Document oerqD8Dj08v2kqrgE3ob7Bbkg

FILE NAME: Mobil (MOB) DATE: 1965 13 Apr DOC#: MOB007 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Unpublished Internal Report with Comments 7L001 A p ril 13. 1565 Bathan T. Handricka S ta n d a rd O il Company 30 B o ck afellar f l u a Boob 2100 llw I o rk 20. I . I . (H -J.) D u r Tan) I a s e n c lo a in g a copy o f 17- s t a t u s r e p o r t on th e p o t e n t i a l a a b ea to a h e a lth p ro h ltK among r e f i n e r y ln n u la to r e w hich 1 p re e a n te d a t t h e S p rin g m eeting i n Miami. T here seemed to be name d ia e m tie fa c tio n w ith t h e way t h in s u r r e y in b e in g conducted and e u g g e e tio n a were made t o p la c e th e work in th e bend o f a subcommittee and to h are a l l the m edical re c o rd s examined by a ro e n tg e n o lo g is t and s p e c i a li s t i n c h e s t d ise a se s. I n accordance w ith ts j assurance to th e M edical and H ealth Committee to p reserv e th e c o n fid e n c ia lity o f th e d a ta se n t to me. I w i l l p lan to re tu rn r e a c h c o n t r i b u t o r 's l e t t e r . Any new subcom m ittee t h a t i s a p p o in te d can v. th a n work o u t i t s own modus o p e ra n d i. ' Tery tru ly yours. ! femiGiwsi jiGNfp ; i t. ft** LKR:bgm e e : A llan 1 . Dooley A rthur C. Pabat Zhdoaure L ad sn I . Kanes TEXWU 005074 HOU 000036 TEX 1003b WA-TEX 010346 THE HEJL1TS OF EZJXKEEZXESi JLPPLHHG ASBESTOS HSUUT20K ` (A. P r u l i r i n a r y A u d it) B t:m t re p o rts d e s c r i b in g & h ig h in c id e n c e oX pulmonary neoplasm* b >o a s b e s to s workers has fo c u s e d a t t e n t i o n on t b s h e a lth o f r e f i n e r y craftsm an ecxgaged i n Insu latio n a c t! T itle s . 1b o b ta in ln fo n s a tio n re la tlT s to th e trpexl e n e e o f petholeum companies w ith t h e h e a lt h o f t h e i r i n s u l a to r s , members o f th e M ed ical and Health Cosmlttee ware p o lle d , in v itin g the to co n trib u te personal I n f o r m a tio n on t h i s s u b je c t t o a common p o o l. A ssurances ware o f f e r e d t h a t the i d e n t i t y o f the donor end so u rce o f in fo rm atio n would n o t be rsv eelo d to preserv e t h e i r co n fid en tiality . Before p resen tin g an an aly sis o f the av ailab le inform ation on p e t r o l e u n company e x p e rie n c e , a b r i e f h i s t o r y o f a s b e s to s a s an I n d u s t r i a l h e a lth hazard is appropriate. H is to ric a l - For 50 y e a r s o r l o n g e r a s be to s i s has been re c o g n is e d In th e U n ited S tates as a form o f pneuoonoeonioeia r e s u ltin g from exposure to asb esto s d u s t . However, i t was n o t u n t i l J o i n t m e d ic a l and environm ental s tu d ie s w are con d u c te d by o ffic ia l h ealth agencies In the m ills o f Pennsylvania and fo rth C arolina a b o u t 30 years ago th a t the r e la tio n s h ip betw een d u st co n cen tratio n , p a r t i c l e ice, y e a r s o f exposure and d e f i n i t i v e fcheat x - r a y m arkings was e s ta b lis h e d . The lung f i e l d m arkings were a ls o shown t o c o r r e l a t e w e ll w ith c e r t a i n s u b je c tiv e r e a c tio n s r e l a t e d to pulaonary fu n ctio n . Important facta concerning the p h y sic a l ch aracter o f th e d u sts asso ciated with a sb e a to e ls were rev ealed I n th e s e s tu d ie s . Although asbestos f ib e r s , ranging i n m edian len g th from 7-16 m icron s , were found i n th e a i r , th ese long f ib e r s were r e l a t i v e l y few I n cumber. The b u lk o f suspended d u s t ranged from ab o u t 0 .5 --3 m ic ro n s i n len g th end v a rie d I n c o n c e n tra tio n from as l i t t l e as 1 o r 2 m illio n p a r t i c l e s p er cubic fo o t of a i r (m ppcf) to 20 o r more mppef, depending on th e m e c h a n ic a l o p eratio n in v o lv ed. The c o r r e la tio n s a ls o showed th a t a f t e r 15 o r so re y e a rs o f exposure the disease reach ed about th e sene degree of advancement, as e v id e n c e d by cheat x -ra y mar k in g ! , r e g a r d le s s o f d u s t i n t e n s i t y . In thess stu d ies th e re seemed to be no evidence o f pulmonary o r o thar t h o r a c i c neoplasms end no s u g g e s tio n o f such f in d i n g s . S u b seq u en tly , r e p o r t s of th e occurrence of lung cancer and o th a r m alignancies associated with asbestos deploym ent began to sppear in th e l i t e r a t u r e . A lthough th e number o f such cases a p p e a r e d l a r g e , soma in v e s t ig a t o r s f a i t t h a t th e o b s e rv a tio n s d id n o t e s t a b l i s h an i n c r e a s e d Incidence o f c a n c e r and t h a t t h e a s s o c i a ti o n v ia unproved. Many HOU 000037 T E X 10 0 3 6 TEXWU 005075 WA-TEX 010317  tlid weakness* w r t *howr. to e x is t la th e r e p o r ts e l a is ln g lung cancer u t p a c ific I n d u s t r i a l haxard o f asb esto s w o rk ers. Bovevsx, In 1963 r e p o r t pub lis h e d by S e llk o f f , Charg and Esmond (th e l a t t e r o f th a c ig a r e tte fa n e ) described a s ig n if i c a n t in cid en ce of lung cancer and o th e r p le u r a l tumors a w ell as cancers o f th a Stomach, colon and rectum among asbe* to a i n s u l a t o r s i n th a c o n s tru c tio n in d u stry . Theca insu lato r vara exposed to s T s r is ty o f m aterials In c luding fib ro u s g la s s , co rk end h e ir f a it * which c o n ta in no a s b e s to s ; o th e r in s u la tin g m a te ria ls , such a s magnesia, calcium s i l i c a t e in s u la tin g block and in s u la tio n cements c o n ta in in g 10-15 p ercen t a s b e s to s . Mo f r e e s i l i c a was p re s e n t end asbestos appear to be th e only biologically active m a te ria l in the exposure. This report seensd to be fre e of the s ta t i s t i c a l weaknesses and o th e r v a lid c ritic ism s o f the e a r lie r re p o rts. Since the date of th a t re p o rt a t le a s t 3 ad d itio n al publications by o th s r in v e s tig a to r s confirm in p a r t, i f n o t a l l , th e fin d in g s o f S e llk o ff and h is asso ciates, in important finding in tbasa re p o rts is th a t th sss cancers era found some 20-AD y ears a f te r i n i t i a l expo r a r e to a s b e s to s , fre q u e n tly a f t e r r e t i r e ment from a c tiv e employment. Summary o f finding - The response t o th a p o l l o f th e M edical and Health Committ memb e rs regarding t h i i p o te n tia l problem was nom inal fo r t h i s ty pe o f i n q u iry . Twelve r e p lie s rep re se n tin g n in e companies were re c e iv e d . Of t h i s number about 3 companies had mad* what appears to be a c a r e f u l exam ination o f t h e i r h ealth re c o rd s and a t l s a a t two o th e r companies a re engaged o r a re about to b eg in both environmomtal as w ell as pedicel surveys o f asb esto s in s u la to rs . 1 p o in t of special' in te re s t is th at not a ll insulating m aterials used in a refinery consist o f o r contain asb esto s. Considerable q u a n titie s o f g la ss wool or rock wool, as w ell s s m agnesia, are also used as I n s u la tio n . Thee* m a te r ia ls ere iwrfl r l a com position to those reported by 5 e lik o ff and a a e o e ia te s . On* company re p o rts th a t among a gro u p o f ab o u t 40 I n s u la to r s th e re was one c a se o f bronchogenic carcinoma a f t e r some 16 y e a rs o f exposure end one case o f adenocarcinom a o f th e rectum a f t e r aome 20 y a a r s o f exposure. Two o th e r employees have had lung b io p sie s performed) one w ith 25 y e a rs o f exposure show in g a s in g le a sb e sto s body in the specimen and t h e o th e r w ith 20 y e a rs o f aarv ica w ith fib ro u s th ick en in g o f th e areo lar ap ta b u t no ssb e sto e bodies in th e pedroen. There was no s ig n if i c a n t pathology in th e e* specim ens. In an o th er company one p la n t r e p o r ts a s u sp e c te d case o f eab aatcai* which o ccu rred some 10 years ago, b u t th e outcome o f th e case i a l o s t to a n tiq u ity . At an o th er p la n t o f th e aaoa company on# i n s u l a t o r had a lo v e r lobectomy and i t was su sp e cted t h a t th e fib ro e l* was caused by a s b e s to s . A biopsy d isp ro v ed th is - 2 - HOU 000038 WA-TEX 010348 TEX I 003? TEXWU 005076 a lle g a tio n . X -ray. a d n atio n * o f 7 a d d itio n a l in s u la to r * a t t h i s p la n t, each o f whom has had IS o r a e ro y e a r s o f e x p o s u re , r s T a a lo d no s i g n i f i c a n t f in d in g s , i t s t i l l anqthar p lan t roentgenography o f a l l th e In su la to rs rsro a lsd bronchov a s c u la r .m arkings which urns n o t a p p a re n t aaong o t h e r r e f i n e r y p e o p le . Bo s i g n i f i cance v u a tta c h a i to th asa m arkings by th e c o n trib u tin g physician. A t h i r d company re p o r te d exam ination o f i n s u l a t o r s a t a l l th a lr 'p la n t s . The m a jo rity h are le s s th an 1$ y e a rs s a r r l e s and t h e i r c h e s t X -ray fllsm and othar t e s t s appear norm al. Two employes w ith more th a n IS y e a rs s e r v ic e a re reported to harm a b ro n c h itis. i l l o th a r rep o rtin g companies s ta te th a t th a ir in s u la to rs appear healthy end t h a t th a ra harm been no u n u su al i l l n e s s e s among th e g ro u p . Bo r e s u lt# o f any d u st su rre y s wars re p o rte d a lth o u g h one o r two companies s t a t e t h a t th e in h a la tio n exposu re to asb esto s i s in s ig n i f ic a n t . I t i s p e r tin e n t to p o in t o u t th a t tho s o -c a lle d MAC f o r a sb e sto s d u s t i s $ mppcf and t h a t some in v e s t ig a t o r s consider t h i s v alu s to b s to o h ig h . I t i s s q u a lly Im p o rta n t to p o in t o u t t h a t d u s t con c e n tr a tio n s below about $ mppcf o f a i r a re g e n e ra lly i n v i s i b l e to th e naked eye even to th a t of th e experienced observer. Conclusion - The d a ta o b ta in e d to d a te from th e M edical and H ealth Committee l a inadequate to re s o lv e th e q u e stio n a s to th e d eg ree o f h asard which asbesto s poses to re fin e ry in s u la to r s . This is so b eeau st th e t o t a l number of r e fin e ry in s u la to rs (about 150) covered by the c o n trib u tin g companies rep o rta i s in s u ffic ie n t f o r r e lia b le s t a t i s t i c a l tre a tm e n t and i t i s u n certain 'in every case th a t the m orbidity and m o rta lity records o f re tire d re fin e ry in su la to rs o r foriM r refin e ry in su lato rs have been included In the re p o rts . Since the usual d ia g n o stic examinatie n s a re fre q u e n tly in adequate to d e te c t c e rta in cancers in t h e i r e a r ly s ta g e a , th e d is e a s e may n o t be re v e a le d u n t i l i t has p ro g ressed to advanced stages la te in li f e . To o b ta in an adequate p o p u la tio n s ta p l e o f r e f i n e r y in s u la to r s fo r s t a t i s t i c a l r e l i a b i l i t y and com parison w ith p u b lish e d d a ta , a t l e a s t 500 employees should bs covered in the survey. S in e s th e re a re only a r e la tiv e ly few in su la to rs o f long ten u re in any one p la n t, th e su rv ey would re q u ire th e f u l l cooperation o f a t l e a s t 10 companies to o b ta in mean in g f u l r e s u l t s . As a m a tte r o f i n t e r e s t , S e lik o ff rep o rts th a t th e expected m o r ta lity from lung end p lu e ra l cancers over a 2D y e a r p erio d i n a p o p u la tio n o f 500-600 perso n a i s ab o u t 6 an l f o r th e eves le n g th o f tim e, th e expected m o r ta lity from neoplasm s o f th e stomach, colon and rectum i s about 9 f o r th e asms a is e p o p u la tio n . - 3- HOU 000039 u x , Q0 ] a TEXWU 005077 \aia_t c y r n n u d o im r __ Bteed oa *oa# personal ebssrrations o f in su la tin g c tlr iti , i t l* KJ o p in io n th a t th in h a la tio n exposure to a s b e s to s among re fin e ry In su la to r c i s n e i t h e r n in i msI nor. in s i g n i f i c a n t and 1 u rg e tb s M edical and Health C om itt* to continu studying th is p o te n tia l h ealth problem. C HOU 000040 - k EX 10039 TEXW U 005078 WA-TFY 010350