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E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company
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Wilmington. Delaware 19898
EMPLOYEE RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
HASKELL LABORATORY
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TOXICOLOGY AND INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE
TO: PLANT MANAGERS HASKELL LABORATORY LIAISON PERSONNEL
FROM: RICHARD J. HUBIAK
It has been proposed that a second Company-wide conference be
held to discuss the health effects of the inhalation of asbestos and
the means of measuring and controlling the hazards. This letter is
an invitation to you to attend the Conference and to arrange for
attendance by all persons in your department who have a need to know
about these matters.
- '.
As you well appreciate, asbestos and asbestos products are widelyused within the Du Pont Company. In the past, and continuing to the present, asbestos has been a commonly used insulating material for vessels, pipelines, etc. Insulating material that is purchased is
fabricated within shops, is installed, and eventually i's removed. Besides its use in insulating material, asbestos is also purchased and used as an additive material to perform special functions in some products. All of these operations and work associated with them are potential areas of employee exposure.
Mankind's knowledge of the health effects of inhaled asbestos,
including asbestosis, pulmonary carcinoma, and mesothelioma has been
' and is being re-appraised in the light of new knowledge and re-evaluation
of older facts. Standards that have been developed and used over the
' years for the control of inhalation and its health effects are changing.
Cn December 29, 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA)
was signed into law and became effective on April 28, 1971. This new"' '
legislation, designed to assure safe and healthful working conditions
for the nation's working force, provides broad authority to the Department
of Labor and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Changes
in the standards on asbestos have been made in the period after the Act
became law.
'
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DUP 0907481
BETTER THINGS FOR BETTER LIVING*. . .THROUGH CHCMISTRY
SC-DP-00064
-2 -
A Company-wide conference was held in Wilmington in May 1970. Facts concerning the effects of asbestos fibers on human health, the recognition and evaluation of asbestos-related disease, the prevention of hazardous exposures, and a review of Company resources to accomplish these ends were presented at that conference.
li The purpose of the present meeting is to review some of these H factors and to present new information, information with respect to 1) compliance with the law, and. future trends.
Attendance at the Conference will not be limited in numbers provided you will inform us in advance of the numbers from your department who will attend so that arrangements may be made.
It is anticipated that there will be some expenses involved in arranging the Conference, probably not exceeding twenty-five dollars per attendee. Haskell Laboratory will have to ask that the costs be
borne by the departments sending participants in a manner similar to the registration fees for any professional conference.
The Conference will be a one-day conference and will be held on Friday, June 2, 1972,at the Du Pont Country Club. Attached to this
letter is a tentative schedule for the seminar.
For those attendees not driving to the seminar, I would .appreciate
knowing where you intend to stay. If there is sufficient patronage at the Du Pont Hotel, bus transportation will be arranged both to and from
the Country Club.
'.
A reply to this invitation is needed by May 15, 1972. In so replying, please indicate the number attending from your site.
RJH/neh Attachment
DUP 0907482
ASBESTOS SEMINAR June 2, 1972
Tentative Program
8:4$ a.m. 8:50 a.m. .9:05 a.m. 9:30 a.m.10:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 11:4-5 a.m. 1:00 p.m. 1:45 p.m.
2:00 p.m. 3:30 p.m.
Introduction
Types and Uses of Asbestos
Health Effects of Exposure to Asbestos
Changing Requirements under CSHA
COFFEE BREAK
Medical Surveillance of Asbestos Workers
Surveillance of Working Environment
LUNCH
'' \
Means of Dust Control
i
Potential Substitution of Asbestos in Insulation
* 4*'
Discussion of Topics
.
^
Adjournment
.
R. J. Hubiak C. F. Reinhardt, M.D. J. F. Morgan
A. Azar, M.D. R. J. Hubiak
. ... Com, S. Barboo, USN
G E, Lan$ XXX
0
DUP 0907483
ASBESTOS RELATED DISEASES
J. PbteZAM
Until the early 1950's asbestos was thought to be an
inert material which did not cause any problem; although asbestosis wa.
first described in 1906 in England and in 1930 in the U.S. and an
association between asbestos exposure and lung cancer was noted as
early as 1935, the fact that asbestos exposure could result in serious
health problems was not widely accepted until much later.
: It should be noted that large scale use of asbestos did not
start until close to the end of the last century. This is important
since in most cases diseases resulting from exposure to asbestos do
not become evident until many years after the exposure begins, in some
cases up to 40 years.
.
There are three disease entities which'result from exposure
to asbestos.
1. Asbestosis 2. Mesothelioma
3. Cancer of the lung and other sites
932
DUP 0907484
-2-
Asbestosis is a chronic lung disease in which the lungs become
slowly scarred and inelastic and the pleura (the outer surface of
the lung) becomes thickened and sometimes calcified. The exact
mechanism of asbestosis is unknown, but we believe that asbestos
fibers are inhaled, and become trapped in the small air sacs in the
lungs. The movement of the lungs during breathing causes the fibers
to work their way into the lining of the bronchial tubes where they
create a chronic irritation. The body's defense mechanism deposits
various materials around the fiber in an attest to destroy it or
remove it. This is not possible and leads instead to the formation
of a so called asbestos body.. The chronic irritation continues and
eventually, scarring develops around the "asbestos bodies". The
ultimate condition of the lung is one of severe emphysema.
The disease develops slowly over the years and often
continues to increase in severity even long after the exposure to
asbestos has stopped.
The effect on the patient is a progressive restriction of
his ability to move air in and out of his lungs, and the ability of
gases to be exchanged in the lungs, so that the body tissues are
provided little oxygen and are unable to adequately eliminate carbon
dioxide. The patient becomes progressively
short of breath, and
ultimately succumbs to intercurrent pulmonary infection or as a
result of -heart failure.
There is no effective treatment other than to provide some
relief by restricting activities and providing temporary relief
with oxygen and other respiratory aids.
DUP 0907485
lll)JIIJ )|l I/W.IIJ,! ,JU J
-3Mesothelioma is a tumor which involves the lining of the cavities of the body, primarily the lining of the chest cavity, both the outer surface of the lung and the inner surface of the chest wall. It is also frequently found in the abdominal cavity, and in the cavities around the heart and the testicles. " Mesotheliomas are not very malignant tumors in that they ' do not have a great tendency^SrTinvade surrounding tissues]*to spread to distant sites^ 6-<*,r There are two distinct types of mesothelioma, localized and diffuse. Most of the localized mesotheliomas can be successfully resected and there is no tendency for them to recur. There has been no association demonstrated between exposure to asbestos and the localized type of mesothelioma. The diffuse type begins in multiple areas within a body cavity. These "seedlings" grow laterally and finally coalesce and completely line the body cavity. If the lung is involved, expansion of the lung is restricted. At the same time they slowly invade the chest wall and result in severe pain. There is no effective treatment and death usually results in one year. An association between diffuse mesothelioma and asbestos exposure was first described in 1960; since then several other epidemiological studies have confirmed this association. Some epidemiological works shows excesses of diffuse mesthelioma even among members of the family of exposed workers and in the neighborhood of industrial sources of asbestos.
DUP 0907486 *
-4 the disease has been induced in experimental animals both by inhalation and by injection of asbestos in the chest cavity. The disease has also been induced in the chicken by a virus, suggesting that possibly asbestos acts by activating such a virus which then induces mesothelioma. This is still highly speculative. The interval between the onset of exposure and development of the disease is long and is dose related. The average is said to be 30 years but varies between less than one year to 50 years. There is no evidence of any association between cigarette smoking and mesothelioma.
DOP 0907487
-5Cancer of the Lung and Other Sites
Cancer of the lung and other sites, specifically the gastro intestinal tract and the larynx is the third type of disease associated with asbestos exposure.
The suspicion of an association between asbestosis and lung cancer was first published in 1935, but convincing evidence of such an association did not appear until 1955. As late as 1960 a standard textbook on occupational medicine stated: "Some authorities believe that asbestos may induce bronchogenic carcinoma, but as yet there is no impressive body of evidence to support this assumption.M
In the middle sixties Selikoff investigated the mortality experience of insulation workers and concluded that the death rate from cancer of the bronchus and pleura was 6.8 times as high as that for the general United States white male population and cancer of the stomach, colon, and rectum was three times as common. Cases of mesotheliomas and asbestosis were also found in this group. The lung cancer risk in this group was dose related. Some increase in lung cancer was seen in workers with less than 3 months exposure. An increase in cancer incidence was seen as little as 10-14 years from the onset of work exposure, but the greatest increase occurred 30-45 years from the onset of -the work exposure. When cigarette smoking was taken into account, it was also calculated that asbestos insulation workers with a history of regular cigarette smoking had eight times the risk of lung cancer deaths compared with cigarette smokers who did not do such work, and approximately 90 times the risk of men who neither worked with asbestos nor smoked cigarettes.
DUP 0907488
'inTM --:iaw ,
-6For non-smokers there was no clear indication that asbestos exposure resulted in an increase in the risk of lung cancer.
In the seventies there have been several other studies indicating an association between lung cancer and exposure to asbestos, practically all supporting a dose related response.
A dose related response has also been observed in the case of digestive system cancer.
Lung tumors have been induced in experimental animals by inhalation with exposures as short as one day.
All types of asbestos have been demonstrated to be able to produce both asbestosis and tumors; some however are more potent in inducing one response than the other.
a<3
DUP 0907489
Nan 2
j. G. Plasky B. R. Bolton H. 3. Trigg H. E. Baldwin A. B. Culver W. C. Looney B. E. Hanson W. D. Springs W. J. Wenger L. H. Williams
Carroll Wiggs B. R. Vaughan K. K. Bailey R. W. Calhoun D. L. Swats W. ,D. Whitlow 0. H. Fitzgerald G.. E. Lang J.'R. Brown W. G. Roberts E. T. Ruehl L. R. Robertson A. V. Episcopo W. J. Montgomery J. Mooyman K. Ash J. H. Wright C. A. Smith W. ,W. Dowdy L. R. Moss T. J. Hampton
Location
Nemours Nemours Wilm. Waynesboro Seaford Camden Camden Cape Fear Cape Fear Kinston Kinston . Kinston . Waynesboro Seaford Man: tins ville Martinsville Martinsville Louviers Old Hickory Old Hickory Waynesboro Old Hickory Chestnut Run Chestnut Run Maitland Kingston-Ontario Chattanooga Cooper River Chattanooga Spruance Spruance
Assignment
Phone
Staff Encrineer
4S59
Safety & Fire
3646
Legal
5637
Engineering
2800
Field Maint.
7298
Safety/Health
3461
BCF Eng. Area
2591
Engr. Spec.
4488
Environ. Cont. Supvr.
4223
Environ. Cont.
6582
Field Maint.
6544
Insul. Super.
6634
Insul. Supvr.
2781
S&F ProL&OSHA
358
Area Maint.
2302
Safety
2348
Safety Supvr.
' 2348
Materials Engg.
3435
Chief Supvr.
7612
Section Supvr.
6722
Safety, Health, Env. Affairs 2139
Env. Control
6160
Safety-OSHA
3512
Area Maint. Supvr.
3325
Maint. Forem.
406
Maint. Foreman
681
Area Maint. Supv.
1453
Area Maint. Supv. -Staple 9190
Env. Cont.
7237
S. H. E.A.
2104
Engr. Supv. -Field
2940
934
DUP 0907496
Name
J. G. Plasky B. R. Bolton H. 3. Trigg K. E. Baldwin A. B. Culver W. C. Looney B. E. Ranson W. D., Springs W. J. Stenger L. H. William s Carroll Wiggs 3. R. Vaughan K. K. Bailey R. W. Calhoun D. L. Swats W. ,D. Whitlow 0. H. Fitzgerald G. E. Lang J. R. Brown W. G. Roberts E. T. Ruehl L. R. Robertson A. V. Episcopo W. J. Montgomery J. Mooyman K. Ash J. H. Wright C. A. Smith W. ,W. Dowdy L. R. Moss T. J. Hampton
Location
Nemours Nemours Wilm. Waynesboro Seaford Camden Camden Cape Fear Cape Fear Kinston Kinston . Kinston Waynesboro Seaiord Martinsville Martinsville Martinsville Louviers Old Hickory Old Hickory Waynesboro Old Hickory Chestnut Run Chestnut Run Maitland Kingston-Ontario Chattanooga Cooper River Chattanooga Spruance Spruance
Assionment
Phone
Staff Engineer
4869
Safety & Fire
3646
Legal
5637
Engineering
2800
Field Maint.
7298
Safety/Health
3461
BCF Eng. Area
2591
Engr. Spec.
4488
Environ. Cont. Supvr.
4223
Environ. Cont.
6582
Field Maint.
6544
Instil. Super.
6634
Insul. Supvr.
2781
S&F ProL &OSHA
358
Area Maint.
2302
Safety
2348
Safety Supvr.
' 2348
Materials Engg.
3435
Chief Supvr.
7612
Section Supvr.
6722
Safety, Health, Env. Affairs- 2139
Env. Control
6160
Safety-OSHA
3512
Area Maint. Supvr.
3325
Maint. Forem.
406
Maint. Foreman
681
Area Maint. Supv.
1453
Area Maint. Supv. -Staple 9190
Env. Cont.
7237
S.H.E.A.
2104
Engr. Supv. -Field
2940
934
DUP 0907497