Document omk79ya579OgzVkX063R6BLkR

FILE NAME: Dow Chemical (DOW) DATE: 1966 Sept 10 DOC#: DOW008 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Article [Asbestos-Waiting 'Trial'] & Advertisement Trade Journal [Chemical Week] fc'.A'GNIT M A K E R S T U R N ' U P T H E H I A T ............. 101 C o rfa m g o e s to w o r k in the m a n u fa c tu rin g p la n t , ., 4 3 S e c o n d c h a n c e fo r s y n d e t s - f r o m - s u g a r p r o c e s s ? , . $ . 5. $ WiS.ZZ i M ' JS XSl*f % 6Xae89ir j Congratulations. Its bound to be the industry's top-selling fabric. Staying on the top is no cinch, Not in fabrics any more than in chemical polymers, pharma ceutical tablets, soap suds or what-have-you. So how do you protect a lead? Take advantage ; of your lead time by taking advantage of all the help you can get. Including us. 1 We recognize there's room for improve{ ment in most formulations and processes. 1 And that improved specialty chemicals--de signed, say, to thicken, stabilize or suspend better, snuff out microbes more effectively or completely control metal ions--can often cut costs s well as turn out better products, For this reason, we ve taken a new slant on formula ting and processing problems. One that involved organizing a unique, problemoriented marketing team., And putting an equally selective group of chemicals, desig nated "Designed Chemi cals," at their disposal, These specialty chemi cals will be handled only by our Designed Chemi cals Group, men who really know ingredients. And know how to help you search out that: mys terious missing chemical, Perhaps just the one that'll give your product or process that new competitive edge. How much of a lead in terms of time and market do you have on your competition? Remem ber, your tim e/m arket relationship can change almost overnight. Where you stand tomorrow depends on the move you make today. Call our De signed Chemicals Group, The Dow Chemical Com pany, Midland, Michigan. For a month. Or two months. Or maybe a bit longer. (Mgmi 13 clmdcok O N TH E COVER; Operator peers Into reactor as trickle of magnetic material drops from the opening. New markets are opening up for ceramic permanent magnets a s designers per fect smaller and lighter magnets with higher coercive force <p, 101). .CUM Voi. 99. No. U SEPTEMBER 10 1966 m THIS W E E K IN BUSINESS 5 VIEWPOINT; Cold light on the hot subject of advertising costs is shed by study showing yearly change of such costs as a percentage of GNP. 27 Trade balance may trigger new economic policies for '67. White House worries about the relatively rapid increase in imports. 29 An end to the 7 % tax credit? Process industries-- which have benefited by several ' hundred million dollars in four years-- ponder new project-payout formula. 29 Allied Chemical sets up new Industrial Chemicals Division, consolidating former corporate offshoots of three of Allied's five original predecessor companies. 30 Continental CHhConsdiidatfon Coal m erger set for next week; Pitt-Consoi Chem Is included, but potash and activated carbon stock holdings wifi be spun off. 30 Antitrust action In the U.S.: General Dynamics indicates it will appeal ruling by federal court In New York that it must divest its Liquid Carbonic division. 31 Antitrust proposal for the world; Global-minded business men consider implications of Senator Hart's plan for agency to probe international mergers, cartels. 32 New opportunities on the horizon for plastics producers; Medical research on air borne mineral fibers could lead to restrictions on asbestos in major uses. 74 Canada's Prairie farmers begin a record wheat harvest, are expected to follow up ! with another fertilizer splurge-- raising sales 2 0 % next year. 82 Manhattan's Park Avenue is becoming the fashion address for chemical companies lured by modem offices, easy commuting, and good communications. d e p a r t m e n t s 112 There will be 250,000 fewer housing starts this year. Mortgage money is short, al ! though housing demand factors (family formations and Income) are good, Business Benchmarks 112 Business Newsletter 23 Countdown Engineering J07 THIS WEEK IN TECHNOLOGY 53 International 74 43 Du Pant's Corftm finds Its first use in process equipment as a long-lasting pack Kay Changes _ 34 ing and seal material for pumps, etc. Letter ' %$ Management Market Newsletter Meetings 82 47 Armour will build plant for new series of amines derived from petroleum-based 79 materials and made by a new catalytic process. 18 National Roundup Production Research 37 83 Nebraska seeks patents on a a m process for making surface active agents from 47 sucrose and beef tallow, will offer process free to those who'll build in state. 47 Specialties 101 Technology Newsletter . 89 Viewpoint 5 THIS WEEK IN S P E C IA L T IE S Washington Newsletter 33 101 Specialty magnet market will double in the next 10 years-- from $50 million to World Roundup 89 $100 million. Auto industry wifi take lion's share. C an to ri Wmk h panati m m W efirw-HIK Ht., MO Wat 4k4 *W ** Ywt, U X JW - Owrrtlfco IW hr m &m -nm , I* . All rt#U tamtA Wtmkf at m *>J ASP. e w trtsii Ite ri*!, ClretitiM s* *8 A i** !* 0 e e * KeOnw-Hil! Beil*, MO W rit a St., Ne* Vert, .y. tm u . m m m m a n s Stete rii* , M l! a u j m J. tm U , n m tsm Je# *& ' . tatm tr. M k s *1 MittaMeMt, Pa. ! ! tm Su a * Kee p * * m m h-tin ma sus *1 *t Pa. m m ttm m tnt fer tttfhM M b I* tiffct ef M tasie .S., .S. pam sltm nt4 U tttt, $ S sm m r Olastt ten, iS ti ter W tiUr* W i- SB (ttsAr'm S IS i *U to , m . tu rn m MmlHtm* I to tmm te h r t m atnt * atatrlptum r *M1M la * to m e es. t m ts fatttiwM itaastr, Ownltu Wttk,. M . Sex 4 , miterte**, liJ, <M. P la st h <* a** Ves4r AnxA&t m i arfvarfli mmmtui re oattd <m tH 32<J f&or sf f* * S^idssr, KHH km m of ktmttt*. Taking Giant Steps Tw o chemical process companies took giant steps toward diversifying into the oceanography field last week, and two pager companies with com bined sales of nearly $1 billion/year reached a tentative agreement to merge, (1) BcmJix Corp. (Detroit) ex panded its oceanic activities by ac quiring for an undisclosed amount of stock Marine Achltos (La Jolla, Calif.), producer of oceanographic in struments for petroleum and utility companies, state and federal agencies, and firms engaged in scientific pro grams. (2) Fluor Corp. (Los Angeles) and B. L, McFarland and Associates (Fort Worth and Midland, Tex.), a group of five companies involved in offshore and onshore drilling opera tions, have agreed to merge, subject to stockholders* approval, The MeFarlaad group operates five offshore drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. (3) A tentative agreement to merge has been reached by U.S, Plywood Corp. (Hew York) and Champion Papers, Inc. (Hamilton, O.). It is sub ject to both directors' and stockhold ers* approval. The corporate identities of both companies will be preserved. Reducing Gas Rates The Federal Power Commission has ordered El Paso "Natural Gas Co, and Transwestern Pipeline Co. to reduce by $17 miilion/year the price of na tural gas In the southern California market. The rate cut stems from the July 26 decision, in which FPC turned down the application of Gulf Pacific Pipeline Co. (a Tenneco subsidiary) to supply gas to the Los Angeles area (CW, Aug. 6, p. 20). Gulf Pacific last week filed for a rehearing. El Paso and Transwestern were told they would have to lower their rates to reflect the lower costs result ing from the bigger deliveries pos sible in the expanded system. At the same time, FPC said it would conduct further proceedings to decide if cus tomers should get additional benefits resulting from more liberal deprecia tion allowances. FPC has given the companies 45 days to show cause why the reduction should not take'place. % , I Source* of airborne sb#st#s Asbestos-ljmstf ducts usd in confratiy air-cidittonedbuildings, f fefesstos ducts and Insuiatian in btrria cntraMiiating plants. ! Motor vehicle brake linings and clutch pistes. JjyufO underMatiop, ' * -Asbestos ceiling and floor tile*. M%m%m shingles 'and sidings,' Construction and demolition. Fittirtg, cutting.'and removing asbestosdllM wallboards and floorings, piping and insulation. Inofneratten of asbftstosdltled scrap, ^ i Ipropfriy:flit#rtd,.ff(flfl|fo^ afetos. processing pianK I Asbestos: Awaiting `Trial' The asbestos indttstry-- whose end products are valued at more than S50fl ntililon/year-- uay be 1 for a shake- up, It could come In the form of federal legislation limiting the use of asbestos, because asbestos has been ac cused-- though not yet ``convicted*1-- m a significant health hazard, Prob able contender for asbestos markets; plastics. Recent studies have convinced U.S. Public Health Service specialists and other medical authorities that about 40% of all Americans have mild, chronic cases of , asbestosb, even though most of them never worked directly with asbestos. Unlike other airborne dust particles, asbestos fibers have the ability--al most as much as activated carbon-- to absorb polycyclic hydrocarbons and arsenical*. Furthermore, says USPHS, in the past 30 years the as bestos-related cancer rate has in creased sixfold. The Inferences; While the average asbestos worker is well protected, the man bn the street is not. The 3x1micron asbestos fibers in his lungs can come from a variety of sources (table, above). And medical experts say there's no way to assess hydrocarbon content in those lung deposits. American Cancer Society research ers fed certain there is a synergistic relationship among airborne asbestos, smoking and lung cancer. They reason that the nondegradable, hydrocarbonsoaked fibers may well be a constant .source of lung irritation. PBS officials think it may take them up to five yeass to establish ? asbestos5 true role as an air pollutant. 1 However, Congress may act before | the research is finished. Says Repre- I tentative Robert Watkins (It., Pad: "We've seen enough evidence al ready. Asbestos will never get a clean bill of health. With just a little more data we'll move for controls and strict ones." Some form of asbestos control is in the offing, public health officials are certain, if only part of a larger r clean-ambient-alr program. Howevct, J there is the danger that Congress may 1 enact rigorous controls on the quantt- l fy of asbestos that could be used, j In that case both Canada and U.S. ; asbestos products manufacturers ' would be hard hit, Of (he five forms ; of asbestos mined today, chrysolite j asbestos holds the predominant mar- ' kef position because or its insulat- j ing and processing qualities. Canada J produces- more than 805? of the chry i sotile asbestos used in the U.S. In both countries, s number of scriou-, | dislocations would occur. f At present, there is no known ma terial that could fill all of asbestos' | strategic roles. On the other hand. | should federal controls merely call for higher standards for binders ami j shieldings. that would spark a rise of j new products, with plastics taking ` the lead, , Reason, say industry spokesmen. j present polymer technology could ! easily turn up products to replace as- , bpstos in most end-uses, ` 32 CHEM ICAL WEEK September 10, 1966