Document pm9pLo66zRaw0Y8b6M95x530E

FILE NAME: Georgia Pacific (GP) DATE: 1973 Jan 3 DOC#: GP089 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter to the Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades from Mount Sinai School of Medicine M O U N T SINAI S C H O O L OP M E D IC IN E of 11;: City University c/Nf^> York F I F T H A V E N U E A N D I 0 0 T U S T R E E T * N E V Y O S K , N.Y. 10029 i\C *..i\VjN ' nm urt/ty ?TtJicint .'January 3, 1973 'Mr. S. Frank, p.aftery, General President .Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades United Union Building ' - '1750 New York Avenue, N.W. ,,YYashington, D.C. 20006 Dear Mr. Raftery: ' . 1 .regret that I do not have a very happy report concerning initial findings in our examinations of tapers in New York City. Y/ith the cooperation of Mr. John Alfarone and Local 1974 of the "international Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades, we-exmained 17 members of the Local. Our concern, of course, was whether the dusts inhaled at their work (particularly asbestos) might be associated with lung damage. ' Ibte x-ray studies showed definite fibrosis to be present in a pro- portion of the nen. These results should be evaluated with the `-realization that x-rays always under-represent the amount of scar- ~-ring to be present and that most damage first makes its appearance -'20 or more years after onset of work. ' . . wC-rC.-.-1 --- The following table summarizes the findings in the .small sample of men so far examined. . - yea rs from ' onset of taping work Number examined- 0 10 2 0 - 20 7 X-ray evidence of . fibrosis Number... Percent 50%  .-.--ray changes aro not unlike those seen nr,ong asbestos insulation rkers wi th similar work experience. ... . Years' from onset of work Local 197-1 - Tapers Number Examined Percent Fibrosis Local s 12 32 - Insulation Workers Number Examined Percent Fibrosis 0-9 0 , 346 10.4 10-19 io 50% - 379 44.1 20-29 , 7 . 59% 77 ' 72.8 i .30-39 " - mm * . 194 87.1 * 40+ *`v: ' '121 - . 94.2' * . 1,117 . . Of course, no conclusions can be drawn from such few data. Nevertheless, * even these limited experien ces suggest that a problem of serious propor- tions- may be in the offing. Among insulation workers in the construction industry, few cancers occur in the first twenty years. After this nark is reached, cancer and pneumoconiosis become serious hazards. In the period 1967-1971, for example, almost half of all deaths were due to cancer of one type or another, with 20% of deaths due to lung cancer alone. Apprehension has been heightened by another observation. 'A member of Local 70S, Mr. S. Esposito, was found 19 months ago to have lung cancer, i '.and the affected lung was removed. Analysis of the tissues showed a i ' great deal of asbestos, with literally billions of small, fine fibers present, similar to the numbers found in asbestos insulation workers' i ' lungs. (Unfortunately, despite the operation, Mr. Esposito died seven' ;.*-months ago.) " `r y y '\ ' . - _*:' f *_-.* 1 -7^ " V -- .:_r x. :- You may be assured of our full cooperation in such measures you believe . will be of assistance in promoting the health of your members. ii i Sincerely yours, . Irving J. Selikoff, M.D, ''"Professor : " ..Director, Environmental Sciences Laboratory IJS.-df ' ,cc;Mr. James Wolford Mr. John Alfarone Mr. Sheldon R . Samuels '..-./.Mr, Jacob d a y m a n V .-Mr. Andrew T. Haas . .. - w ' \ I V : l '1 .' --.y . . .::u fac tu rc r _________________ _________ __ ancl ':,pact:i< uunds / " 4 4 Cl.ryr.otilc Ma to r1a1 A sbes tos Quartz Mica * Talc 0 tb.er U.S. Gypsum A U.S. Gypsum B Tape compound Tape compound b ll 0 b 0 0 + 0 * U.S. Gypsum C "Eurobond" + . U.S. Gypsum D . Jointing compound + .U.S. Gypsum E "Bedmi:c" 4* w U.S. Gypsum F Wall board seal . + > U.S. Gypsum G ' Taping compound b '' Muralco 'Spackle + N.A. * Spackle + '9> N.A. J N.A*. -Spackle ' .- Plaster board 0 ' *0 N.A. Plaster board 0 N;A. Tile setters cement 0 0 0 b . . + 4+ ; -f44* + 4* + b + + ; b * + : 0 + 4* + 0 0 0 0 . 4* r 0 + 0 0. 0 Techniques utilized: - optical microscopy , electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction . *t Spackle and . Taping compounds : Chrysotile asbestos - _ Quart Z 9/10 6/10 : :'....' . ' Mica * Talc * . \* 9/10 2/10 b b b + b b 4'bb' 0 f- 4* .+ - Confidential . - Arthur N. Kohl, Ph.D. Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of Few York c_. January 23, 1974 \ h> f n