Document qaOngdN5ZwgzqVx70KK3r9y4E

FILE NAME: Asbestos in Hair Dryers (HD) DATE: 1979 DOC#: HD009 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: US Senate Hearing Transcript - Asbestos in HandHeld Hair Dryers HEARING BEFORE THE SBCOMMITTEE FOR CONSMERS OF THE COMMITTEE ONCOMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION UNITED STATES ^ENATE NINETY-SIXTHigONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON PO SSIB LE TH R EA T TO T H E CONSUMER POSED BY EM ISSION OF ASBESTOS FROM CERTAIN HAND-HELD ELECTRIC HAIR DRYERS A PR IL 2, 1979 Serial No. 96-15 Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 44-068 0 `ClBRARYi PUBC1C A F FA I* ERVIC* JUL 1 0 1979 C-iPOS. DOC. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANOELE* U.S. GOVERNMENT PRIN TIN G O FFIC E WASHINGTON : 1979 ..RCE. SCIENCE. AND TRANSPORTATION v CANNON. Nevada, Chairman an BOB PACKWOOD, Oregon BARRY C.OLDWATEH, Arizona in ',n TM 'S N SCHMITT, Neiv Mexico JO HN C DANFORTH, Missouri ; ;VTM i ) ',!'ANDON KASSEBAUM. Hans. JmO H KN, 'W,, PRWEASSRLNEERR,.SVoiurtghinia is. S ta ff Director an d Chief Counsel K H a11.. General ('otinscl BoNOtlRANT. S t a f f Counsel Sterritt. M inorite S t a f f Director ALXOWAV. Minorite S ta ff Counsel m u i EE fo r C o n s u m e r s I FORD, Kentucky, Chairman JO H N C DANFORTH, Missouri JO H N W WARNER. Virginia illi CONTENTS Opening statem ent by Senator Ford ...................................................................... ] Opening statem ent by Senator W arn er........................................................................ ] LIST OF WITNESSES King, Hon Susan B., Chairm an, Consumer Product Safety Commission: accom panied by Andrew Krulwich, general counsel; C atherine Cook, Director, Product Defect Correction Division; Gale D. Wyer, Acting Deputy for Health Sciences, und Michnel B row n.................................................................................... 25 Questions of Senator Ford and answ ers th e r e to ............................................. .)() Questions of Senator W arner and answ ers th e re to ........................................ ;j<) Thompson, Lea, investigative reporter, WRC-TV, W ashington, D C.; accoinpa- nied by John Sturm, senior attorney, N B C ......................................................... 3 Questions of Senator W arner and answ ers th e re to ........................................... 25 ADDITIONAL ARTICLES, LETTERS. AND STATEMENTS Hairdryers The Hidden Danger: Transcript of film ........................................................................................... Report ............................................................................................................ List of products containing psbestos.................................................................. j' Hill COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION HOWARD W. CANNON, Nevada, Chairman WARREN G. MAGNUSON, Washington RUSSELL B LONG. Louisiana ERNEST F. HOLLINGS, South Carolina DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii ADLAI E. STEVENSON. Illinois WENDELL H. FORD. Kentucky DONALD W. RIEGLE. J r., Michigan J JAMES EXON. Nebraska HOWELL HEFLIN. Alabama BOB PACKWOOD. Oregon BARRY GOLDWATER, Arizona HARRtSON H. SCHMITT, New Mexico JOHN C. DANFORTH. Missouri NANCY LANDON KASSEBAUM. Kansas LARRY PRESSLER. South Dakota JOHN W. WARNER. Virginia Aubrey L S arvis, S ta ff Director and Chief Counsel E dwin K. H all, General Counsel Amy L. Bondurant, S ta ff Counsel M alcolm M. B. S terrftt. Minority S ta ff Director H Steph en H alloway. Minority S ta ff Counsel S ubcommittee for Consumers WENDELL H. FORD. Kentucky, Chairman WARREN G. MAGNUSON. Washington HOWELL HEFLIN, Alabama JOHN C. DANFORTH, Missouri JOHN W. WARNER. Virginia CONTENTS Opening statem ent by S enator Ford ......................................................................... Opening statem ent by S enator W a r n e r ................................................................... LIST OF WITNESSES King. Hon Susan B,, C hairm an, Consumer Product Safety Commission, accom panied by Andrew Krulwich, general counsel; Catherine Cook, Director, Product Defect Correction Division; Gale D. Wyer, Acting Deputy for H ealth Sciences: and Michael B ro w n ................................................................................... Questions of Senator Ford and answers th e re to ............................................... Questions of Senator W arner and answers thereto ....................................... Thompson, I-ea, investigative reporter, WRC-TV, Washington, D C.; accompa nied by John Sturm , senior attorney, N BC ........................................................... Questions of Senator W arner and answers th ereto .......................................... ADDITIONAL ARTICLES, LETTERS, AND STATEMENTS Hairdryers: The Hidden Danger. Transcript of film ..................................................................................................... Report .................................................. ..... ................ List of products containing asbestos ..................................................... uni V; iT y jT 'r -j'T ASBESTOS IN HAND-HELD HAIR DRYERS MONDAY, A P R IL 2, 1979 U .S. S e n a t e , C o m m it t e e on Commerce, Science, and T ransportation, Subcommittee for Consumers, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 11:10 a.m. in room 1202, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Wendell H. Ford (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. OPENING STATEM ENT HY SEN A TO R FORD Senntor F o r d . May I have your attention, please. We are ready to start with this morning's hearing. I have a brief opening statement, Senator Warner is here with a brief opening statement, and then we will proceed. Today's hearing will serve as a forum for information on the (wssible threat to the consumer of asbestos in hand-held hair dryers Last week, WRC-TV brought this issue to the attention of the public when it was disclosed that private laboratory testing con ducted for them confirmed the emission of asbestos fiber from certain hair dryers. This information about asbestos in hair dryers is potentially devastating in light of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's figures assiobiating asbestos with 75,000 cancer deaths every year. * The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has estimated that 12.o million hair dryers manufactured with asbestos insulation remain in use by consumers. I hope to find out today from the (ornmission how long it will take to determine the certainty and extent of a substantial product hazard and how consumers should react to protect themselves until the Commission has further infor mation. Senator Warner? OPENING STATEM ENT HY SEN A TO R W ARNER Senator Warner. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr Chairman, the issue that brings us here today is another in a long series of problems that seem to be catching the consuming public off guard. It seems that we cannot go for 1 week without awakening in the morning to another health scare. This is most discouraging and frustrating. ( 1) 2 I am pleased that the distinguished chairman of the Consumer Subcommittee, Senator Ford, has acted quickly to hold this hearing and have the record in this matter reviewed in public. The hearing will give consumers and industry a clear idea of where this issue stands. While 1 remain open as to what the Congress should do, if anything, it is important for us to know precisely what the appro priate Federal regulatory agencies intend to do. There are several issues which I believe should be addressed to the Consumer Prod uct Safety Commission: Priority 1: Advise the public immediately with respect to what models on the market today, and what models sold in the past :i years, have any asbestos. This will enable owners of such models to determine for themselves, pending resolution of whatever reconi mendations CPSC may make, whether to continue use of their models. Whether the CPSC responded in a timely and appropriate fash ion to information brought to its attention regarding asbestos fibers in hand-held hair dryers. Whether there is sufficient, accurate, reliable, and statistically significant data available to justify expedited Commission action Whether the scope of appropriate remedial action to be taken b> the Commission should include: A ban under S. 8; injunction under S. 12; or, repair and notification, or refund under S. 15. Whether the Commission should impose civil penalties on manu facturers who have failed to notify the Commission of the potential hazard involving asbestos insulation in handheld hair dryers. In this instance, it seems to me the hearings should proceed to isolate, as the chairman has said very clearly, the time constraints within which the appropriate governmental authorities can make an assessment of factual information and advise the public. Mr. Chairman, I should also urge that the governmental authori ties as quickly as possible list in some official fashion all the models which are currently on the market of these hair dryers and those that have been sold in the past 2 or 3 years which contain asbestos. Then, let the public make up its own mind as to how they will guide their respective personal lives between now and the time in which this factual situation can be properly isolated. I have several questions for the commission to answer on this subject.1 Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Senator F o r d . Thank you, Senator. Our first witness this morning is Ms. Lea Thompson of WRC-TV. md she is accompanied by John Sturm, senior attorney of NBC Lea, I want to compliment you at the beginning of this hearing his morning, and WRC, for your excellent coverage of this issue Vnd without further ado, if you have a statement, we would be lelighted to have it at this time. Sc* p. 39. STATEMENT OF LEA TH O M PSO N , IN V ESTIG A TIV E REPO RTER, W Rt'-TV. W ASHINGTON. O.C.; A CC O M PA N IED RY JO H N STURM, SENIOR ATTORNEY, NATIONAL IIROADCASTING CO. Ms T h o m p s o n . Chairman Ford and Senator Warner, good morn- Mv name is Lea Thompson and I am a consumer reporter for WHC-TV. the NBC-owned and operated station here in Washing- ton 1 am pleased to be here at the request of the subcommittee to present a series of investigative reports broadcast last week by channel I The report you are about to see discloses for the first time that main hand-held hair dryers on the market today such as these in trout of me (indicating) contain asbestos in the barrel lining, which air tests show may discharge into the air when the dryer is used. As noted in these reports, there is no question that asbestos has Ix-en found to be a highly dangerous cancer-causing material, and that exposure to breathable asbestos should be minimized, or pref erably eliminated. Channel -I s investigation began about !) months ago under the o v erall supervision of Producer Bob Currie, who is with me today, and who brought the matter to the attention of the investigators team We were later joined by Reporter Jack Cloherty who appears in our reports With your permission, Senator, I will now show you our basic report broadcast last Wednesday, March 28. Senator F ord. We would be delighted to see that and look for ward to it. |F ilm | Hairdryers: T he H idden Danger The following is n transcript of a report by NewsCenter t 's "The Investigators on Wednesday. March 2H, till') at 6 PM. , S|vnkinK lx*n Thompson, "The Investigators") This is not a gun . it doesn t hullrts but what comes out can be just as deadly. _ tin* investigation started last July when a local photographer sent^ us his a year dd hairdryer that he said was blowing fibers ail over his p rin ts News Center 4 tested h,u drier What we found coming out was asbestos 1he aslw-stos comes from th e insulator used to prevent th e plastic barrel of the bier from melting And "The Investigators" have found th at this is not an isolated e-ihlem Hied on government and industry figures for 11)77, there were 25 million hnndheld hnirdrvers in use around th e country, b u t no one in industry or government ''iId or would tell us how many dryers have been m ade using asbestos components I >'t our survey shows th a t out of 112 new and used dryers we looked at 24 "'tamed aslx-stos insulators Most of th e used dryers were provided by Goodwill Industries We bought our new dryers a t 7 retail chains representing 200 stores in Washington metropolitan area Twenty percent contained asbestos barrel lin g* flint s rail' out of every five we looked at. Its i on finned the presence and the extent of the asbestos hazard at EMV Labora' r'os m Hi*:k\ ilU* Its scientists a re ex p erts in asbestos analysis Insulation samples wr sehx'ted from the drvers in our survey were exam ined Samples from 24 different oi.slot tested positive for asbestos tveTnhi;entdoWwenseoluetcted six models and asked EMV to determ ine how much asbestos was John Welirung, executive VP --EMV associates! the "older the hairdryer, and f -lore evident the amount of wear on th e insulation m aterial, the greater v 'Mini of (he discharge " 4 (Thompson) The new machines used in the test were a Penney's 1400 w att Pro Gun, a 1000 w att Sears men's dryer, and a m ini dryer th a t goes by the name, Dandy, The used m achines included older but sim ilar Sears and Penney's models, a n d our P h o tographer's Norelco. The oldest hairdryers, the Norelco and Penney'a put out the highest concentration of asbestos. But in each and every case, th e h a ird ry e rs discharged asbestos particles. (Wehrung) "Asbestos particles are being discharged. T hey're in a respirable size range. It is evident in our electron microscopy studies th a t they can be broken into many more sm aller fibers after being discharged from the hairdryer." (Thompson) The results of the discharge test are particularly significant because the asbestos is being discharged near the face and usually in th e confined environ ment of a bathroom. To make m atters worse, asbestos th at settles in a room can be stirred up by many different means, including further use of a hairdryer. (Thompson) The Environm ental Defense Fund sees itself as a watchdog, trying to get government to clean up m atters EDF considers to be a danger to hum an health. EDF's D r Joseph H ighland says NewCenter 4's tests show th e am ount of asbestos coming out of hairdryers can be compared to living n ea r an asbestos mine and inhaling its dust . . . to many situations where people are actually working with asbestos . . . or to the levels of asbestos being released from some school ceilings. (Joe Highland, Environm ental Defense Fund) "The levels in hairdryers th a t are coming out say. in an average weekly use in an average room, come forward in the same range nnd th a t's what we're finding in public shools and th a t level in public schools has been deemed a health hazard and has to be cleaned up according to the Environm ental Protection Agency." (Thompson) This report, done for the Departm ent of H ealth, Education and Wel fare, cites study after study done over the past thirty years which confirms the link between nsbestos and cancer, and the fact th at if enough is inhaled, it can lead to the deterioration of th e lungs . . . or worse--lung cancer, cancer of the chest or abdominal cavity. The m ajor concern is the accumulative build up of asbestos in the body and there are many m anm ade sources of asbestos already in the atm osphere. The demolition of older buildings, the release of asbestos from brake linings in cars, gravel contain ing asbestos on roods and driveways, talcum powder, even urban air itself carries concentrations of asbestos. fHighland) "The asbestos levels coming out of hairdryers are not insignificant. They're highly significant and they fall within ranges which we've associated in the past with the incidence of disease later in life." (Thompson) Is any am ount of asbestos safe? (H ighland) "No. T h ere's no am ount of exposure th a t can be considered safe. Every level of exposure increases the incidence of possible disease so every level is a concern." (Thompson) In 1977 the U.S. government estim ated th a t because of past exposures to asbestos 58,000-75,000 cancer deaths a year could be expected. How m any of those can be a ttrib u te d to hairdryers? No one knows. (The younger a person is when he or she is exposed to asbestos, the g reater the likelihood of cancer later in life. Studies show th n t a fte r a period of 30 years from th e tim e of * * * F urther, if one smokes cigarettes and is exposed to asbestos, th e chances of getting cancer are greatly increased. In the case of hairdryers it would be easy to elim inate the use of asbestos. There are other alternatives available, such as aluminum mica, space-age plastics, none of them adding significantly to the cost of a h airdryer. Indeed, in 80 percent of the hairdryers th a t w e've looked a t those alternatives are used. Lets look at exactly where we are. There is no question th a t asbestos is a cancer causer. You should not breath asbestos. And yet, one out of every 5 new hairdryers we looked at still has an asbestos lining in it. And every single one we tested for discharge spewed o u t asbestos. T here is no need for asbestos insulation in h a ir dryers. T here are plenty of alternatives, but it's th ere anyway. So, w here is the governm ent in all of this? Well, we asked th e U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission about the use of asbestos in h aird ry ers nine m onths ago. We were told then th a t it w asn't a problem. A report done for th e CPSC by Kerney Management C onsultants indicates that only one m anufacturer uses asbestos and th a t it is phasing out asbestos in favor of mica. The m anufacturers themselves were the source of information for the Kerney Report. One of them were General Electric. We found three different General Electric h aird r uodels with asbestos liners on th e shelves ju s t two weeks ago. To ? show you ju st how easy it is to make hairdryers w ithout asbestos, Jack Cloherty went to one of the few m anufacturers of hairdryers here in the U nited States. (Speaking: Jack Cloherty, "The Investigators" ) We're a t American Electric in Culver City, California This firm is one of the few left in the United States th at m anufactures hairdryers. Most of them now are m anufactured in Southeast Asia. But here a t American Electric they use mica board--like th is--instend of asbestos f in th eir product. I This company took asbestos out of its hairdryers because of the recognized health | hazard. A m erican Electric President, Ron Purer: (Ron P u rer, president, American Electric) "We find th a t our own test of other people's dryers--and I'm not going to mention any brands, th a t dropping it or rough handling will cause flaking depending on the composition of th e asbestos--some tim es w ith a h ard e r finish or a softer finish--the softer finish's tend to w ear with the abrasion of the air and makes the fiber come off." (Cloherty) The nation's largest producer of hairdryers, Gillette, took asbestos out of its product in 1973. G illette Director of Product Integrity, Robert Giovncchini: (Robert Giovacchini, director of Product Integrity, Gillette) "The conclusion we came to was th a t if th ere was an alternative m aterial th a t could be used, which was ju st as good, why run the risk of having asbestos fibers? (Cloherty) But asbestos dryers are still on the market. W here do the asbestos come from? Well, most of the ones we tested come from Southeast Asia. The Southeast Asian factories build the dryers to specifications given to them by the A m erican companies. How then does asbestos get into th e hairdryers? Well, U.S firms point the finger a t U nderwriters Lab, the testing firm th at sets standards for electrical appliances for government and industry clients. Even though the hazards of asbestos have been known for years, Underwriters Lab here in S anta Clara, California still calls for asbestos in hand-held dryers. Here on page 17 of the standards it says: "insulating m aterial and actual contact with the heating elem ent shall be asbestos or other material resistant to combustion." A pparently m any m anufacturers don't read past the word asbestos although its clear from the U.L. Standards they have other options. One com pany th a t still uses asbestos in its hairdryers is Sears. (Joanne M attiace, Sears) "We have looked in the area a t h air blowers and in fact a laboratory engineer has taken at least one h a ir blower, taken a look a t it, and determ ined th a t based upon the am ount of asbestos in the product, as well as the nature of th a t asbestos it presents no hazard whatsoever." (Cloherty) So based on th a t look a t one hairdryer, Sears decided to keep selling asbestos-lined dryers in its stores. Its major competitor, Penney's and Montgomery Wards, also use asbestos. And NewsCenter 4 has learned th a t some G eneral Elec tric, H am ilton Beach and Conair models still use asbestos as well. Sunbeam says it stopped making this asbestos-lined dryer in 1!I7I>. We found it in a, sto re two w eeks ago. I When we asked major retailers why they were still selling hairdryers with asbes tos, they eith e r say th a t they didn't know it was there, or th a t U nderw riters Lab recom mended it. U nderw riters Lab officials refused to talk with us about th e ir asbestos standards But interestingly, since we started this investigation, things here at IJL began to happen. Now they're talking about issuing a ruling removing the word asbestos. It's still a proposal, and they gave us this prepared statem en t on it. It concluded th at "U L is in the process of prohibiting such use of asbestos in products listed by UL. Substitute m aterials a re available and it is felt to be the public interest to require th eir use. February 23, 1979." So in its new proposed standard, UL implies th a t its old standard was not in the public interest. The question is, why did it take the lab so long to wake to the asbestos problem, and why hasn't, the federal governm ent done anything to stop the asbestos threat? Lea Thompson has been trying to get the answ er to th at question at the C onsum er Product Safety Commission. (Thompson) The U S. Consumer Product Safety Commission lists asbestos as one of its top priorities, yet we have had a hard tim e getting it to take an interest in this issue. A fter we had th a t Norclco tested we turned our findings and the Norelco over to th e Commission staff for testing In Ja n u a ry we obtained a copy of this CPSC Memo which says it looks like our hnirdryer is p u ttin g out asbestos but th at more testing is needed by electron microscopes. Regardless, up until last weekend--two months la te r--nothing further had been done. T h a t's when we turned over our electron microscope test data T*--n things ( started to happen at CPSC 8 Ms. Thompson. Yes, sir. And it is in your packet th at we gave you. We have also added to that list a list of the manufacturers that have come forward from both Sears and Montgomery Ward. They have since been added to that list. Senator Ford. It appears toward the end of your statement there that this could be a mushrooming situation from hand-held hair dryers to the commercial beauty salon to dryers, laundry dryers, a lot of other things. It could mushroom. You are apparently aware where we may go as it relates to this initial finding? Ms. Thompson. Well, Senator, I really can't speak to any of those. It's only that those are the things that our viewers have asked us about. And I guess the reason we wonder about them is because they are blowing, they are hot, and they do need some sort of an insulator. We have not looked at them at all. Senator Ford. Lea, I know you are going above and beyond the call of duty today, and I will try not to keep you on the witness stand too long. You displayed one of the hand-held hair dryers to me that you had disassembled, and I believe that is a General Electric hair dryer. Is that correct? Ms. Thompson. Yes, sir, it is. Senator Ford. Has that particular hair dryer or GE's hair dryers themselves been tested? Ms. Thompson. N o, sir. We tested in two different ways. It has been tested to find out whether it has asbestos in the barrel. It is indeed asbestos. Senator Ford. But you have not tested it beyond that to deter mine whether it was emitting asbestos? Ms. Thompson. Not this particular one. We tested six hair dryers for discharge. It is a very sophisticated electron microscope test that we performed on these. We tested an old and a new Penney's, an old and a new Sears, and the old Norelco which was originally brought to us, and a hair dryer called "The Dandy." It is an import. It is a very small hair dryer. The reason we only tested the six, to be absolutely honest with you, is it is a rather expensive operation. Senator Ford. Lea, you talked to the Consumer Product Safety Commission some 9 months ago, and you were told that the Kear ney study indicated that only one manufacturer used asbestos. Why did you decide to go ahead with the test on your own? Ms. Thompson. Because it looked like asbestos, and we just had a gnawing feeling in the back of our minds that it just might be. It was just something that we just couldn't quite put down. Senator Ford. Were there any other test results available at that time? Ms. Thompson. N o, sir. We've had a very difficult time trying to put our finger on the number of hair dryers that use asbestos. It was difficult to get information from manufacturers as well as trading companies. To my knowledge, other than HEW's report on asbestos overall and the dangers of it, there has never been an other stud' ept the Kearney study on hair dryers. 9 Senator Ford. Well, are you convinced that the test procedure resulted in accurate figures? Ms. Thompson. We went to some extent to try to make sure that our test results were accurate. It was important for our story. Because without the test results, obviously we did not have a story. We worked in conjunction with a number of scientists and were very careful in the way it was set up It was a brandnew test that had never been done. Hair dryers had never been tested for asbes tos discharge before. But we are convinced, and no one has ques tioned--even the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the manu facturers, the doctor from Mount Sinai Hospital who is an expert on asbestos, no one has questioned the way we did our testing nor the results of that test. Senator Ford. With the 25 million, I think your program----- Ms. Thompson. We said 25 million; I believe the Consumer Prod uct Safety Commission believes there may be as many as 60 mil lion. Senator Ford. Sixty million? Well, as we do in Congress, let's split that. What do you say? Let's say there's better than 40 million hair dryers out there. How did the asbestos emission in the new hair dryers with asbestos compare with the old hair dryers with asbestos? Was it the same level of emission from your new hair dryer? Or was it much higher from the old? Ms. Thompson. It was much higher from the old. We have reason to believe, based on the testing, that the older the dryer the more asbestos is being discharged. Senator Ford. Does the asbestos become dry and hard and flaked and you get larger pieces, or slivers of asbestos more so than from the new insulation? Ms. Thompson. I think it is just a matter of the asbestos just breaking down over a period of time and under a period of use. We tested basically by fiber bundles and we found that there were just many more fiber bundles coming out of an old dryer-- particularly that 5-year-old Norelco and the old Penney's--than there were out of the new. Senator Ford. Would you repeat that again? Ms. Thompson. We found there were many more fiber bundles which are asbestos bundles, coming out of the older--particularly the 5-year-old Norelco and the Peifney's, which was almost that old--than there were out of the brandnew dryers, although in every case, and in all six instances where we did test for discharge in both new and old dryers, there was a discharge of asbestos that would be considered to be dangerous. Senator Ford. Did all hair dryers tested contain asbestos, emit asbestos during normal operation? Ms. Thompson. I'm sorry? Senator Ford. Would it have to arrive at a very hot level before it would emit the asbestos? Or, did the dryers emit asbestos in a normal situation where they were used a few moments and then shut off? Was the emission at the same level in either case? Ms. Thompson. I can't confirm that. The test was a 2-1 test. The reason it w a s a 9 - h n n r t o d w o r ,,,r> H M n rm in n ft , . i-.-!,. 10 of the National Bureau of Standards, the hair dryer is probably used on the average of 2 hours a week. The way the test was run was a 2-hour test, and we cannot tell you for sure at what level it starts to blow more or less. We can only give you our 2-hour test. Senator Ford. Lea, a couple of more questions. If asbestos is accumulating in the air, would other occupants in the home be exposed as well as the user of the hair dryer? Ms. Thompson. We have reason to believe that, of course, the asbestos dust settles to the floor. And if you have a small child, a baby who crawls on the floor, it will push that dust up again, and of course it is respirable, so the baby could get it. Our scientists tell us--the scientists that we worked with that were consultants to our show, tell us that it could very well be much higher--the levels could be much higher than what we indi cated with our test, because there is a cumulative buildup particu larly if you use your hair dryer in the same room every day. Senator Ford. In your investigation, did you find that the price of units containing asbestos differs significantly from the models that did not contain the asbestos liner? Ms. T hompson. No, sir. Senator Ford. It is basically the same price? Ms. Thompson. Yes, sir. From what we are told, the alternatives to the use of asbestos-- those being mica, aluminum, and space-age plastics--are really no more expensive than the ones with asbestos, and indeed may last longer. Senator Ford. Did the Consumer Product Safety Commission cooperate with you when you brought your concern to their atten tion? Ms. T hompson. I think they were cooperative. It just took quite a long time to get them to be interested in the issue. Senator Ford. What was the reaction of the manufacturers to your investigation, or the distributors of hair dryers? Ms. Thompson. Basically they fall, I think, into a couple of categories. No. 1, many manufacturers and also importers, trading compa nies who buy overseas and then supply manufacturers and retail ers here in the United States, many were surprised to find that asbestos was being used in the hair dryers. The other reaction was that Underwriters Laboratory has in its specifications that asbestos is all right to use. So they pointed to that and said, "Underwriters' Laboratory says it's OK, so it must be OK." Underwriters Laboratory has since, as of February, proposed a new regulation which would ban asbestos in hair dryers. Senator Ford. In closing, since you have been so close to this situation and been an integral part of the investigation, what is your best advice to the consumer to protect themselves from any possible danger? Ms. T hompson. Well, from a very personal point of view, if 1 looked down the barrel of a hair dryer and saw that it has asbestos in it, I wouldn't use it. Senato ~'ord. You would ju st do without? 11 Ms. T hompson. Get another dryer th a t doesn't have asbestos in it, maybe. Senator Ford. In your opening statement, I understood that sev eral of the major distributors have ceased selling the asbestos hand-held hair dryers, and others, I believe you said Sears Roebuck and one other--Korvettes--said that they would either exchange hair dryers with the consumer, or rebate the purchase price? Is that correct? Ms. Thompson. That is correct. Sears at this point is not pulling--or at least as of Friday after noon was not pulling its hair dryers off the shelves. However, it will give a refund to anyone who brings a hair dryer in. They explained that to us as being the kind of situation that they would do for anybody with anything that they were unhappy with. So they are not making an exception for the hair dryers. They are just saying--if you brought in a dress and you didn't like the dress, they would give you the money back for that, just as they would for a hair dryer, as well. Senator Ford. Usually a dress has not been used for you to get a credit for it. This is a used product and I think they may be stretching it just a little bit further than the normal exchange. Ms. Thompson. Oh, sure. Senator Ford. Lea, we may have some additional questions that we'd like to have for the record. If we do, we will submit those to you in writing and ask that you answer those at your convenience, but as soon as possible, if that would be suitable? Ms. Thompson. Yes, sir, I would be glad to do it. Senator Ford. You have been a very fine witness, and I hope that we can only carry out what you intend here. I think your intent is to eliminate the cancer-causing problems that might be in everybody's home today, and it may go even further than the hand-held hair dryer. So we are grateful to you and to WRC, and look forward to working with you in the future. Thank you very, very much. Ms. Thompson. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Chairman. [The material referred to follows:] H air Dryers: The Hidden Danker "The Investigators," the investigative unit of WRC-TV, the NBC-owned station in W ashington, D C today disclosed th a t test results show hand-held h air dryers lined with asbestos can pose a serious health hazard Lah tests commissioned by NewsCenter 4 determ ined th a t the asbestos fibers can be discharged when the hair dryer is in use Asbestos has been found to be a powerful cancer-causing substance by five U S governm ent agencies. NewsCenter 4 investigative reporters Lea Thompson and Jack Cloherty found that of the blow-dryers on the m arket in the W ashington area that were tested, 20 percent contained asbestos And the U S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estim ates that 20 to 2.r>percent of the 50 million blow dryers in use nationwide use the heat-resistant material The investigation began nine months ago when a local photographer told Bob Currie, the producer of "The Investigators" that he noticed small, fiber-like particles clinging to photos he dried with a hand-held dryer. Tests at EMV labs in Rockville, M aryland not only showed those particles to be asbestos, but also revealed th at they were in the size range th a t would allow them to be easily inhaled into the lungs. "The Investigators ' then alerted the U S Consumer Product Safev Commission to the potential hazard. Nine months earlier, the CPSC had to' e unit that asbestos in hair dryers was "no problem " But because of the test r, available to 12 them by NewsCenter 4, the CPSC has indicated it now plans to announce a fullscale investigation into the hidden danger of hair dryers. Underwriters Laboratories, the firm th a t sets standards for personal grooming appliances, also told N ewsCenter 4 it plans to take action. Many hair dryers m anu facturers told "The Investigators" th a t they used aBbestos in their dryers because the U.L. Standards allowed it. A fter being informed of the NewsCenter 4 findings U L. issued a new, proposed standard th a t would ban the use of asbestos in h air dryers For further inform ation contact David Nuell, Director of News for WRC-TV a t (186-4 111. H air Dryers: T he H idden Danger In a report broadcast by WRC-TV, the NBC owned and operated station in Washington, D.C., on M arch 28, 1979, it was disclosed th a t hand-held h air dryers lined with asbestos can pose a serious health hazard. Laboratory tests commissioned by NewsCenter 4's "The Investigators" determ ined that the asbestos fibers can be discharged when the h air d ry er is in use. T here is no definitive list of which hairdryers contain the asbestos linings. However, "The Investigators" surveyed retail outlets representing more th a n 300 stores in the Washington, DC. m etropolitan area. A total of 24 different models tested by EMV Laboratories in Rockville, M aryland were found to contain an asbestos lining. This does not necessarily m ean these models discharge asbestos particles. It does suggest though, that there is a potential for such discharge. Conair 1200 Model 065 Dandy, FS-344 (mini) Davar (mini) General Electric Power Turbo 1200, Pro 10/5115-013 General Electric Super P ro 1400, Pro 6/5112-005 General Electric Super T urbo 1400, Pro 11/5116-005 Hamilton Beach 1200, Model 480 Hamilton Beach G room er II, Model 423 Nobel (mini) Norelco 1000, Model HB 1700 Penney's Professional Type 1000, Model 1050A Penney's 1000 W att R otary, Model 1121 Penney's 1200, R etail No. 064-1190 Penney's 1400, R etail No. 064-1180 Sanyei Mighty 1000, Model E-2095 Sears Men s 1000, Model 253-6314 Sears Men's 1000, Model 253-6385 Sears Women's 1000, Model 253-8714 Sears Women's 1000, Model 253-8736 Sears Women's 1000, Model 253-8754 Sunbeam Professionaire 1000, No. 52-9K Vornado, Model E42813 Wards 1050, Model 52-6 196368 Wards 1250, Model 52-6 19367 Wards V ariable Power 1400, Model 52-6 19361 On March 30. 1979 several retailers called NewsCenter 4 to inform us of the following models which also contain asbestos. Sears gave us these model num bers: 253-6323; 253-6369; 253-8700; 253-8715; 2538738; 253-8782, and 253-8783. Montgomery W ards also found another model th at we had not identified: 5219363. These models contain asbestos and are listed here in addition to the models th at WRC-TV identified. Consultant Report to Contact 4 (WRC), Asbestos Discharge F rom Six H air dryers in a Two-Hour Test, M arch 19, 1979--Submitted by EMV Associates, Inc., D. Kent Shaffer, Staff Chemist and J ohn M. Wehrung, Executive Vice P resident. summary Six hairdryers were investigated for discharge of asbestos in a two-hour test. In each instance the effluent was bubbled into w ater which then was filtered and examined in a 1- 'ctron microscope a t magnifications of 1500X and 15,OOOX. The hairdryers tested included three new units (Sears 1000, P enneys 1400 and Dandy mini) and three used units (Norelco 1000, P en n ey s 1000 and Sears 1000) Fiber bundles of asbestos were discharged from each unit tested These ranged in diam eter from one to seven microns and in length from 20 to 150 microns. Fibrils of asbestos from ultim ate size to one micron in diam eter were not detected. In the new hairdryers and in one used unit, fiber bundle discharge rate was 30 to 87 per minute, while two of the used units had discharge rates of 570 to 8(58 per minute. The basic conclusions th a t may be drawn from the study are U that hairdryers utilizing asbestos ns an insulation m aterial are point sources of asbestos fiber bundles in the environm ent and 2) th at the rate ol asbestos discharge increases with the age of the hairdryer. BACKOROUND In conjunction with Mr. Robert C urrie of Contact 4 (WRC), EMV Associates carried our a prelim inary investigation as to the n ature of dust emitted from a used hairdryer. Analysis of the dust revealed it to be asbestos; its source was determined to be asbestos insulation used around the heating elem ent in the hairdryer. These results prompted fu rth er analysis of insulation in hairdryers obtained by Contact 4 In most instances, the insulation was found to be the chrysotile variety of asbestos A contract was subsequently initiated by Contact 4 with EMV Associates in which six hairdryers known to contain asbestos insulation were to be investigated as to quantity and fiber dimensions of asbestos particles emitted Three of the units were new and the other three were used The brands and types are listed in Table 1. MATERIALS AND METHODS So as to m aintain the speed of a ir flow in the h airdryer and to collect as many of the small particulates ns possible, it was decided to bubble the effluent through pre filtered distilled water. This was accomplished by taping a six-inch extension to the hairdryer nozzle and placing the extension mouth at the surface of the w ater held in a cleaned two-gallon container. A plastic shroud at the end of the extension prevented loss of w ater during operation of the haird ryer and provided a sheathing effect to minimize loss of particulates in the escaping air. Each hairdryer was operated continuously for a period of two hours at maximum speed and cool tem perature. The test w ater containing particulates was then fil tered through a 47-micron diam eter, 0 2 micron pore size Nuclepore filter. This filter was examined in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) coupled to an energy dispersive x-ray analyzer (EDXA). The exam ination was conducted at 1500X (100 fields) and at l.r>,OOOX (300 fields) A fter completion of the examination, another portion of the sam e filter was examined at 1500X (100 Helds). During examination, when a fibrous particle was detected the EDXA was used to identify its chemical make-up. The chemical constituents, coupled with morphological information pro vided by SEM, was the means of identifying asbestos by type. Quality control was provided by conduction of tests under a filtered laminar-flow hood In addition, control sam ples for the w ater and for the laboratory air were obtained. (In all instances these were negative.) To confirm the presence of asbestos in the insulation a small l4mm7) portion of this m aterial was removed from the h aird ry er and examined with SEM/EDXA for asbestos presence In some instances, this had been performed on test hairdryers prior to testing therefore, in these hairdryers the cut edges were sealed with glue (prior to testing). Asbestos fiber bundles of the chrysotile variety were detected in all six hairdryer samples. The sizes ranged in diam eter from one to seven microns and in length from 20 to 150 microns The num ber of bundles detected from each unit is listed in Table 1. Representative SEM micrographs and EDXA spectra are shown in Figures Because of the splayed ends of most of the bundles, it was difficult to obtain dimensional data from which an accurate estim ate of mass could be made Never theless, an estim ate of mass discharge was made based on an average particle size of two microns in width, 30 microns in length and a specific gravity of 2 (i. The calculated results are listed in Table 1 The exam ination at 15.000X did not reveal the presence of asbestos fibers below one micron in diam eter For the purpose of reproducibility of analysis, a second set of data wa ined at 1500X. and this is listed in Table 1 as Analysis B (the initial heine , ,vsis A'