Document q62Vg46wDwXDZE50vpOkwdDG

M ting on Asbestos at Dr. Irving School of Medicln , N w Y rk, N.X S llkoff*s offlc , Mount Slnl n September 16,1974. Present v re Dr. 3 lllcoff, his staff, Mr. Sh ldon Samu 1, R pr sentatlvea of twelve National or International Unions. Mr. ^jwial opened the meeting with a discussion of the standards on Asbestos fiber* In the air. The industry wants the test period changed from fifteen minuitea to ten mlnultes; there would then b less chance of finding the number of fibers specified In the standard Dr. Selikoff* explained why the standard Is meaningless and should be reduced. It is a fact that some studies show that am ng p pie with any exposure to asbestos 40jf contact some kind of cancer and 5-7$ contact aabestoals. The standard Is now 5 fibers per cubic centimeter of air, or 5,000,000 fibers per eublo meter of air. The standard In 1976 will be 2.5 fibers per cubic centimeter or 2,500,000 fibers per cubic meter. The only fibers oounted are the long on a, there are many more short fibers where there are long ones. A person breathes about one oublo meter of air per hour. This adds up t a lot of asbestos fibers under the present and the future standard. . In 1966 the British Occupational Health Society came out with th fact that 2,000,000 fibers -per hour would not cause asbestosls. They came to this conclusion because a Dr. Knox, Medical Director for Turner Brothers, a textile plant, said that their workers were- aubj cted to 4,000,000 fibers per hour and according to his X-raya only 1-2 % of the workers even had signs of asbestosls; so If the fibers in the air was cut to 2,000,000 per hour there would be> na oases of asb stosls. The B.O.E.3. , the British Government, our .Government Agencies n ver saw the X-raye. One Doctor in one- factory mode some statements and everyone Including our Department of labor believed him and said that 2,000,000 fibers per meter was safe: and baaed our standard on It. In 1970 a new medical director. Dr. Lewi sola took new X-rays and said that 70$ of the workers had signs of asbestosls. In 1974 & survey of the 290 workers who had ten or more years xposure since 1937, when new controls were instituted, and were h althy In 1966 showed'that* 29 have died?* ? of'lung cancer (25^), 5 f M sothelloma (10#). The highest death rate in this country was 20$ for lung cancer, 5-6* for Mesothelioma. So N.I.O.S.HV took their standard from a British plant that really had a worse death rate than any plant In this country*. Besides the standard being false,, only 1-5$ of the plants take dust counts so the standard- la meaningless-anyway. Because of so many people In high places being embarroesed th above is not common knowledge. Dr. Sellkoff said he would vouch for It being accurate, but he would not reveal his source be off the record.. it would Dr. Sellkoff told of mesothelioma in children of asbestos workers. The parent would bring the dust home on his clothes. It would spread throughout the house and the whole family would be erposed to it. The doctor had flv confirmed caa s from Union Asbestos in Patterson, N.J.. .. had two oasoo In two daya.'.-On was a fourty two'year'old man whoa ^' *father work d in asbestos forgone y ar. H died ln.'six months of' the^v"'^. ftdlsoase. Another was a fourty!-four year old woman whos father only *' *** worked six months in asbestos, she died in four months of-the dlBeas Th other oaaaa were similar. We. saw the. X-rays of.,:three of thes v - people. They,were very;bad. .These, people must have been in"a-fbad`;way;-;^,s . for a long time. There.is no oure for mesothelioma.1" ' '. . The union people have tested the,dust in the attics of homes of y V asbestos workers. Some of these houses havent had an asbestos;work r/^ living there for years. Tliey found-asbestos levels as .high `as;:10#;.of ;:V- th factory:level. ;-**' There was communication'from England saying that the Glasgo PiP Coverers were having one funeral every ten to fourteen, days from '.r^Z;, Clung oancer qr. mosothelioma.';-;.-;-'. ' y-f- yv-/ - ;;yy;.F ., 1 `.Vy ' !' . ' '/ ' y-' yy/yy-. ' A recent oourt decision was discussed. The big fact /that cam *??}>'*, out was that we could not olose" a plant that exceeded the`'standards.'-- - '[.'Xk'--'Th above material was not known at the time of that decision, so-the ` ' ''`fj-;- union is going to. contact /the Department of Labor about, the decision.' ' * . Adlscussion of the! Pittsburgh Coming, Tyler Texas plant was ' nextThe workers there were given a Pap test. There, are two confirm d cas s of small lung cancers plus one case* that is unconfirmed" as y t.-, . I-^y/Th se-are people whose X-rays were negative. Those cancers'were'small : ;-and-treatable. It! was estimated, using the latest knowledge, -that of-- \th 900 employees there that-175 will- die tof 'lung'canoer-and*'50-jpf. ^"y* sothelloma.-;"`i \ ; ' In 1930'the world's annual production of asbestos was 500,000 . tons. Now the world's'annual production is* 5.000,000 tons. We'are "now... ...-.v-... - seeing the results of1 the low production of the -thirties'-and'fourties. ",: -V-. We can not even imagine the asbestos related deaths;'that:_will'' ahow.up :*ia 'the - future from the increased production now..;,!* -.;! . y .` It was agreed that.-this is a-trade'union"problem. /The industry*! is not going: to do much, and the government is doing,less. ..It's our ' . problem and we have to solve it. * j.* . . . < ** t S - V. ^* . t ^ t 4'm '.Jj . .. -! ' -. `` > We are going'to put the- Department of Labor-, on /noti cethat': th y - standard, is.'totally..wrongv : v" v 'J -- We will'contact the-Cancer Society, and" try to-get them to <lo '^V;V .res rch/ on`mesothelioma We Will do all-that is possible to,get zero-exposure for.work re.' ' ' ' We- will, make .up a poster. listing'-the" facts,; dangers, etc. of !/< X.-asbeBtoBin a very.! graphio-way. This , will-be put in the'New York- Tim s.' ".--"/^';`!Jan^ the Washington Post as an ad. We expect.all Labor papers to carry ^ and hopeTother papers, will pick it up as a news story and publicize' '* * | BB 0000843* 1 Jano Brodie, a nevrspaper woman from the New York Tluiou, LL l* IfUljUOU the meeting. She exp ctn to have a story in that pap r within a week.yy M0T:: rv -.C'MMrMTDID WOT COME FROM PPG FILEC^hWarle*s; L.yCmopyttf