Document pmXDbNRa39dQ08qwmZjGj5M1X

FILE NAME: Drywall Spackling Compounds (DWSC) DATE: 1975 Aug 26 DOC#: DWSC015 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter to US Gypsum RE Asbestos Content Spackling Putty August Sd, 1975 Mr. 2 .51. Duffy U.S. yp.m3, Co, 101 South Packer Drive Chicago, Illin o is 60606 Do:u- Sir: I have used your oospany' s products for several years. l& st recently, I lave 'bem making exi*r>?ive use of your "fcacolite Sparkling Patty1*, m in Jane 1 bought a f i f t y y\ f old louse which has many creeled vails end sellin gs* I also rsacv.d &ti old calcine chest and fille d the r e c itin g space with plaster sM a surfaco coating o f epaofcXe. la a l l this weak I have used a elec oandsr to give a saooth finish prior to p a r tin g . On Saturday evening, August 23rd, I was astounded to hear on m evening TST sewscast a warning that some epadling eoE^ouads contain asbestos fibers, arid advising the pr&lic not to sand these compounds due to Xlkaly injurious consequences. On Ikm&ay corning I called the V ,S . Consumer Products Safety Corals sion fo r verification o f the facts mentioned on the program, tKiey verified Ike fact that your proifuob 3.1 indeed contain asbestos, sad that they vers considering requiring your firm to post a warning o f asbestos content a the box* She US0B8C also advised ne that tlas K-ew YcA ^laaa had carried a a r tic le on August 8 regarding studies aaSsHby a team of doctors at Mount Sint:;! HcEpitaX*s School of EiwixouEfeifcsl l&dieine which pointed oat the serious dangers to the public lurking in spac&ling coafcioit. due to their asbestos By th is time deeply concerned and angry at vhnt I had learned, 1 contacted the School o f Medicine and talked to Brs. S e lik cff end Bohl, two of the research ieca which had woxked on the asbestos study. 2?hey both agreed that navvies of your cojpaqy* speckling coapouad that they had tested had hessa a Y p y y blgh asbestos content, often ns stueh as lfl%. By now extreme2y worried, 1 d>siSr:iBad~ say ce.ee o f your product*'ana ekked for m opinion m vhat possible harm could trove tcca caused "by the ingestion into say lungs of the asbestos fibers from i t . 2hsy replied that, although I t is kaoaa to be carcinogenic, there is no ct^ lish sd ioler&se le v e l for th is sia ere l. A ll that is known is that the wives end children o f asbestos workers have contracted tumor* merely from easing in contact with the clothing o f these workers, which <xaatained"saa^ ,..idayqats ofl^ S estos dust. IBisy'fSrSbier stated that even minute amounts of " iS e s t o s Ingested into the lungs were carcinogenic tie s bcedbs, whose possibly deadly e ffe ct sight not become evident for twenty years or sore. They advised no to discontinue use of your product at o n ce. - 2 - I fin d i t d id d d enli to b e lie v e t h a t a r a ijo r coop any cacti of? yours could bo no c a llo u s and i n o b f e r o n t t o tho p i h l i e namely a s to pot o s i b r r:art:ot a p:ocff of leaded vdth a carcin o g en ic agent w ithout pay o ra tio n vrurihr" e s to lie t a u t t a l l y don'lly c o a te rits end p rop er a r e . peci'eve o f vfaat I s e a t rorrino to h e pour eonpany's in d if f e r e n c e t o oixr w e lfa r e , a y a e lf end ay w i t s , u io i s fo itr rjontho prcprusnt, a s v a i l a s e c a n ile e s o th e rs who hare tued y cu r product^ have lo n c iitiu c iy bean errocced to an e>:fcr<x$ely hasorruotss m & Btarice. laosi I vcmXd H h e Gnsvorad b y you s i r , as d ir e c t o r o f your c o r p o r a tio n 's p o lic ie s ; are the follow ing: 1 . h ere you p erso n ally aware th a t your corpceiy' s '^ e x o lit e " Spset-ling Putty contained high percentages o f asbestos f ile r s ? 2 . F e re you nears t i n t Fufocstoe has been found; in se v e ra l governmental m il independent stu d ios to l a in d isp u tab ly a carcin ogen ic ag en t, and.that vide p u b licity has been given to these findings in the variou s p u b lic jas&ia? 1 b e lie v e s i r , in th e l i g h t o f v b a t has o ccu red , th a t I cm e n t i t l e d to a proopt end fo r th r ig h t answer to th ese q u estio n s. Very tru ly yours, h eig h GoDoyaliE 2 -iS iiorbh Jioad G rea t tech , Pew York 110$[ ltd : r s c c : ' U .S . Consumer Products S a f e ty Coirssi&sion