Document v6qXj6794Lr08EdRdBzvaEe9Y

UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION Health, Safety and Environmental Affairs 270 Park Avenue - 22nd Floor New York, New York 10017 RECEIVED .AUG 14 1978. August 3, 1978 UNION CARBIDE Memorandum to: UCC Physicians KINn f'rrv r'* Sponsor: Mr. J. B. Browning Subject: Asbestos Gentlemen: . A major governmental information campaign on the hazards of asbestos is under way. It will undoubtedly cause considerable anxiety among workers who have or think they may have been exposed to asbestos. It is imperative that you respond to inquiries in a knowledgeable fashion. I know you are busy, but I would appreciate it if you would at least read the two-page background document attached. If you possibly can, I would also suggest that you read the Asbestos Standard and some extracted portions of the NIOSH Criteria Document, copies of which have also been enclosed. The really heavy exposures to asbestos occurred during World War II when ventilation was poor and respirator use was almost non-existent. It now has been 35 years, and no major epidemic of asbestosis or mesotheliomas has occurred. I believe the popularly projected occurrence of asbestosrelated diseases is grossly exaggerated and probably irresponsible. We now have good industrial hygiene control of asbestos exposures in all our plants. I would urge you to check with the Assistant Corporate Medical Director responsible for your plant and division before you respond to any detailed inquiries about extent of past exposures or presumed medical risks. We will help you get.the information you need if it is available. The Insulators' union, through the Insulators' Health Hazards Program, has been active in some locations requesting that chest x-rays be sent to Washington, D.C., to be interpreted by Dr. Irving J. Selikoff. If you should get such a request, we would appreciate learning about it. Sincerely yours. TAL:SA Attachments cc: Mr. J. B. Browning Mr. T. W. Carmody Dr. H. H. Haynes Thomas A. Lincoln, M.D. A 17634 UCC 022778