Document ygpNqaDR72o2vBmYLpje8JME

FILE NAME Colonial Sugar Refinery CSR DATE 1970 Sept DOC CSR230 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Trade Journal Article - Asbestos Survey of Its Effects Page Eight NEW ZEALAND BUILDING WORKER September 1970 We now know that if a person inhales significant amounts of asbestos dust he carries a burden that will provide a latent potential for the development of cancer for the rest of his life Dr. Irving J. Selikoff M.D. Chairman Mount Sinah School of Medicine The City University of New York ASBESTOS- a survey of its effects A STUDY of the members of the New York Local 12 and Newark The total deaths figure does , Number Evidence of _ not include seven men who died ; of men Asbestosis Exposure of less than 10 - ; Local 32 of the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers in America has provided an authoritative report on the dangers as- sociated with exposure to asbestos The study has been continuing since 1962 and is being carried out by Dr. Irving J. Selikoff a special ist on tuberculosis who partici- pated in the basic research on isoniazid the antibiotic that has . before incurring 20 years of ex- posure The health of the surviving 370 men has been closely watched and has continuetdo produce alarming comparisons The following com- parison of mortality experience is given for the period January 1963 to March 1968 " % Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Standard Mortality - Workers Rate years Lectsscnseseeneree Exposed 10 to 19 years .... Exposed more than 20 years oveeecsssercenes vacerrseee 346 % 379 less than 50 re 392 339 men ' In the group with more than 20 years exposure 11 men had developed cancer more than half of the asbestosis sufferers had the disease moderately or extensively TO EXPOSURE ASBESTOS ~ Prevalence the disease asbes- provided a cure for tuberculosis Dr. Jacob Churg Chief Patho- logist at Barnert Memorial Hospi- tal Paterson U.S.A. and Dr. E. Cuyler Hammond President for Epidemiology and Statistics of the American Cancer Society Total Deaths ........ Lung Cancer Deaths Asbestosis Deaths .. Mesothelioma - Deaths intestinal Cancer Deaths 113 50 15 No comparison given : 13 No comparison given : 8 2 The sharp rise in the number of tosis increases with the duration of exposure when the concentra- tion is constant and can therefore be controlled by limiting either the concentration in the air inhaled or the period of exposure ,. This however does not appear As previous studies suggested deaths due to the malignant meso- to be the case with the malignant that asbestos induced lung cancer takes twenty years to develop the thelioma tumors four in 255 compared with 13 in 113 deaths sug- and fatal mesothelioma tumour as cases of indirect short and first study undertaken was that of Union members who were on the Union rolls twenty years prior Thus 632 men who were members gests that the latent period for mesothelioma is longer than that for asbestosis or lung cancer The second part of the study intermittent exposure are as com- mon amongst the victim of this disease as the cases of direct occupational exposure The work on December 31 1942 were the was the examination of 1117 union man must therefore protect not subject of the study Taking the members Evidence of asbestosis only himself from this disease but men's ages into consideration a was found in fully half of these also those members of his family comparison of the causes of death was made with those of the general male population in the United States The comparisons are set men the extent of the disease varying directly with duration of exposure This was despite the fact that the men had compara- with whom he has close contact Details of the life histories of mesothelioma cases gathered in two separate studies are set out out hereunder Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers 255 Total Deaths Deaths Lung Cancer Deaths 45 Asbestosis Deaths .. 12 No Mesothelioma Deaths 4 No intestinal Cancer Deaths | 29 Standard Mortality ' Rate 203 1 6 or 7 1 comparison comparison 9 or 10 tively light and intermittent ex- posure as asbestos workers go because they often worked out of doors on construction projects and because most of the materials they used had an asbestos content of given given . less than fifteen per cent The details revealed by the examinations regarding asbestosis and exposure are as follows - in the table hereunder The first is a study of Dr. Muriel L. Newhouse and Dr. Hilda Thompson of the Department of Occupational Health London School of Hygiene - and Tropical Medicine The second is the study of Dr. Jan Lieben and Dr. Harry Pistawaka read before the International Cancer Congress in Tokio in October 1966 September 1970 NEW ZEALAND BUILDING WORKER Newhouse __ Lieben husbands work clothes clothes regularly and New Thompson text Worked with asbestos ...........- Relatives of asbestos workers Lived or worked within the vicinity of an asbestos books factory eens Minor Exposure JOINERY Exposure not known ............ 31 9 1 , 25 and Pis,,>awaka 10 3 8 .10 11 husbands work clothes regularly One woman had brushed her hus- band down every evening for three or four years when he came home from work white with asbestos Both of the men had when they were boys of eight or nine had sisters who worked in asbestos PART III AND IV Total number of patients ... 75 42 OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE textile factories In one of the cases the sister was an asbestos spinner from 1925 to 1936 and used to return home with dust on THESE two new books join the THESE growing list of textbooks pre- pared by the N.Z. Technical Cor- respondence Institute They com- _ Drs Lieben and Pistawaka in giving details of the ten patients who had occupational exposure to her clothes She died of asbestosis in 1947. Her brother died of plete the present series on joinery . manufacture mesothelioma in 1956 Because the books in this series ' | a asbestos have noted that one was a hae a boilermaker in railroad yard hateil who for 25 years worked on the insulation of steam engines one built bakery ovens in which as- bestos insulation is used while an- other was a certified accountant who worked in the office of an - asbestos plant Other examples of only light occupational exposure to asbestos are the case of a year boilermaker who died of mesothe- lioma although he handled asbestos lagging only intermittently during his working life South African Medical Journal July 15 1967 and the report of a year insurance agent and liquor sales- man whose contact with asbestos was confined to 18 months work as stock boy in an asbestos plant 24years before JAMA August 21 1967 He also died due to meso- thelioma are informative and up to date - NEIGHBOURHOOD EXPOSURE [ they will have a strong appeal to - employearnsd tradesmen as well Of the eight cases of neighbour- as to apprentices for whom they hood exposure detailed by Drs : were originally prepared Lieber and Pistawaka one patient , The clear headings and plentiful- was a clergyman who had never illustrations make these books had any occupational exposure to easy for the practical man to fol- asbestos Prior to his becoming a low Parts III and IV meet the ministeirn 1935 he had lived for high standard set by the com- 19 years within one half of a mile panion volumes of of an insulation plant which used Part I deals with methods of asbestos He died in 1961 a victim of a mesothelioma tumour constructing doors that are framed and ledged panelled flush or _ Dr. T. F. B. Collins reports the case of a year African male who died from mesothelioma in February 1967 in a Durban Hos- glazed Part II deals with door frames transoms and sidelights with sliding folding and special doors and with hardware finish- pital Asbestos fibres were evident ings and gates in the patient's spittle although - In Part III the first section his only contact with asbestos was once living in the vicinity of the deals with the design and construc- tion of window frames and sashes | Havelock asbestos mine in Swazi- and covers the full scope of sash land South Africa systems in current use and also special items such as dormer win- af. EXPOSURE OF FAMILY MINOR EXPOSURE dows louvres and shutters The second section deals with the de- CONTACTS The dangers of asbestos induced mesothelioma have not been con- fined to occupational exposure and there are several reported cases where a member of the workman's family has been a victim of the disease . _ Drs Lieben and Pistawaka re- Fort on the case of a three child the daughter of a ceramic engineer who worked in an in- sulating plant that utilised 400 . tons of Canadian chrysotile and tons of South African amosite 1a5n0nu0ally who contracted mesothe- lioma The nine reported cases of family exposure by Drs Newhouse d Thompson consisted of seven The incidence of mesothelioma in patients with only minor exposure to asbestos Drs Lieben and Pistawaka reported ten cases is significant with regard to workmen such as our members who do insulation work periodically and indicates the need for vigilance in exposure protection at all times One of the cases reported by Drs Lieben and Pistawaka refers to a year boy with mesothelioma whose only contact with asbestos was the assistance which he gave his father in replacing plaster board in the extensive remodelling of the family home The plaster board contained a high sign and construction of built fitments such as wardrobes sink benches and other kitchen fittings Part IV deals with the use of the various woodworking machines commonly found in joinery factories and one section deals with portable tools Emphasis is laid on safety Managers journeymen apprentices and building students will find this series a ready source of reference and an invaluabalied to : study These books are available from Government book shops in Auckland Hamilton Christchurch Dun- edin and Wellington The selling prices of these books are Joinery Part III 1.20 per copy Joinery women and two men Most of percentage of asbestos Part IV 1.80 per copy te