Document qkYRgdOkJ6vKxoRnZnGvRk5Kx

FILE NAME: Union Carbide (UC) DATE: 1966 Sept 9 DOC#: UC168 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Memo and Report RE Asbestos Toxicology Report l: CC: Dougherty' i'.. A. Miller R. Stobaeus h , K . .jarton u . A. Invarla N. J . Setter R. fi., Larnin L. s. O 'Rourke T. J iii1 F- F* Reichard, VJ. A. Ricdle J. Derbecaer P. R. uhes cor. T. P Franges Gntiemen: distribution. w . T. Cohan ^ DATE September 9 G. Wooiery oster. - Toxicc A. A. Andrade Fi,eJfrR. a ^ r'-' ETC E i V E D j t;P !2 10G6 U.C.C. 'ACT7ti.S DIV _Attached ..re "tear sheets" from some to the direct.. The o, n--e --article appeared CHEMICAL EEETTj the other was passed along ..CNDok SUNDAY TIMES oi August 14. of the most recent publicity in respec in <_tthite jcSpeuptc uemiubceir i1u0. iis ss usuee oorf ' to us by Peter Cheston, and a"ppe`a"rCs&Z TEere is no doubt this kind of publicity will persist, and it is important tnar its inapplicability to our products and our applications not be missed by our customers ana prospects. You have some positive positions you can and shoui take with your customers: 1. It is important that you continue to use Dr. Deirnehl's Asbestos .toxicology Report" as well as the statements made by tne Food and Drug Administration (Department Oi- Heciitikj Guc3.ti.ion 3nd Welf 3ro) . I am Gtcacnzu.0copies ox each; if your file supply of these is de pleted, you can either run off copies or get addi tional from us. 2. In the CHEMICAL WEEK article, ir we look at the suimnary of "sources of airborne asbestos", we see that, to our knowledge, our products now are used only in modest a..,..unts in celling ano irocr tiles, and here in rela-~\ely low concentrations. Further, these are applications employing particularly good resin binders. making the loss oi asbestos to the air from such compositions appear highly unlikely. UCC 020791 -2- 3. You will recall (my memo March 26) that there has been medical -Literature rererence to the association between Ccxncer anci polycyclic aromatic organic compounds lound with certain sources of asbestos -- among them jute oils from sacking materials, and 3,4 benzo(a) pyrene. Union Carbide uses no jute bags. Analytical tests have established the absence of organic material with Union Carbide asbestos. Some time next week, we expect microanalyses to show specifically no detection of polycyclic aromatic compounds with Union Carbide asbestos of our different grades. 4. Please note the primary concern in these publications deals with "airborne asbestos" - and Dr. Dernehl has stared clearly that "while asbestos dust in excess of . tne Threshold Limit Value is potentially harmful, as are many ocher dusts encountered in industry, it is as readily controlled as other dusts and it can be used safely with appropriate precautions". We should take the positive position, important to our customers, that utiov;. Carbine produces ana supplies this commodity in pelletized form, a major step in assisting the user to control his own dust hazards. We feel certain this factor has been a prominent one in the decision of certain of our floor tile customers to shift toward use of Union Carbide product. Very truly yours, A.E.Pufahl:dk UCC 020792 ASBESTOS TOXICOLOGY REPORT , - ^as been known for many years that seme persons working in asbestos proauction were prone to develop a disabling lung disease. In time, this condition became known as asbestosis and was related to exposure to high concentrations of asbestos dust. With further experience it was ound chat men could work with asbestos without development of Inn- disease if dust concentrations were kept below a certain level, it is now gen erally accepted that a man can work a 40-hour week for a lifetime without developing asbestosis if the asbestos dust particle count is kept at or o f T J n i i i Xa T riiCleS P6r Cubic foot of This dust concentration of 5 million particles per cubic foot of air is the Threshold Limit Value or asbestos, and no cases of asbestosis are known to have occurred when exposures have been maintained at or below this level, despite large-scale utilization (now approaching one million tons per year in the U.S.A.) This concentration of dust is generally not visible in the average work - r r r 5 3 beam f liSht Causin a Tyndall effect is present. Usually the dust concentration must be from 8-10 million particles per cubic fooi before its presence is visible in average lighting conditions. , . Several years ago, it was reported that there was an increase in incidence of cancerous tumors, especially of the lung, associated with asbestosis. Recently there have been reports of some cancers o c c ^ ^ asbeliosis dust' but who have developed clinical estosis. It is believed by most authorities that these cases have V^lueaSSA td Wltb exPsures significantly exceeding the Threshold Limit U ;t beenJa M mar f Urer f aSbeStS PrdUCtS Wh als ^bes^ whe-e S t ble ShW an lncrease in cancerous growths in men working ne.e dust concentrations were maintained at the Threshold Limit V a l u e d control operltLns operations. f asbesfcos dust exposure is therefore necessary. The iL"6 ard 0063 *PPlicable to a variety of dusty They include closed flow systems, wet processes where possible , f. I * * * i- ih. sy ste,, e PSSlM<!' Z , seizing is sometimes used to improve the handling character- iith: rpll. , si " here coai,,L:r" ^ y Threshold Limit Value is impractical or impossible, efficient and 2H-- - - "s-- r r " ined occasional occasional test tests to t :* at t r B , a a a inceTM is- - i"lv " L s " tr, tisfactory > the frequency may be extended to to assure continuation of a satisfactory condition. UCC 020793 -2- as n chesc condition prior to work with asbestos and to determine*thlt no lung changes are resulting from work with asbestos. Limit Value\rpoi";iyhrmLleS':OS ^ ^ Threshold in industry it is as H n ' ?? T ^ ther duSts e"dTMtered ,0 *\ C readily controlled as other such dusts and it be usea safely with appropriate precautions. Ca Carl U. Dernehl, M. D, Director of Toxicology K. S. Lane, M. D. Assistant Director of Toxicology UCC 020794