Document v1JjynZMpq6OdZNJ8k5Vnyxd6

FILE NAME: Foster Wheeler (FW) DATE: 1945 Jan 31 DOC#: FW014 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter to the Navy Bureau of Medicine & Surgery from the Chief Health Consultant, Div of Shipyard Labor Relations iC ili iLh~*' liiil ( Bsr*a of Hedida* ai S trzxrj-j/yt s^ tr L5r2^ <-** s k* th* o r t of ^ 484 * " * m m M* Tbs* j^trjfT^pc tail* te d i 2*th *** We) B aitar your cr*a aar our Jrru.* < " * 6ai^ , tw a tz^ e zst fo r reOi ,biH y u t u SjOCO 7 't ^ F J " * V W * * ,. bai ** * * * ?* M * c f .L ' y * * * r u ltta t, 5ait*d B tatw H arfH . r * 7 * ! ? " * O d af-liw lth Coo- a -t-i ^ ' S o , t a S S i * "*" 105 Ciacirely year*, kD i/dbksr CWLaTSeaith Coasnltaat Sitisioa of Shipyard Labor M t f V r Xaclomtr oe r^/t . J `coi id d ra O iT v ' i r . f ia i gebar . Hr. ?iLiHipi . Potrm r Lami! s , ?tn t . Shipyard Labor islatios* .2 0 7 0 3 2 5 ' . U.S.Nevy-fl.S.Mttritioe Cosaias ion-liar Shipping Adainlstr&ti*ja Safety and In d u strial-H ealth rrogron Rorurt on InYCstigati.'jji ' Of Aabestosis froa Aaosito Pipe Covering a t Bath Iron Barks Bath, Maine ' . Deccnber 19,19^-4 Referencesj{a) Report of In d u strial Health Survey of Sept.21,l?12. (b) * * Re-Survey of April 9,10,1913. (c) " - Se?t.20-23;19il. ' (d) "Mininun Requirements fo r Safety and In d u stria l He:l th in Contract Shipyards" approved by 0 .S.tiavy,0.S.Maritin e Commission and Tier Shipping Adm inistration." ' . (TWl3 docuaent contains information affecting the national defense* of tjie United States within the awning of the Espionage Act 5? tJ.S.C.31 and 32. I t s trenaiasiwn or the reTclation.of its ecwteata ;n any canner to =n unauthorized person is prohibited by law.) BY- . ri.C.Draessen,Surgeon,U.S.Public Health Service, Botkcsda, Maryland T3.E.Floischer,Lt.CoBdr.UC,DS;m, Health Consultant . Office of the Regional Director of Construction tl.S.Maritime Commission, East Coast l i r- : V*.. ..,,i: E x h ib it B- i? personnel interviewed; Dr. &.ti.mier,Jr . In charr.-s of Pre-cnployncnt ana periodic check-up pliysicei. eraninatiens This in v estig atio n v s cade a t the direction of the Chief Health Consultant of the U .S .litritin o Cocnision, instsnnch as ted heard th at Mire a s concern _. coons the pipe covering creur. who feared that, the nno3ito was causing sonc . respiratory troubles. Medical . ' ' There are about *20 workers engaged in bar-diing aabeatos it t)* Pipe Coveror Shop and on hoard ships und-r cm ettu etieu . Che* X-rays are U ln a taken f i r s t on those with the longest exposu ra ,i.e .o w r_ tu c yczxs, of v'u.ch i t .3 cat ted th at th ere are about 50 eorknrs. In the near future a l l of the -20 k l l have a chest ^ plate talon. . Of the 50 vork-irs 38 have already been X-rayed end aU of th is group have be handling asbestos pipe covering frua 2 to 9 ycara. I t was intor-m ting to note tia t>;e two individuals w.tfa the longest e n s u r e s of 5 end 10 years were in *hc olds age group, being 59 and 65 years of age respectively. All of the 38 r-re reviewed and 12 of these p atients showed sig n ifican t X-ray changes consistent wit exposure to dusty Environment. History cud physical etantinaii try Dr .F u ller indicatcd in d l of the 38 p atien ts respiratory syup.tons rhysia-1 sig n s. ncre c iiiis a l.' ~ .......... ............... ... " On X-ray in te rp re ta tio n these 38 : a tie n ts ceuid !-e d iv id e into tour groups: i Thn t ---i oldc" *'o,,'J-'"rs referred to c.lx.ve, the apsenance of ...wise \:a s consistent uHh the diagnosis of veil also shewed signs ty p ical of `idvanca-; ago, such as enreio-vasew ar eU b . 2 ; A gvouo of four workers chose exposure was 1`rca two and a b=~f t-o ^ ^ . , `^3" . vdvoso chest X-ray nppfrirrtnces t.'cro consistent with a diagnos-. - - 3 . A (Tout) of six -..ork'-rs whose exposure ,ras 'ran iwc t-o tyo and a naif >c:ir3 unc whose chest 1 lists shored minimal c'uu.ge:; but not sa fiic ic ::. or a at*L.-- diagnosis of asboutosis. . ' ' A. A group of 26 workers whose exposure `-us iron tr:o to two cud a ^ wJsnr.fi d'.ert l i i a s v:orc co..aider d negative. y0" S . - 2- I t was consider ,d sign ificant that i. cs* drxers wiU the s t uarmed I-ray ohane- 3 "or-: t'; os: who presumably were exposed to the heavier concentrations of dust, such as operators of the band san and small rotary povror C l^ e n saws. ^ 'Xa those workers hm sc X -rcys were- consistent with a. diacaoais <f aabestosis the changes consisted of b ilaterally symmetrical increased reticulation of the .lung fie ld s res cabling a ground glass tpycarsncc. Such lung,field Barkings are indistinguishable frou these induced by chryaotil. asbestos. Ho evidence of active tuberculosis was noted on miy of the film s. Inscription of Plwe Cove r e d Shop, This shop occupies about h a lf of a l o f t and is martially.-segregated froa sheet Betel workers a t the ether end of the l o f t . The more dus'y i * t s of th e . work such as band saw cutting and the nixing troughs ore located a t the f a r end Of the l o f t . Local exhaust v en tilatio n was in sta lle d on the band saw several Bonths ago and removes some of the dust a risin g during the cu ttin g of -Ap. t e a l * R espirators were being wc^n by several workers using the n i l rotary saws. I t i , anticipated in th e`near future, that the insurance c a rrie r, A fric a n Mutual L ia b ility Insurance Co. of Boston,**, w ill take dust tlo-oughout the shop, he know tfco aersonuel of the insurance c a rrie r, have discussed the . _ problea with then and would have carpi*to confidence in th e ir appraisal of this ja RecoiW-i^nd-MionS: 1. I t Is recox;ended th a t a l l of the remaining asbestos workers be given a chest X-ray in the rxei' future. 2. Unless the dust c lo s u re is controlled 3 outline-* below, the workers to group* 1 and 2 above, should be transferred to a non-dustry occupation. . ' ' "... 3. Groups 1,2 and 3 should have a chest X-ray a t yearly in te rv a ls. L. I f tlss dust e n s u r e is not controlled t i l .-.sbestos workers should nave a chest X-ray a t yearly in te rv als. ' -h 5. i h i l e t-iic lo ca l b a e s t n the band anw' rsnoven a considerable nropcsUon of the dust, i t is not considered adequate. This v en tilatio n should oe corrected so that the d ust is rcaoved. . '> 6. Unless properly v e n U le to l t o bond s ;s end n lr in j 1 TM .^ operotlonn snoold bo d i e t e d fron o * !, . t o r t o Iron t o root o t t o shop. I l l "-s to re on t o s . operations t o d c senr o l t o r opprorod e ir . t o rosplm tors or i-o ssto to rs approved fo r pneaiaoconiosic-produeing dusts; 7. i f the dust counts taken ty tho insurance s t o , tl,at ***** tsoU tlori f the above operations, the amount of asbestos dust in 10 C*>*rol sho? is . s u ffic ie n tly hiEh to produce cn asbestosis hazard, then Jie general ventilation of the shop should bo inproved. goto; deference (a) reccMondcd us follows: nThe conditions In thin shop present a very reel b e s td s is hazard and iniedLate steps stoidd bo taken to segregate the most dusty ; recesses into a uc11 ventilated area, lo u d exhaust aystens of proper dosicn should bo iu - s ta lle d however, i f conditions cannot be ee=?lc te ly controlled J* * nenner, then suitable dust re s p ira to rs should be worn by t '-c workers. Periodic physical examinations of- the chests of a l l workers should bo Bade. . *' - 1 4 SUGGESTS) SAFEM PEQuHAJI ' FOR iLuiDLIHG * ' asbesto s & dlm ouaceous sA-rra frodocts 1 Provide adequate ventilation a t a ll points chare dust is " created in handling Asbestos Products and Diatomicecus Earth Products' capable of producing S ilicate Dust. .. 2 . Require a l l enpioyees to wear suitable approved re sp ira to r ,,hen engaged in any cork chore there could be exposure to Asbestos Dust. ' 3 , Provide pre-eaployaent Medical exanisation end X-ray eraaination of t! chest area fo r those nho are to bo employed in corlc chere th e re i s exposure to Asbosto3 Dust. ft ha purpose of the pre-caploynent exanination is to elin in a te prosoective workers who have resp irato ry ailaents or who are susceptible to respiratory ailments.) / . Provide periodic nodical and chest X-ray examinations for a l l eaoloyecs engaged in work whre there is an exposure Asbestos Dust. I t i s suggested th at such norio~ix aeo ico l end X-ray examinations be made at. intervals of a t xesst every s ix months. . \. *- .f- ' ''' . OM<*g ostar Wheeler Corpora .ioti Monthly Meeting of the D irectors fovember Page 4 1951 ' t.t t ig a TIOS REPORT: M r. o u llS d ta ? 3 S 4 - ~ ^ 5 .fc * sU 5 ro r.U S ' i , rlairns a e a in s t 48 I n s u la tio n s , me* including ia v e rs e che eebescoe