Document rpQwDvd32GzDvN9rr8rRxaXm7

FILE NAME: Union Carbide (UC) DATE: 1972 Sept 1 DOC#: UC369 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter from US Dept of Labor to Western Electric U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Occupational Safety and Health Administration WASHINGTON, D.C. 20210 September 1, 1972 SEP 71972 Mr. V. J . Meyers, Manager Environmental Health and Safety Administration Western E le c tr ic 222 Broadway New York, New York 10038 Dear Mr. Meyers: This is in reply to your le tte r o f Ju ly 13, 1972 to Mr. Chain Robbins, Deputy A ssista n t Secretary o f Labor. Medical examinations are required for a l l employees engaged in occupations regu larly exposed to airborne concentrations of asbestos d u st. This would not apply t<j employees who are engaged in other occupations, even though they may o ccasio nally, and momentarily, enter an area where there are operations involving the use of asbestos. We do not a t th is time know s p e c ific a lly which levels of asbestos fib e r s above zero exposure w ill not produce mesothelioma, lung cancer and abdominal neoplasms. The medical .examinations are appropriate in order to determine most e ffe c tiv e ly whether the health o f employees is adversely affected by this exposure. This approach may not necessarily be followed for other chemicals or physical agents where dose-response relationships are better defined. Standards may be established where medical examinations may not be required below sp ecified exposure levels exceeding zero exposure. Sincerely, G C A M EtL D / 0 Ikandards