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FILE NAME: Fluor (FLU) DATE: 1966 Sept 10 DOC#: FLU009 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Journal Article - Asbestos: Awaiting 'Trial' Chemical Week faking Giant Steps Two chemical process companies took giant steps toward diversifying into the oceanography field last week, and two paper companies with com bined sales of nearly $1 billion/year reached a tentative agreement to merge. (1) Bendix Corp. (Detroit) ex panded its oceanic activities by ac quiring for an undisclosed amount of stock Marine Advisers (La Jolla, Calif.), producer of oceanographic in struments for petroleum and utility companies, state and federal agencies, and firms engaged in scientific pro grams. (2) Fluor Corp. (Los Angeles) and B. L. McFarland and Associates Worth and Midland, Tex.), a of five companies involved in ore and onshore drilling opera tions, have agreed to merge, subject to stockholders' approval. The Mc Farland group operates five offshore drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. (3) A tentative agreement to merge has been reached by U.S. Plywood Corp. (New York) and Champion Papers, Inc. (Hamilton, 0.). It is sub ject to both directors' and stockhold ers' approval. The corporate identities ., bc'.b companies will be preserved. Reducing Gas Rates The Federal Power Commission has ordered El Paso Natural Gas Co. and Tramwestem Pipeline Co. to reduce by $17 million/year the price of na tural gas in the southern California market. The rate cut stems from the July 26 decision in which FPC turned down the application of Gulf Pacific Pipeline Co. (a Tenneco subsidiary) to supply gas to the Los Angeles area (CM'', Aug. 6, p. 20). Gulf Pacific last week filed for a rehearing. El Paso and Transwestern were toid they would have to lower their rates to reflect the lower costs result ing from the bigger deliveries pos sible in the expanded system. At the same time, FPC said it would conduct further proceedings to decide if cus tomers should get additional benefits resuiting from more liberal deprecia tion allowances. FPC ha given the companies 45 days to show cause why the reduction shouij not take place. Sources of airborne asbestos Asbestos-lined ducts used in centrally air-conditioned buildings. Asbestos ducts and insulation in home central-heating plants. Motor vehicle brake linings and clutch plates. Auto undercoatings. Asbestos celling and floor tiles. Asbestos shingles and sidings. Construction and demolition Fitting, cutting, and removing asbestos-filled wallboards and floorings, piping and insulation. Incineration of asbestos-filled scrap. Improperly filtered effluent from asbestos processing plants. Asbestos: Awaiting T ria l' The asbestos industry--whose cod products are vetoed st more than $500 mflUon/year may be In for a shakeup. It could come la the form of federal legtolaHon Itmittag the see of asbestos, because asbestos has been ac cused--though not yet "convicted"--> as a significaat health hazard. Prob able contender for asbestos markets: plastics. Recent studies have convinced U.S. Public Health Service specialists and other medical authorities that about 40% of all Americans have mild, chronic cases of asbestosis, even though most of them never worked directly with asbestos. Unlike other airborne dust particles, asbestos fibers have the ability--al most as much as activated carbon-- to absorb polycyclic hydrocarbons and arsenicals. Furthermore, ays USPHS, in the past 30 years the as bestos-related cancer rate has in creased sixfold. The Inferences: While the average asbestos worker is well protected, the man on the street is n o t The 3x1micron asbestos fibers in his lungs can come from a variety of sources (table, above). And medical experts say there's no way to assess hydrocarbon content in those lung deposits. American Cancer Society research ers feel certain there is a synergistic relationship among airborne asbestos, smoking and lung cancer. They reason that the nondegradable. hydrocarbonsoaked fibers may well be a constant source of lung irritation. PHS officials think it may take them up to five years to establish asbestos' true role as an air pollutant However, Congress may act before die research is finished. Says Repre sentative Robert Watkins (R., Pa.): "We've seen enough evidence al ready. Asbestos will never get a clean bill of health. With just a little more data w ell move for controls and strict ones." Some form of asbestos control is in the offing, public health officials are certain, if only part of a larger clean-ambient-air program. However, there is the danger that Congress may enact rigorous controls on the quanti ty of asbestos that could be used. In that case both Canada and U.S. asbestos products manufacturers would be hard h it Of the five forms of asbestos mined today, chrysotile asbestos holds the predominant mar ket position because of its insulat ing and processing qualities. Canada produces more than 80% of the chry sotile asbestos used in the U.S. In both countries, a number of serious dislocations would occur, At present, there is no known ma terial that could fill all of asbestos' strategic roles. On the other hand, should federal controls merely call for higher standards for binders and shielding*, that would spark a rise of new products, with pla-i-xs takVg the lead. Reason, say industry spokesmen, present polymer technology could easily turn up products to replace as bestos in most end-uses. 32 CHEMICAL WEEK September XC. 1966 A 0 3 147