the results of our experiments, likeJi^cglaa jjtaX-be capahla^of-dcting ta,,mp, herewith a few prelimin ary commente.' Please do not hesitate to call for further elucidation as need arises. I will do ay best to irtfors. you fully about what ve already know and will not hesitate to tell you directly where the limits of our own and also other researches* limitations lie. You may have dif ficulty with published statements too. Please feel free to consult ae it asy time about such matters if you believe I can be of help to you. Firstly, the following is the status of our current experimentation on fiberglass Product Studied Method Type and Number of Animals Used Stage Reached 1 Fiberglas with Intratracheal Guinea pigs 10 Completed at Calcium Sulphate filler 12 months 2 X U\ X 3 If H R It * Hats 10 11 U 11 a n Rabbits 5 tl a II n Chemical and Histo logical Studies in Progress "an a i a ii ii a i 4 Fiberglas with Calcium Carbonate filler 5 i* n a x 6 I* U 11 M 11 ii it u Guinea pigs 10 II If II ii ii ii ii n > Rats 11 *1 <1 II n * a n " a ir Rabbits 7 nan it a il (1 (continued on page 2) 01 501 15 73 V *1 'Ti.g Ss,a^ Uixnttoty, a nan-ptofit r*amMt,*i Uf,det <&< Edveet.o* Law ef Toil Sieit. ,<- Xtttatcfi, and Edutaiian WV-1054 Pag 2 Mr. K,S>, Burch Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation February 6, 1956 Product Studied Method Type and Number ofAnimals Used Stage Reached 7 Rosin only 8* 9 aa Waa Intratracheal Guinea pigs 9 it o Intravenous Rats Rabbits Rabbits 11 5 5 Completed at 12 months it u a a ii n <* fr n Chemical and Histo logical Studies in Progress ft It a ft ft a u ft u II If it e u ||ii II B 11 Class fibers only 12 a n 13 jr 11 a n 9 Intratracheal Guinea pigs 10 B Hats 10 ft Rabbits 5 Subcutaneous Rats 5 it ii ii ii n ii ii u n u ii ii ft ft ft B ii II a u ft n ii II H ft ft it i ft If f| 11 a i ft ft ft ft R ft i 15 Fiberglas with Calcium Sulphate Tiller Inhalation 16 a h a k a A 17 ft ft a h II Guinea pigs 60 Rate 16 Rabbits 9 Modified and ft ft n ft n i t Terminated at 15 months Terminated and ii n h it H l Modified at 15 months Terminated at ii n ii II a it n 9 months 18 Fiberglas with Calcium. Sul- * pbate . Beryllium Phosphor Rats 3D In progress t! n it II it 19 Fiberglas with Calcium Sul- ** phate Ri Tuberculosis * 20 Reactivation of Tuberculosis a by 'Fiberglas Guinea pigs 26 Guinea pigs 2T Terminated at u 9 months ft n ft n 11 >i ir it n it cr 1! ft it ft n 21 Control Tuberculosis only w 13 h h n h ft u II a U a 22 Fiberglas with Calcium Carbonate filler Inhalation w 60 In progress 15 months 28 animals autopsied <r a , (corvtirva&d on page 3) 01 501 1574 Page 3 Mr. M.C. Burch Owena-Corfting Fiberglas Corporation February 6, 1956 Product Studied Method Type and Camber of .Animals Used Stage Reached 23 Fiberglas with Calcium Carbonate filler Inhalation 24 a s u e if i * 25 Fiberglas (excessive con centrations) 26 Fiberglas with Caloium Carbonate filler Beryl lium Phosphor e u Rats 2U In progress 15 months 16 animals autopsied Rabbits 9 In progress 15 months 1 animals autopsied Guinea pigs 7 In progress 15 months Rats 6 In progress 15 months Chemical and Histo logical Studies in Progress nun n n u a u ii ii n n n it n 27 Fiberglas Rx Tubercle 2d Reactivation of Tubercu losis by Fiberglas H ft Guinea pigs 24 17 autopsied ft it n ii ii a a 26 13 ** ft H a a 29 Rl Tubercle Control a s a 34 16 a a it n u i* 30 Flakeglas Ocular Rabbits Instillation 2 Completed 31 32 a 33 34 r. . 35 H Cutaneous contact infriction Rabbits 2u Intratracheal Guinea pigs 10 In progress it Rabbits 5 it it it Rate a i1 8 Intravenous Rabbits 5u a I believe the foregoing list will show you what a comprehensive range of testa we are making to ascertain in what way and to what degree fiber 's or any of its components is hamful, if indeed it causes any damage to animal tissues* Sven so, we believe several additional stud-U kpi>^ be regujxft^- As there 'has been appreciable discrepancy between the results obtained on guinea pigs* rats and rabbits y->i_ that we_s tudy the fleets oi the production monkeys'as well so that we may JuuiW whether the human species vUl re&MTadvrseiv oVf avorablY^to InhaigtiOn oi. the"qu's'fc. ---------- 1 -- ----- ----------- 01 501 1575 I "V< -' 01 501 1578 i Page U Kr. K,D, Burch Owens-Coming Fiberglas Corporation February 6, 1956 It is imperative also that we determine how rapidly and completely fiberglas dust is eliminated from animal tissues and whether* if it Is expelled after dust exposure has stopped, this is accompanied by reversal of those tissue reactions we have already observed. Ho doubt you will readily perceive the medico-legal importance of such information. We should also prolong the exposures for at least another year. In |of our earlier ela?fff and ,f*3,rr w showed th&t un- \ favorable results sometimes ensued.during t^ethird year of exposure while regained i23~abeyance previr?9lyr-- ~ . A fourth avenue yet to be explored more satisfactorily would be a study on the capacity of the fiberglas to induce Impk..cancer. There is so such propaganda over the issue of lung cancer today that one cannot omit this study, either to clear the product of all potential blame or to dis cover In time whether it holds such a danger. I suppose you already know that asbestos is fairly well incriminated as a carcinogen and the asbestos causes lung damage byjvir^us of the length, of ^ita.fibers^,a.property, it - shares with the fibSrrlasJ^ Various polyester resins have alidadv been ~xr-- ' as carcinogens so that one must remain cautiouA^bout. the tiberglas resin until it has been cleared^ Finally, in view of the evidence we already have that the fiberglas ___. dust facilitates the develo|me.r^^_^ubar;culosiSj) this study should be --* ea^anded^to' SJCltEdy^Re^Tiird superimposition phase of the tubercle study, i.e., to determine whether prior exposure to the dust will stimulate tuber culosis. Reference to the foregoing tabulation reveals that wo have already instituted the investigation on the simultaneous phase and the reactivation phase. Such a large proportion of our rabbits died 3m the dust roca that we believe the studies on them flhouid_hg_ggseatgd. Deaths may have been due to an intercurrenT*epIaootic and not due to the fiberglae dust. If a new set of animals could be studied, the suspicion that the dust may have caused the deaths of the rabbits would either be verified or rebutted. None of the guinea pigs died spontaneously and we are inclined to bolievc the rabbits died of causes other than the duat, but unless we can repeat this phase of the study, the record will remain unfavorable. I lock forward to meeting you at some time in the not too distant future, and hope the foregoing information will be of some value to you meanwhile. Tours sincerely, G/rKSsstem G.tf.H. Schepers, M.D., D.Se. Director 01 501 1577