Document yp526qGNa1M9bEk9GzrJq2Kyd

FILE NAME Colonial Sugar Refinery CSR DATE 1960 DOC CSR199 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Dept of Health Letter to Mines Dept RE Asbestosis & Letter from the Kalgoorlie District Hospital with List of Asbestosis Cases & Relation to Work at Wittenoom wo ee ere oat | e oe . . ., w. ' Hon Minister for Kines . : Mines Department . PERTH As you are aware this Department has developed a branch of Industrial Health progressively ~ in the care of Dr. Letham who is responsible to the Commissioner for Public Health In addition all gold and asbestos miners have periodical ray examinations of the chest conducted McNulty Kalgoorlie by the Tuberculosis the films being . reviewed by Dr. McNulty in Kalgoorlie who collaborates Dr. with Letham in this work in its industrial health aspects For a considerable number of years the Commissioner of Public Health has been concerned with the hazard to workers at the Blue Asbestos Mine in Wittenoon . . both to those working underground and those on the surface in association with the mill A further survey of these workers was carried out last year and the results have now been analysed by Dr. McNulty A copy of his report is attached As will be seen the predictions of Medical Officers of this Department that the hazard at Wittenoom silicosis would produce cases of asbestosis and have been shown to have been well founded Dr. McNulty's report is disquieting JN.. PLAINTIFF'S Bayonne EXHIBIT Bayonne Bayonne Bayonne PENGAD PENGAD PENGAD ots nV The Commissioner for Public Health informa me that his responsibility for the health of mine workers is not clearly and unequivocally laid down in mining legislation This is a matter for considerable concern to me and I am proposing that this matter be taken up between the Commissioner of Public Health and officers of your department in order that the position may be clari- fied I would welcome your views 9 _ MINISTER HEALTH . Aden COPY Dr. A. King The Director Tuberculosis Control 17 Murray Street Branch District Hospital KALGOORLIE 13th January 1960 --. --. --. . Australian Periodical chest ray examination of workers at the Australian Blue Asbestos in 1959 disclosed no new : cases of Asbestosis although there are several men whose rays are rays must be considered suspect Those who88 considered suspicious of Asbestosis will be examined again in 1960 The length of exposure of workers contracting Asbestosis or Silicosis is much shorter than comparably employed men in the mining industry and the extent of disease is greater The small number of workers and the extremely high labour turnover make this less obvious There are a number of puzzling and disquieting features In several instances Asbestosis has been diagnos in underground workers although disease had been conside - peculiar to the Hill One member of the train crew under- ground not usually at great dust risk has what appears to be a mixture of Silicosis Asbestosis and possibly Tubercu- losie An underground shift boss now an underground supervisor has an abnormal chest ray and asbestos bodies in his sputum The Mines Department has permitted me to inspe obvious obvious the results of their periodical dust counts It is that the new Hill is a great improvement on the old Mill and that conditions underground have also improved It is too early to tell whether the new Mill will be responsible for fresh cases of industrial chest diseases or not The disquieting features about the dust count are two fold 1 The rock mined is apparently highly silicious and therefore particularly dangerous The dust counts are on a par with the figures for the gold mines Should they not have a mugh higher standard to aim at in view of the dangerously high silica content and the additional asbestos risk ree ee teetaer of wes g oat H s . cos oe coe ; , - . . a : an to . . : ~ . ~ o2e Sf * es 2 The dust counts are of particles only the same instrument is used for detecting silica particles and asbestos fibres The dangerous particle size in Silicosis is less than 5 microns in Asbestosis the dangerous fibre length is betwee2n0 and 40 microns The dust counts are therefore of little value unless they show the number of fibres per ce within that range I do not know whether there is an accepted national minimum fibre count for asbestos dust either England or America but it seems wrong that two completely dust hazarda should be estimated in the same way Kany workers remain at Wittenoom for less tha one year and less than 50 of the work force at any one time have been continuously employed for more than four years ^ very rough estimate of the percentage of workers with over 4 years exposure and suffering from industrial chest disease is 12 estimated by expressing the number of workers detailed below as a percentage of the number of workers examined in 1959 whose initial mining certificat was issued prior to 1955 In recent years it would be unusual to diagno Silicosis in a gold miner with less than 10 years exposure E.G. in 1958 there were no new cases of Silicosis in the 0 1y0ear group 20 cases in the 10-20 year group and 29 cases in the 20-30 year group Expressed as a percentage of the total number of mine workers this gives an annual incidence of Silicosis of approximately , These percen- tage incidences are not very accurate and are not really comparable but they do illustrate the grave hazard which existed at Wittenoom compared with the general mining industry : The following are the particulars of cases of industrial disease detected at Wittenoom since 1958. The list is complete as far as our records go but there may be a few cases diagnosed elsewhere who were not examined under either of the relevant Mining Acts and therefore not brough to our notice Some newly diagnosed cases of Silicosis are not included because of previous lengthy_gold mining histor which could reasonably be held responsible There have also been a few cases of workers developing pulmonary tuberculosis without Bilicosis or Asbestosis but their number does not suggest any particule hazard at Wittenoom other than that associated with mining in general ---- ---- Mining History Diagnosis Comment 0 15 years gold mining G 5 years / A.B.A. H. Draughtsman A.B.A ? 12 years Has definite radiological abnormality more auggestive of Bilicosis than Asbestosis Sputum contains asbestos bodies Denies symptoms and is unwilling to accept further investigation in hospital For further examination at P.C.C. in February 1960 when it is hoped to make a definite diagnosis Definite radiological changes indistingui- shable from Asbestosis but has a clinical history suggestive of bronchiectasis Occupation not usually associated with dust hazard but apparently worked in the old Mill under very dusty conditions I. 5 years G gold Silicosis & Radiologically more like Silicosis than mining year 1 G A.B.A. 114 years Mill A.B.A. Asbestosis Asbestosis Sputum containing asbestos bodies Investigated R.G.H. in 1958 J. 7 years / gold mining 1 year surface gold mines 7 years G A.B.A. Silicosis & Asbestosia Sputum contains asbestos bodies Investigated R.G.H. in 1958. Radiologically more like Silicosis than Asbestosis and the changes are extensive . Coal mining Germany yr Silicosis / A.B.A. 6 years Diagnosed active Silico Extensive lung changes due to Silicosis L. 2 years coal mining - Silicosis Minimal ray evidence without disability Holland Has left industry : 7 years / A.B.A. , Radial driller England 20 years 1 year / A.B.A. 6 years Mill A.B.A. Bilicosis Minimal radiological evidence of silicosis Radial drilling not associated as far as I ascertain with risk of Silicosis No definite disability