Document xjpzGn9YQ4DEOdOb8400RJLKJ

FILE NAME: ALCOA (ALC) DATE: 1964 Aug 27 DOC#: ALC053 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter from Johns Manville I.VIn |\!:KKM KN . Io i i v s -M.nnvi i.i.k C o k i 'o h a t i o n W K N T V `U h A - r I l l l f i l K I II S f N K K I K H f, V Y . Auc^ist 27, lS6ij ,\r. Thomas 2. Bonney ,j.urri.nun Company or America Alcoa Buiiding ilutaburch , .'-ennsyivania 15219 I am truly sorry that X apparently added to the breeding and nurturing of the Frankenstein monster, which i r t-he p o te n tia l health hazard o f our Molten -?Tgihifgtsroduct. As in dicated in my le t t e r o f August 13, I am erobarrasr.ed that in a previous correspondence I sa id th at there was an epoxy r e sin in th is product- I have rechocked orir Quality Control and Production people and,again, can s i ate that there i s no epoxy re sin vhich might cause the problem. ..s you knew, pur Marinite re w ets are co.;ipo,,ed o f a sb e sto s f i b e r , diatcmaceous earth aru lime, fhe diatomceous earth i s in th form o f a n atu ral powder vr.ich is-co n sid ered r e la tiv e ly innocuous when inhaled and-'carries-art'W .i.C . o f 2 ' m iijj.cn : a r t ic le s per cubic fo ot. Because of the asb esto s fib e r content in , rodnc'. we have estab lish ed an K.,v._. c f 5 m illio n p a r tic le s in our manu-'acturiret and f a r i eatin g c:.ration . In these operations where we maintain the r..n. V. below the e sta s 113hci standard, we have experienced no problems of .wvvige to 'thy n a sa l membrane or any n-.lmonacy f ib r o s is . Vie have had r.o dermatoi--..-ic.il -, r v isa s, nor would I e>SH-ct any because in the manufacturing process U/. _im- j-.hj .:In bp completely reacted with the diatcmaceous earth to fo n t the calc i wa s i_ ic a t e . -.0 yen -:now, many fin e ly divided d u sts including t a le can cause a drying, action n t h si-in o f certain se n sitiv e in d iv id u als, I have been to ld th at these. " . i i s u v i j . ..> v-w.-iot describe uie fe e lin g They experxencs ex actly fei- it. l a not! " '','V ; a turn, r.c- i s i t a rash , but i s due prim arily to a drying action orf'their sk in . V'-'-' i wvnaer i f d.xs might oe the source o f your problem a s f a r as sk in i s concerned. '. cu :nve asked i f you sh ou li b-- nandllnr . . i s m aterial in any manner d iffe re n t t un: ..es wo-ld handle asbestos alone, c r sucu.d you bo concerned with fa c to rs ether than pneumoconiosis, 3uite fran k-y, 1 do not b eliev e th at there i s any other fa c to r than a p o ten tial pneumoconiosis and 1 would handle the m aterial ju s t as i f . i t were asb esto s fib e r alone, '.then we have follow ed good in d u strial hy-TioRO p -a c tic e s, adequate lo c al v e n tila tio n and d iiir e n t housekeeping we have exs erien ieu no problans. ARD 042999 FOX 042879 Mr. iaivxs 8 . Bonney - 2- A U V l S t 7 7 , " 7 *^*4 S 5-. I rio hope th a t thin in form ation w nc-onip and f i n a l l y lay the Frank*ire : ja-Mens o r w o rrie s, p le a se ca s yen know, there i s a Symposium tior. m .-ittsb u rgh , on September atten d , out the- :-imager o f our 3." w ill be ` h e re . I know U iat he wo ; rc-uicmo h ih you ii* you wopiu : l h e lp yon to a l la y the f e u 3 : le ir . monster to r e s t ; however, is not h e s it a t e to contact me. 1 su. .n ujnyhyssraa a t th e I n d u s t r ia l ii;."*- . Unfortunately, I sh a ll not be - s t r i a l Health nr- gram, 0 , 1 . Shut5 . i be very p le a te d to d is c u s s til.-- dr so . *.? o f your fv>- s t i l l add th a t j'rnnca- .c to - 7 " ro. ab l i c u*.he .incerely yours, / Keaneth V. Smith, Medical d irecto r