Document x1JqKYvVrBRZgnZjn1Ne3nmvQ

i \ AJW&fKP Asbestos dust is linked to disease B reathing asbestos dust causes or is associated with three diseases-- asbestosis, lung cancer, and meso thelioma. Scientists have also found some evidence linking asbestos ex posure to gastrointestinal cancer. Asbestosis is one of a group of lung diseases called pneumoconioses caused by dust inhalation. It is simi lar to black lung contracted by coal workers from breathing coal dust. Asbestosis starts when inhaled as bestos fibers are trapped in the low er portion of the lungs. The asbes tos is indestructible in the lung, and normal lung-cleaning mechanisms don't work. The lungs become scarred, and the scarring, which can be seen with an X-ray, reduces the amount of space in the lungs where circulating blood can pick up oxy gen. In extreme cases, a disabling shortness of breath results. In ad dition, there may be a strain on the heart in its effort to pick up suffi cient oxygen to circulate enough blood. The time between the first expo sure to asbestos and the first mani festations of asbestosis averages 17 years and is called the latency per iod. According to studies by Dr. Irving J. Selikoff of Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, approximately 1 in 10 asbestos workers dies from asbesto sis. There is no cure. Lung cancer, according to Dr. Selikoff, accounts for 2 in 10 deaths among asbestos workers. This is more than 5 times the expected rate in the United States population. Dr. Selikoff also found that smoking greatly increases the risk of lung cancer among asbestos workers. As bestos workers who smoke have 8 'times'fhe' risk of lung cancer com pared to asbestos workers who do not smoke, and 90 times the risk of people not exposed to'asbestos and' who do not smoke. ,The latency thelioma. Crocidolite and amosite period for asbestos-related cancer is asbestos, also used commercially, 20 to 30 years. appear to be more dangerous. Sci Mesothelioma is a rare cancer of- entists cannot explain the difference. the pleura (lining of the lungs and Scientists also don't know how chest cavity) or peritoneum (lining asbestos causes cancer. Some scien of .the abdominal cavity). In the tists think that somehow the struc 1960's, scientists estimated that me ture of the asbestos fibers them sothelioma caused only 1 in every selves causes cancer. Others think 10,000 deaths. In contrast. Dr. Sel that trace metals in the asbestos are ikoff found among asbestos workers the cause. Nickel and chromium, mestothelioma causing 1 in every 10 known carcinogens, are common deaths. The latency period for me impurities in asbestos. One school sothelioma is 30 to 40 years. Many of scientists hold that asbestos may of the arguments for a zero-fiber work as a cocarcinogen, and, with limit on asbestos are based on re another agent such as cigarette smok ports that even single or occasional ing bring on cancer. exposures to asbestos may cause The mystery that most divides sci mesothelioma. entists is the reported higher rates Gastrointestinal cancers of the of asbestos-related disease among stomach, colon, and rectum have workers employed in manufacturing also bfcen associated with asbestos and construction than among a com exposure. In one study. Dr. Seli parably exposed group of workers koff reported 29 of 255 deaths employed in mining and milling. Dr. among asbestos workers due to gas Selikoffs studies of asbestos insula trointestinal cancer. Only 9.4 deaths tion and factory workers show death from these cancers would be ex rates 25 to 50 percent higher than a pected from a normal group of 255 comparable but non-exposed group men selected at random. of workers. In contrast. Dr. J. Cor bett McDonald of the Department Scientists disagree of Epidemiology and Health at McGill University, in a study of Although the first reported case mining and milling workers in Que of asbestosis occurred in 1906, most bec's chrysotile asbestos mines, of the current knowledge on asbes found the overall death rate among tos was developed during the last 10 asbestos workers slightly lower than years. Despite recent progress, how the normal death rate for the prov ever, several medical mysteries ince. In-tfie highest dust category in about asbestos-related disease re McDonald's study, comprising 5 main. percent of the persons studied, he There are three types of asbestos found the death rate only 20 per most used commercially. Each has cent higher than for a nonhal pop a different chemical formula and ulation. Dr. Selikoff found 22 cases each, some scientists think, has dif of mesothelioma among 632 asbes ferent cancer caustifg abilities. tos' workers-in his study. Dr.. Chrysotilejjsbestos accounts for 95 -McDonald ;faundIonIy-3 castfS'" Ftegyte pHriBe^tos used commerri- - among 9,981 workers in Tiis ^stuffy. anylrPthd United States and appears' ~3cientisB^annot explStfl The differ- to be the least likely to cause meso ence in'results. ' II i: OSHA: Safety manager's fa Friend: "OSHA is a plus for safety11 D an Dudrow, corporate manager of safety and plant protection for Uniroyal. Inc., says OSHA has en riched his safety program. Dudrow applauds OSHA for pushing safety out of the wings onto center stage in industry. He is con fident that OSHA has produced an intensified awareness of safety among plant management and work ers that will bring important future advances in safety. "When OSHA achieves its goals, there will be a substantial reduction in this country's industrial accident rate and resultant savings to indus try in decreased costs of workmen's compensation, lost time, and down time," said Dudrow. Although Dudrow looks for OSHA to have its greatest impact ultimately on smaller companies which traditionally have been weak in safety, he believes OSHA is also aiding large companies with longentrenchcd, strong safety programs. Dudrow offers his own company in evidence. "Uniroyal has had a corporate safety office for 50 years and top management has always been strong on safety," said Dudrow. "As the safety and health field expanded during the 1960's, the major thrust of our program was encouraging greater involvement of all plant management in safety. We ham mered away to change the old atti^tude that safety should be left to ^he safety specialist in the plant . "The advent of OSHA acceler ated this attitudinal change among oumnanagers. Since OSHA, plant managers have exerted more leadershipNin their plant staff safety committees\ Managers in every depart ment inoeasingly seek out our safe ty spcciaDsts and work with them to eliminatk safety and health haz ards, he continued. "This groVing management awareness can pay big dividends in safety. In the past I've seen medio cre safety program^ make tremend ous strides forward in a short time once plant management became tru ly involved in safety," s\jd Dudrow. More responsible tions of Uniroyal facilities. Dudrow secs this as evidence that employees are not abusing their rights under OSHA and that they are cooperating with plant management to solve safe ty and health problems. Long-term benefits Dudrow credits OSHA for the growing management and employee euro ft1TICKS "In 1971 and 1972, Uniroyal's ac cident rate rose above the 1970 lev els," said Dudrow. "This was a nationwide phenomenon, not con fined to Uniroyal; and many factors were involved. Our business was ex panding and production accelerat ing. We hired many new and young workers. We built plants in areas where people did not have industrial working experience. And, I think, to some extent, adjusting to OSHA may have distracted us from other parts of the safety program. "This year our rate of increase of accident frequency has slowed, due in part, I believe, to increased support for safety among manage ment and workers in the plants. Tn the future, I think we'll reverse the accident trend and decrease accident frequency. Certainly OSHA will have a part in that," said Dudrow. OSHA has also left its ii^print on workers. Health emphasis "OSHA has made our entire: Dudrow sees other benefits stem ty sell to employees much more pe? ming from OSHA. suasive. The employees see us in' "OSHA brought about an infor- the plants taking surveys'and Mak jnation exDlosion in safety," said ing improvements. They know that [udrow. "Some of the information OSHA has given them new rights. hmi always been available but not They are more aware of safety, and widely circulated. Much of it is of their responsibility to work safely new. tilur job now is to collect and as a result- They know now that compileNais information for the what we've been telling them is im people in oSr plants who can use it. portant They know we're not ask "OSHA hmSalso focused increas ing them to do something other em ing attention on occupational health ployees of other companies are not --for a long time cite weak spot in being called upon-terdo," he said. many programs. Our understanding Employee complaints initiated --is impravingjabout what to look for^ Trite-1J. OSHA inineCj; _ _ - Continued on peg* W 94 OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS/Odober 1973