Document vB1bBQ5MxVxbM92ZVqKbDerxm

FRlCTION MATERIALS STANDARDS INSTITUTE, INC., E-210 ROUTE 4, PARAMUS, N. J. 07652 March 10, 1975 To: Asbestos Study Committee Subject: Various Papers Concerning Asbestos Mr. I. H. Weaver, Chairman, forwarded three papers concerning the asbestos problem which he suggested I send on to the Committee. Internal Rayhestos Report by I. H. Weaver 3/4/75 This concerned ameeting at Rutgers University for the Occupational Health Conference. The safety of the 2 fiber/cc limit (June 1976) was questioned. Also concern was expressed for fibers less than 5 microns in length. Industrial Hyeiene Proeress Reoorts Dr. Selikoff is Program Director for these Reports. In it is a fairly strong push for reducing the standard to 1 fiber per cc or 1ess. Mesotheliomata in Rats---- This is a British paper that indicated mesotheliomata was observed in a considerable proportion of animals with all the samples of asbestos. Mr. Weaver indicated that this was bad news for those hoping that chrysotile would be proven not to be associated with mesothelioma. The foregoing is for your information. E~m/erc Enclosure: E. W. Drislane Executive Director FMSI 06713 Manheim, Pa. Mr. J. H. Marsh- 'rrumbull March b. 1.915 Oceupationa1 Health Conference~ Rutgers UniversitY' On Tuesda7, Februar)" 25th, I attended an Occupational Heal.th Conference at Rutgers tJniversity in :Brunsvick~ :Uev Jersey, sponsored by the Department ot Environmental. Science ot Cook College at Rutgers, and the American Lung .Association of lev Jerse7. The morning program vas devoted to a panel. diacusaion and question and ansver period on current health regul.ations, enforcement probl.ems, and review of current research findings and their potential. application to future policies and standards. Much of the morning discussion concerned relative merits ot State versus Federal program control. The recent decision to turn aver responsibilitY' tor the occupatioual. heal.th in lfev Jersq to the federal. govermnent vas severe]J' criticized. James Conlin, Hev Jersey's Department of Labor DeputT Director, outlined features of the General. Factor,. Act ot 1885 that still are being violated in :Rev Jersq and expressed disdain ot purported need tor additional l.egislation in the occupational heal.th field. He feels there is plentT ot legislation that has not been enforced ettectively and cited lack ot communication as the major problem in improving occupatioual. health conditions. Hev Jersey bas operated a program that is tar trom adequate in the opinion of Jll&D7, but better than is likel;y under federal control. A major problem is that labor sees the OSliAet as a worker's bill ot rights and 'W&llts to vipe out state plans under the impression their interests vill be better served by federal. programs. In most cases they are badl.y 'lllisguided, as it appears Tery unlike]J' that the federal. goTermnent Yil.l be in a position to im.prove on the better administered state programs that have been in ettect tar some time, J11&117 ot vhich are being upgraded. Mat7 Louise Brown, Regional ConiiUl.tant to OSHA Begion II, estimated the Department ot Labor would require as :many' em.plO)"ees as are nov empl.oyed by" the entire federal. government to enable OSHA. to accomplish vb&t congress intended vhen it passed the OSHAct. Since l.ess than one-tenth of a percent of the federal. budget nov is applied to occupational aatet7 an4 heal.th. it is d.iscouragingl.T eYic!ent that ve are an extremely long va;y- trom achieving vb&t congress mandated. The afternoon sessions consisted ot six workshops covering Tarious hazards. I attend- ed those concerning lead and asbestos. Dr. William Wilentz, former Chief Medical Examiner tor Middlesex County, llev Jersey, presented an impassioned dissertation on the hazards ot lead exposure. He characterized 1ead as an insidious, slov poisoner that is capable ot malting people sicker than anything else he knovs. He emphasised the folloviug points: FMSI 06714 - 2- 1. No one with any chronic ailment should ever be placed in lead exposure. A very thorough pre-employment p~sical should be given to discern chronic ailments in candidates for work in lead exposure areas. 2. Most lead sickness occurs in young and in old employees. Propenaity ot the young to contract lead sickness maT be attributable to carelessness. 3. Once a person contracts lead poisoning -- don't permit re-expoaurel 1J. Too much emphasis is placed on blood lead anal.y'sis. Monthly testa tor blood lead, urine lead. hemoglobin count, porphorine and stippling should be required for all workers exposed to lead. ' 5. Lead poisoning is best treated in the hospital by intravenous therapy. Professor Norbert Bikales of Rutgers spoke briefly on various non-industrial sources of lead exposure and recent research on effects of lead on health. He said the principle source of lead in human environment is :t'rom naturally occurring lead in food sources. Recent work indicates smoking aggravates the effects of exposure to lead. Dr. Arthur Langer of Mt. Sinae reviewed their studies of !Jew Jersey asbestos insula./ tion workers and cited their dismal health picture. He mentioned additional studies conducted in rural areas to eliminate possible etiological effects of exposure to air pollution in the Nev Jersey industrial megalopolis and said that conclusions from these again related excessive cancer with asbestos exposure. Tyler, Texas also 'Was reviewed, and the Newhouse and Thompson neighborhood exposure study also vas mentioned. Mt. Sinae has studied effects of neighborhood and secondary (conJugal) exposure in the Patterson, New Jersey area. In the first 130 people checked, 50% have chest abnormalities. Langer stated pleural plaques are occurring abroad more in non-asbestos workers in certain industrJ.es, notably ship building and construction, than they do in asbestos workers. This is attributed to the fact that the non-asbestos workers do their jobs W'ithout respiratory protection but near enough to the asbestos work to breathe contaminated air. The asbestos workers wear respirators. The safety of the OSHA ib fiber per cc limit was questioned. Langer and his associates are particularly concerned about exposure to fibers in the aub 5 micron range. He mentioned fibers of specific origin such as the Coalinga area in California, which characteristically contain few fibers greater than 5 microns in length. Under the present standards, it would be possible to have workers exposed to very high concentrations of this type of dust on a mass basis without exceeding the 5 fibers per cc greater than 5 microns in length parameter. A better index of exposure or hazard b badly needed for this type of material, as it is well lmovn to cause problems. The German konitlltftt:er mass basis was mentioned as a possible alternate monitoring method, but it . is recognized :many difficulties would exist and that some operators vho are nov okay at the 2 or 5 tpcc standard would become in violation on a mass basis. Mt. Sinae is extremely wary of smaller fibers and considers them very suspect in respect to mesothelioma and lung CA. They question the effectiveness of existing respirators for protection against mesothelioma and lung CA and are not at all villing FMSI 06715 I j I' 1 - 3- to dismiss them as being biologically insignificant. They have found sub light { i microscopic fibers b7 electron microscop;y in the tiasue of virtuall.y all major body organs of asbestos workers. Additional teats are being made to determine quantit7 and size distribution of fibers in tbaue of the general public. lrlhile they consider the burgeoning use of asbestos worrisome. Mt. Sinae recognizes the need for it and recommend it be used wherever needed provided it can be sealed . in so it doesn't become airborne. Langer cited gpod relationships with J-M contrar,to popular opinion and expressed high regard for Dr. Kotin. He quoted Kotin as saying J-M would "ban" asbestos if they can't control it. ! Langer spoke to the immunity of some individuals to asbestos disease, but said others I also seem to be hypersusceptible. No one knows vbat level is "sate" if anyl The Belikoff/Lewinsobn controversy was mentioned. Langer reeerred to Mt. Binae' "spys" in Great Britain and said they believe incidence of asbestos disease to exposure is 70% verSWI 2% previously reported. He mentioned the "tremendous :t'uror" that va.s raised in Ly>n during the recent international conference and predicts there will be a similar furor here w'hen OSHA reopens hearings on the asbestos standard. He very much questions whether the 2 tpcc TLV will stand in light of the severe criticism. to Vhich J it will be subjected. Dr. Rohl of Mt. Binae briefly discussed results of their studies in brake repa.ir shops in Nev Jersey and the Nev York area. He had intended to show slides and present a longer talk, presumably similar to the one he gave at the ACGIH conference in Miami, but the slide machine broke down and Dr. Langer preempted most of the time that vas available. Robl mentioned JII&JlY' light microscope counts of membrane filter samples yielding 3 to 5 fibers per cc up to 20 no. from the service area Vhen brake drums were blown off vith air hoses. Hovever s he vas much more concerned about the rela- tively large number of sub 5 micron and sub light microscopic fibers found up to 75 ft. ave:y from thh operation 15 minutes and longer at'ter the blowing vas performed. I. H. Weaver grb FMSI 06716