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FILE NAME: Talc (TALC) DATE: 1973 DOC#: TALC122 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: US Senate Hearings on Toxic Substances Control Act of 1973 TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT OF 1973 HEARINGS BEFORE THE INVIBONMENT SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE UNITED STATES SENATE NINETY-THIRD CONGRESS ' FIR ST SESSION on s. 426 and Amendments 1, 8, and 9 TM in t e r s t a TM com m erce b y r e q u ir in g p r e m a r k e t TESTING OF NEW CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES Aivm t a s ta s s m m i m o x o f c h e m i n PURPOSES S. 888 TO BE KNOWN AS THE TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT OF 1973 FEBRUARY 23, 26, AND MARCH 21, 1973 Serial No. 93-18 Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce 94-872 0 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1978 IV Yost, Dr. Kenneth J., In stitu te fo r Environm ental H ealth, P urdue U ni versity, Lafayette, Imi., and Dr. W illiam Fulkerson, Oak Ridge N ational Laboratory, Oak Ridge, T enn________________________________________ 234 ADDITIONAL ARTICLES, LETTERS, AND STATEMENTS Albertson, Dr. Clarence E., le tte r of M arch 27, 1973_____________________ 354 Asbestos Contam ination of P a re n te ra l D rugs, article____________________ 361 Asbestos and You, artic le ______________________________________________ 157 Bull, J. D,, division m anager, T he Epcon Co., le tte r of F eb ru ary 10,1973__ 350 Clayton, Jacob, adm inistrative director, Industrial Union Department, AFL-CIO, le tte r of A pril 12,1973____________________________________ 357 Di Luzio, Dr. Nicholas R., professor and chairman, D epartm ent of Physi ology, Tulane U niversity School of Medicine, New Orleans, La., sta te ment _____________________________________________________________ 347 Du Pont, E. I., de Nemours & Co., statem en t____________________________ 364 Fike, Elmer A., president of F ike Chemicals, Inc., statem en t------------------ 360 Golz, Dr. H arold H., Am erican Petroleum In stitu te, le tte r of M arch 30, 1973 ______________________________________________________________ 356 Graham , P aul R., le tte r of A pril 17, 1973_______________________________ 192 Gunder, Roger W., vice chairm an and chief executive officer, Stauffer Chemical Co., statem ent----------------------------------------------------------------- 378 Joselow, Dr. Morris M,, associate professor of preventive medicine and community health, College of Medicine and D entistry of New Jersey, ! letter of March 23, 1973_____________________________________________ 352 Lewis, Dr. George P., B. Sc., M.R.C.P.E., Clinical Pharmacology Section, Boston V eterans' A dm inistration Hospital, le tte r of F ebruary 20, 1973-- 253 Matthews, W illiam H., D epartm ent of Civil Engineering, M assachusetts In stitu te of Technology, statem en t-------------------------------------------------- 373 McGee, Zell G., letter of M arch 24, 1973------------------------------------------------ 354 M clntire, Clifford G., legislative director, American F arm B ureau F ed era tion, letter of M arch 16, 1973________________________________________ 351 National Association of P rin tin g Ink M anufacturers, statem ent_________ 379 National Canners Association, statem en t_______________________________ 376 Nixon, Dr. Alan C., president, A merican Chemical Society, statem en t-------- 381 Phillips, William L,, director, Bureau of Environmental Services, Balti more County D epartm ent of H ealth, le tte r of December 4, 1973----------- 349 Rodgers, W illiam H ,, Jr., le tte r of M arch 27,1973_______________________ 185 Selikoff, Dr. Irving J., professor, M ount Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York, le tte r of A pril 27,1973_________________ 358 Sherrill, Robert, article in th e New York Tim es________________________ 93 Shorey, Joan, Concern, Inc., statem en t_______________________________ 364 Smith, Jam es R., president. The American W aterw ays Operators, Inc., le tte r of March 28, 1973____________________________________________ 354 Stephenson, C. P., secretary, U nited Pesticide F orm ulators and D is tributors Association, Inc., letter of F ebru ary 21, 1973_______________ 350 Stevenson, Hon. A dlai E., I l l , U.S. Senator from Illinois, le tte r o f May 4, 1973 ______________________________________________________________ 364 TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT OF 1978 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1973 U.S. S e n a t e , C o m m ittee on C ommerce, S ubcom m ittee o n t h e E n v iro nm ent, Washington, D.O. The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., in room 5110, New Senate Office Building, Hon. John V. Tunney presiding. OPENING STATEMENT BY SENATOR TUNNEY Senator T u n n e y . This morning the Subcommittee on the Environ ment begins 3 days of hearings designed to control toxic substances. Two bills are under consideration. I was pleased to join with the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Senator Magmison, and the distinguished chairman of this subcommittee, Senator Hart, in introducing S. 426, entitled the "Toxic Substances Control Act of 1973." We are also pleased to have an administration bill, S. 888, before this subcommittee. In addition, three amendments to S. 426 have been introduced, dealing with: (1) Indemnities under this legisla tion and the Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act; (2) The relationship of the Environmental Protection Agency to the Office of the Management and Budget; and (3) The monitoring of our Nation's food supply for the presence of dangerous materials. These three amendments will also be considered in these hearings. The purpose of these hearings is to hear the testimony of con cerned environmental and public interest groups, the administration, and the chemical industry concerning the substance of the legislation under consideration. In addition, we will hear testimony today and Monday about two environmental contaminants which I feel will be candidates for regulation under this legislation. Today, scientists will present evidence o f the pervasiveness and the hazardous nature of asbestos. Asbestos is an excellent example of a material with a myriad number of uses and problems. On Monday, the witnesses will testify as to the hazards of the heavy metal, cadmium. Although a great deal of scientific work remains to be done, there is substantial indication that is not care fully regulated, cadmium may turn out to be a serious environmen tal hazard. Staff members assigned to these h earin g s: Leonard Bickwit and Michael Brownlee. (1) 158 The words "if you are not going to do any w ork," which preceded,! words, "you might as well get your buckets and go home," contradict-! finding th at a reason, other than refusal to work, was the motivating fo rc |j the assumed discharge. finally, under th e direct exam ination of his own counsel, Applicant Ea^ Scott testified as follows (Tr. pp. 247-48) : ; "Q * * * Did there come a time th a t you were discharged or dischajj by the Smilty B aker Company? "A Yes, sir. ``Q When did th a t occur? "A April the 15th. "Q Of what year? `A 1971. "Q This year? "A Yes, sir. "Q And what was the reason you were discharged? "A Well, failing to w ork under a bad roof." Under cross exam ination, the same witness testified th a t he refused to because he was afraid of the roof.14 Tiie spontaneous answ ers of E arn est Scott to the foregoing questiomjjj certainly persuasive th a t, a t least in liis mind, the reporting activities di<] motivate the alleged discharge, hut rather th a t such discharge was moral by his failure to work because of fe a r of the roof.15 Arnold Scott's testimony under direct examination, also by his own cot was to the same effect, th a t A pplicants' fear of the roof motivated the t j nation of their employment. (Tr. p. 314). The Board, therefore, finds and concludes th a t the reason for the dischi assuming a discharge and not a voluntary quit, w as because Appllifi refused to work in the belief th a t the roof was dangerous. F u rth er, we t| that subsection 1 1 0 (b )(1 ) (A) of the Act does not prohibit coal m ine opeij from discharging miners by reason of the fact th a t they refuse to worlyj only protected activity under th a t subsection is the reporting or in s tig a tif reports of alleged violations or dangers to the Secretary. All Findings of F act and Conclusions of Law in the E xam iner's de inconsistent with the views expressed in this Opinion are hereby exp^j rejected. WHEREFORE, pursuant to the authority delegated to the Board o f , Operations Appeals by the Secretary of the Interior (43 CFR 4 .1 (4 )), I HEREBY ORDERED: (1) T hat the E xam iner's Decision IS REVERSED, and (2) The Application IS DENIED. B oard of Min e Operations Appeals, C. E. Rogers, J r., Chairman. D avid Doane, Member. J awes M. D ay, Director. Office of Hearings and Appeals and , E x officio M ember of the BoM a T ranscript page 272 rends In p a rt ns follows: [Tty Mr. P a t t e r s o n J "Q T h e day t h a t ,vou q u i t w o rk in g t h e r e or th e d ay t h a t yon wer e discharged, 1 ever you w an t lo call It, you didn't go to work any more, go buck to work w h e r fi asked' you or told you to because you considered th a t place too unsafe to work I n } "A T offered to go back the next day. -| " Q I sa y th e day t h a t .von d i d n 't offer t o go back, th e reaso n you d i d n 't o ffe r'! back was because you considered the place too unsafe to work? " A Yes, sir ; I was a fra id of th e place. "Q And the thing that was unsnfe was the danger of the roof falling was w hh| were afraid of, w a s n 't It, am I right about th a t ? "A Right. 15 " It has fre quently been st a te d In broad gener al te r m s t h a t a p a r t y Is bou(f| concluded by Ills own testimony which Is favorable to the adverse party, unless " testimony Is l ater w ith d r a w n , explained, or modified. In p a r t i c u l a r, t h e View has taken I n ' a number of eases t h a t If a p a r t y In his testimony, makes a m aterial statitiL of fact, negativing his rig h t of action or defense, and no testimony more fnvojj appears to contradict or modify It, he Is bound by It, regardless of its credibility)! Ills opponent Is entitled to bold him to it and even to fiemnnd a verdict or finding noi ingiy as a m a t t e r of law *** '' RO Am. .Tur 2d IJvitlcnrc 5 1ufi7 (1!)(i7). * 157 [The following information was referred to on p. 112:] A sbestos a n d T o n By B arry I. Castleman and Albert J. F ritsch, C enter fo r Science in the Public Interest, W ashington, D.C., F ebruary, 1973) Copyright 1973 Center fo r Science in the Public In terest. No p art of this iblication may be reproduced by any means w ithout the p rio r w ritten permison of the authors. ABSTRACT Asbestos has become a widely used m aterial in our in d u stria l society over tin' last 100 years. U nfortunately, we have found th a t th e re a r e grav e h azards temlant upon its use. Severe lung scarring, which can lead to death from iMiit failure, results from long-term, heavy exposure (asb e sto sis). W ith th e iplemontation of basic dust controls in asbestos processing plants, it was iiped th a t the w orkers' h az ard would be elim inated. H ow ever, a s asbestosis >nime a less severe problem, a sta rtlin g incidence of lung cancer and stom ach iirer appeared among asbestos workers. In th e la te 1950's an epidemic of an !* tu inely ra re cancer w as discovered and traced to environm ental asbestos *(10,sure (m alignant m esotheliom a). As these diseases w ere associated w ith tlm'Nhively lower exposures, the populations known to be a t risk have Tereased. Even while this inform ation was being published, new and dangertin applications of asbestos w ere developed, th e w o rst of w hich w as sprayed ' reproofing insulation. T his alone exposed m illions of A m erican construction jdforkcrs to high concentrations of asbestos during th e 1960's, as well as neighKira and passers-by to a lesser extent. I t is now estab lish ed th a t u rban dwellT m with no history of occupational exposure to asbestos h av e asbestos fibers Hit scarring in th eir lungs. W hether this significantly in c reases th e ir cancer nIc will not likely be know n for decades, due to th e long la te n t periods of Isose diseases and the inability of past studies to define th e dose-response relaotiship. The purpose of this report is to stim ulate a greater aw areness of asbestos tt?,arils, and generate actions which w ill reduce and elim in ate these hazards. Ids time, the m any governm ent agencies w hich sh o u ld regulate uses of '`licsios--The Labor D epartm ent's Occupational S afety a n d H ea lth Adminisnl lim, IIE W 's E nvironm ental P rotection Agency an d Food a n d D ru g Adminisittlon, In te rio r's B ureau of Mines, and th e F ed eral T ra d e Commission are all lllitg to take appropriately strong m easures. In m any cases, th e h azards can eliminated by substitution of less dangerous m aterials or reduced by imple~euliug safer w ork practices. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of D r. H enry Wehman, r, .lerome Gavis, and Mrs. D onna Powers in the p re p a ra tio n of th is docu. U'lif. `hmlos, Friend or Foe? Tills report deals w ith the health and environm ental effects of asbestos. We `.iiiiTieans have shown f a r more skill and ingenuity in using asbestos in our (OhNuiner products than we have in safeguarding ourselves from th is toxic '"m inhil. We know th a t asbestos is both useful and toxic, b u t we don't have `me iespouse inform ation on low levels of environm ental asbestos exposure, "here is evidence th a t asbestos exposure in com bination w ith other hazardous . uhsi.tiioes carries severe risk of cancer. Since surveillance techniques are .Wdi'otiiely tedious or prim itive, no one has yet defined th e concentrations and (irllmlion of asbestos particles w ithin the environm ent. VYV show great ingenuity in using asbestos in homes, train s, airplanes, ships, fnniiM mill factories. Fortunately, a p a rt of the asbestos used is more or less iliiniMcss due to the lower possibility of erosion of th e fibers from such item s 0 ceramic products and plastic and tile products. However, other uses are tmtivmely dangerous due to (be fact th a t asbestos Is n o t held tightly in the Jirailmi or on the applied surface. Exam ples are asbestos cloth, rope, paper '.Hid insulation material. 7 and flaking. The atm osphere of th e working space can easily be contaminag by asbestos. For other groups, see T able III. One unsuspected source of asbestos is in talcs w hich contain vary amounts of trem olite asbestos. Talcs are soft and can be reduced to small tid e size; they are cheap and are good therm al and electrical conductors like asbestos, are resistan t to a ttac k by acids and bases. T hese p ro p ert allow for a multiplicity of uses (see Table IV) ranging from fillers in scour soaps to solid lubricants. : Blejer (.130) has called atten tio n to the potential cancer h azard posed by strong chemical sim ilarity between talc and asbestos, and has also w ritten | one of the authors th at many m ineralogists doubt if such a thing as an ash tos-frce talc deposit exists. This latter complication has so fa r prevented appearance of a study of cancer incidence of workers exposed to pure Talc miners who work w ith a talc containing about 30% tremolite risk dey| oping a talc fibrosis sim ilar to asbestosis and incur four times as much eanc of tbe lung and pleura as th eir counterparts in the general population (131). A few mineralogical analyses have been made on talcs used in these m i items. A study by Schulz and W illiam s on 51 commercial talcs indicated range of 0 to 82% trem olite w ith greater th an trace am ounts in 17, or Ol third ( 113). This alarm ing report beckons a thorough analysis of all uses! talcs. Some of the area which requires immediate investigation should befj talcum powders and vaginal deodorants. Here large quantities of talc w h` could contain different am ounts of asbestos can be easily adm inistered^ prime cancer sites. Among talc uses which should be strictly controlled include the use as lung cants in the interior walls of balloons, where children naturally inhale exhale the air used to inflate the item. Recent analyses of a lim ited num berj brand by the Food and D ru g A dm inistration revealed no asbestos in th e ' However, strict regulations on talc use are still needed w ith an active progrij of surveillance. A recently discovered serious contam ination problem is in th e are a of co`| imported from Italy which contain asbestos mixed w ith wool. This defected because the coats w ere declared to contain asbestos in order to escaji the wool duty. Before th e public w as alerted in 1971, th e re w as an estim ag 100.000 coats sold to women in this country. A m easurem ent o f a ir concent' tions near lightly brushed coats w ere 10,000 times more asbestos th a n nor background (132). ASBESTOS IN' FOOD, DRINKS, AND DRUGS Though asbestos is not directly added to human foods, still it is able to c<|j taminate them through careless and thoughtless practices. One such practice the polishing of rice by th e use of talcs. Talc is also used as a dusting powfl" for salami and a polishing medium for peanuts (728). Merliss believes " since much of the polished rice eventually is exported to Japan, this might.' a reason why there is a very high incidence of stomach cancer in th a t count! (73,1). W hile this inference w as highly questioned in recent months, Merlij report eventually led the Food and Drug Administration to propose a ban asbestos-containing talc as a polishing agent (see Appendix 2). A use of asbestos which causes considerable worry is the use of asbestq tillers for beer, wine, and hard liquors. This allows for small fibers to washed into the final product and find their way into th e stom achs of drlifljj e r s . One of the authors spoke w ith the chief engineer a t a C arling brewei; and informed him of the hazardous potential of asbestos to workers and till public. The company immediately procured a cellulose substitute from G re fc Incorporated, which had also furnished the asbestos-containing filter nmteriarfi Asbestos filter media are widely used in United States breweries, and a t thuT time a number of companies are switching to substitutes voluntarily in ord| to preempt government regulation and adverse publicity. The above experience supports the claim th a t the re sista n t properties nnfl low cost of asbestos load to w idespread, nonessential uses which can be read llv l substituted and eliminated. -dP Asbestos-containing filters are also used by some lnnmil'nclurers of gin. Ttepi rsenla lives of Seagrams, one of wlmse products is Calvert, gin, m aintain tliqt sisUoiUos lias unmue filtration nronerlies nod lint nuiitiimv C 171 "ttlverl gin th a n were present as background levels In the w ater from w hich i t its made {183a.). Asbestos filters are also used in processing f ru it juices, sugar, lard, an d vegtblo oils, and the listing here is by no m eans all-inclusive. Nicholson and co-workers found th a t asbestos filters contam inate drug solujims used to intravenous, intram u scu lar, an d intraperito n eal injections (133b) 'his la st form of "therapy" is p a rtic u la rly alarm ing in view of the fac t th a t jio peritoneum is a prim e site fo r developm ent of mesothelioma. The Food and Drug A dm inistration has said it is conducting analyses to "elermine if asbestos is entrain ed in ce rtain products filtered w ith asbestos. Hwever, the FDA spokesman claim s they are having trouble adapting th eir Uoscn techniques, optical microscopy, an d X -ray diffraction, to perform th e analyses. T his is because optical microscopy is incapable of detecting m ost of j)ie tiny fibers, and X-ray diffraction depends upon th e cry sta l stru ctu re |rm aining intact (as mentioned earlier, even w ater will leach magnesium from .flirysotile). A leading New York asbestos researcher has not only told FDA 'Officials th a t their methods won't work, b u t has also dem onstrated th is claim Jot- them. This deliberate subterfuge of studying a problem to d eath shows the FDA's contempt for its stated m ission of protecting the public health. Asbestos cement pipe carrying potable w ater requires periodic drilling and japping for m aintenance purposes. In addition, asbestos may be slowly eroded i).v w ater flowing through these pipes. A nalyses are being u n d ertak en to d eter mine the degree of contam ination of w ater from those causes, where th is pipe used. In Baltimore, asbestos cement pipe is prohibited for m etropolitan w ater jieeause cast iron and prestressed non-asbestos cement pipe liave better physi`{iil properties (133c). However, w ord did not travel far. In neighboring H a r ford County, 80 percent of the w a te r supply is carried in asbestos cem ent pipe. The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed no regulations for the discharge of asbestos into w aterw ays. Conclusion and Recommendations The widespread contamination of asbestos throughout the United States is known b ut has not been publicized. The public is simply u n aw are of how d an gerous this toxic materiul is. The w ork of good research scientists over the bust few decades which shows the cancer-causing potential of th is m aterial bus not been coupled by a socially responsible education of th e g rea t m ass of citizens who come in contact w ith asbestos. I t is tim e th a t public interest sci entists broadcast the simple proven tru th and demand th at unanswered ques tions as to extent of contam ination and types of use by addressed. The leading cause of deatli am ong asbestos workers today is lung cancer. Asliestosis, formerly the leading cause of death of these workers, is declining. Tin reason is th a t asliestosis is caused by relatively severe occupational expomire, characteristic of pre-1940 asbestos p lan t conditions. Continuous im prove ments m ade since then unci im plem entation of recently adopted sta n d ard s should virtually eliminate asliestosis as an occupational hazard. In the m ean time, incidence of lung cancer in asbestos w orkers has increased dram atically. The recent discovery th a t insulators who smoke cigarettes have 92 times as (mat a chance of developing lu n g cancer as men who n either handle asbestos nor smoke is particularly alarm ing. Lung cancer in urban are a s is twice as lileh as in rural areas, and the N ational Academy of Sciences attrib u te s the ililTorence largely to air pollution (131/). I t is also known th a t urban dw ellers with no history of occupational exposure to asbestos commonly have num erous asbestos fibers in their lungs. What, roie do low levels of asbestos exposure piny in urban lung cancer, p articu la rly among the m illions of cigarette sm ok ers '! Mesothelioma is another m ajor cause of death among asbestos workers, (tillers who receive neighborhood and indirect occupational exposure are also KHlijeetod to increased m ortality from mesothelioma, which occurs m ostly iri workers w ith light exposure. Because it is caused by lower level exposure, mesothelioma has become the disease of greatest concern to those who study file health hazards of asbestos exposure. (.'nsiroiniestinnl cancer is two to throe times as prevalent among asbestos workers than in the general population. It might bo considerably more common If mu for (lie competing rlskH of other asbestos cancers and asliestosis. T his finding 1ms grave llnpllent Inns for the presence of asbestos fillers In foods amt asbrato^ ty* m ti e ab0Ve cateSrips claims 40% of insulators an f m .p ant workers has led some to call asbestos work the wot1 Rtonn^" al h,ealth Problem in the U.S. Recently adopted Labor Departin s ,hir,!<v are demonstr!rbly insufficient to protect against asbestos cancers. anc,1 co'wopkers (135) estimated that there are fewer than 300, w oikeis regularly using asbestos in construction trades in the United Stn " 10re tlAiaa 3,000,000 other building trade employees work in the sain stiuctures. A large number of workmen have similar indirect occupation! exposure in shipyards (JS6). y fl * \ V dditi? t0 tlle P]iSkt of these workers, there are many Americans sul ject to family and neighborhood exposures to asbestos. Everything from talcu powder to playing and living near construction sites and demolition proje open about half of all Americans to serious confrontation with asbestos. _ The knowledge we now have about the carcinogenic effects of asbestos cam as a result of retrospective epidemiological studies. Because of the inherent? incompleteness of these studies and the difficulty in compiling accurate infoiu'8 mation on causes of deaths, we have obtained an inconclusive picture about dose-response relationships for mesothelioma and lung cancer. Studies now undertaken will not yield results for many years owing to the long lated periods of these diseases. | Since the threshold concentration that humans can safely tolerate for contin uous exposure has not been determined, it is impossible to evaluate the health hazards posed by present ambient concentrations. Likewise, it is not possible to determine the hazard posed by nonoceupational use of asbestos-containin,, items a t this moment. The effect of asbestos as an environmental carcinogeiS will be more fully determined in future studies on mesothelioma mortalit trends. _ Asbestos is one of the major environmental contaminants; it was declared sof by the Environmental Protection Agency in the spring of 1971. However, this declaration has not been fortified as of this moment by Standards. The origi nal proposed regulations (Federal Register, Dec. 7, 1971) have not yet bee implemented. In fact, an intermediate draft docurn ened (see Appendix 3). _ R; While more scientific research is necessary, the need should not retard usH from demanding stricter regulations on the manufacture, advertisement, distri- and use of asbestos products. Both collective and individual action is necessary. Among collective citizen actions should be the following: (a) demand a zero fiber time-weighed average for all occupational expo- U sur' e ^to asbestos by July, 1^ 976^ (^ see AA ppen^di ix 4)J % ; (b) provide th at all hand-operated and power-operated tools for asbestos have local exhaust ventilation systems including fabric filter dust dust collections; (c) require personal protective equipment for work places where asbes tos concentrations exceed the level of 2 f/m l; (d) ban the use of friable asbestos materials in building construction, ccept where no substitutes can be found ; (e) implement strict control of asbestos use in shipyards in order to eliminate indirect occupational exposure; (f) inform all brake servicing mechanics, people who wear asbestos pro tective clothing and others who are exposed to asbestos in their work of tse hazards, and recommend safe practices; (g) affix caution labeis to all raw materials, mixtures, scrap, waste, debris and other products containing asbestos fibers; (h) halt the use of asbestos in the making of any friable consu nrnduct and remove these materials from the store shelves; (i) discontinue the use of asbestos filter materials in the preparation of foods drugs, and alcoholic drinks; iV stop the use of talc containing even trace amounts of asbestos in anv product where fibers could become airborne; , . , .. any(kp)iofuourmbi.d the use o.f talc in f00as and some consumer products mclud- ing vaginal deodorant spraj s m _____ __ 1 h I 'l I / I W 4 which allow return air to cross sprayed (O require p 111\j priaeve"nums*surfaced with metal ductwork; " 't(mml) rreeqnunilriSe 'a ll buildings witb exposed asbestos celling surfaces lo undergo renovation for removing or covering tbe asbestos % (n) require adequate wetting to lay dust in demolition of buildings con taining asbestos; (o) prohibit the use of asbestos cement pipe in metropolitan water supply systems. AYhat can you do as an individual concerned citizen? Now that you know that Itulwstos is used in a multitude of products, many of which are not labeled, if)ware of any product which could conceivable contain friable asbestos libers'. If you suspect that a product in a hardware store contains asbestos, read the llibel, ask the salesman, and (if necessary) write to the manufacturer. Ask your local hardware dealer to remove asbestos dust from the shelf. Check pipe and boiler insulation in your home and see that the surface is not broken. You can buy resin-impregnated cloth to wrap the pipe insulation, lieiluce torn ironingboard covers and buy them (asbestos waste can otherwise Hud its way into the air via a municipal incinerator). Likewise, bury any Imported coats purchased in 1970-71 which contains asbestos as indicated on the label. Make sure that your neighborhood elementary school no longer has asbestos powder for making puppets and masks. Find out whether the building you work in has uncovered asbestos fireproofing in the recirculation air plenum or on ceilings. Ask local breweries and distillers if they use asbestos filters. If there is an asbestos mine, mill or manufacturing plant near you, find out what it discharges into the air and water. Are ore-carrying trucks covered with tarpaulins? Before 1895, when Johnson and Johnson began talc manufacture, babies were commonly dusted with corn starch; this safe substitute is still available, and at one-fourth the cost of talc. We recommend it. Don't use feminine hygiene sprays which contain talc. Avoid talc-dusted balloons, rice, prophylac tics and chewing gum. If you suspect a product, write to the manufacturer-- and let us know if you discover another use of asbestos. While many of the applications of asbestos products cannot be judged at this moment due to lack of sufficient evidence of hazardous use, still we should err on the side of prudence; we should remove a suspected product until the manufacturer proves that the item is not harmful. It is not the duty of the public interest scientist to prove whether each and every item is harmful or safe. The public has the right to demand this scientific evidence from the man ufacturers of the consumer products which will otherwise simply be means to further profits at the expense of the health and safety of the American people. Economics should not be the major determinant as to whether to remove an asbestos-containing product. Building plans may have to be modified and construction and demolition costs increased, but these are small when com pared to the risk of health involved. The application of insulation in sheet or other solid form, although less convenient than spray application, still provides adequate insulation and fireproofing. Furthermore, asbestos-free sprays have been developed. # . It is time for the American people to view asbestos as neither friend nor foe. The far wiser position is to treat this potentially toxic material with utmost respect, and only use it where absolutely necessary. If we did so, the volume of asbestos mined and processed would undoubtedly decrease, but the life and health of many people would be prolonged and improved. It is time the citizen makes his views known on this environmental pollutant. REFERENCES % 1 Sneil, S., and J. P. Leinoweber. Environ. Res. 166 (1960). 2. May, T. "Asbestos" in Mineral Facts and Problems, U.S. Dept, of Interior, Bull. No. 030 (1965). q Kiviluoto R. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 132, 23o (196.>). 3a. "History of the Asbestos Manufacturing Industry , Asbestos, 1< (-), 3b. H iu n m o n d ^ C , I. .T. Selikoff, and J. Churg. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Six 132, 4. Hunter,1IX*We Diseases of Occupation (4th Ed.), Boston, Little, Brown & Co.*, (1909) pp- 1009-1027. and ilrthadi. American I S S S . R I S " t o P m * Chicago, c u m . * = 1 = . 1)4 *372 73------12