Document r0rXDe3Kdmp2YpmgB8J9zEwq

FILE NAME: New York State & NY Times (NY) DATE: 1970 Nov 15 DOC#: NY026 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: NYT Article - Nader Unit Backs Job Safety Bills N tw 7*rt 7bm $ (J9S7-CxrrtMfit); Wev IS, 1970;ProQuertHistorical N tw y y n The NewYoAThu(IIS1 *2002) NADER NITBCKS JOBSFETYBILLS i Assails Efforts to Change! Measures Labor Seeks { p.c iu to Th* K *v York T im n WASHINGTON, Nov. 14--As serting that "elk and deer are better protected than working, men and women," a group of environmentalists led by Ralph Nader threw their support to* day behind two job health and safety bills now before Con* grass. They called the bills the minimum legislation Congress should approve. They de nounced industry and Adminis tration efforts to change the erasures, which are supported by organized labor and the Democrats. The Senate bill sponsored by Herrison A. Williams J r . Demo c ra t of New Jersey, is among tha pending business when that body reconvenes Monday. A simuar House bill, sponsored by Representative Dominick V. Daniel, Democrat of New Jer sey, is scheduled for early ac tion. Both bills place broad rulemaking, inspection and enforce ment powers in the Secretary of Labor and grant expanded employe rights. Segments of In dustry, lea 1^ the Chamber of Commerce, and the Nixon ad ministration want rule-making and enforcement to be done by independent panels. Industry sources have also complained about the expended workers' rights. At a news conference called by the environmentalists, a New York City physicist said that New York and New Jersey as bestos workers were dying of cancer a t much higher rates titan tite general population, according to a study he had conducted. "The majority of them will die from asbestos!*, from in halation of tha dust, and it is completely preventable," said Dr. William J. Nicholson, assist ant professor of community medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. 400 Deaths Studied Dr. Nicholson said bis study of asbestos workers in New York Local 12 and New Jersey Local 32. showed that since 1943,.more than 400 had died. Accident# were the dominant cause of death in the early years, he said, but now 10 per cent were dying of asMstosis, over 20 per cent were dying of. lung cancer, 10 per cent ef cancer of the digestive tract; 10 per cent of nasal mesothelioma (a cancer) and 10 per cent of miscellaneous cancers., An interrelationship between consumer problems and oc cupational hazards was pointed out by Glenn Paulson of Rocke feller University, who ssid workers packaging enzyme de tergents i were beginning to contact chronic respiratory dis eases. And a Boston cancer special ist said reports were "beginning to trickle in" that housewives were suffering from skin prob lem s because of the enzymes. Birth Defect Warning Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, of the Children's Cancer Research Foundation bi Boston, issued a warning about increased dan gers of birth defects and damages to "the genetic pool." He said tha sources of danger to workers came from ac cidents, noise, dust irradiation and toxic chemicals. Absent from the news con ference but listed as signers of a statement of support for the health and safety legislation were a number or men promi nent: in science such as Barry Commoner of Washington Uni versity. Paul Erlich of Stanford and George Wald of Harvard. Reproduced fft pemtsefcxi ofthecopyrightowner. FurtherreproductionproWbted wRftoutpermission.