Document zz3ebXRdqyE06QvYZqG54LR4R

ft ft. labor Attain Flaming Dopartmam July 17, 1974 Dr. D. L. Block Mr. P. E. Toth The attached paper on aebeatoe was submitted by the UAW to Chrysler recently. It la submitted merely for your general Information. Eugm W. hnion \ 8008 0168 ' PRODUCED BY FORD SCF-FORD-1203 SmmMs Flaming A AdministraNoa July 16, 1974 Mr. E. V, Preston* For your information. Ve reoeived this from Chrysler. Paul J. dyer 8008 0169 ' PRODUCED BY FORD /Zu^cl C/A 6/W/W A Review of the Scientific Knowledge on the Status of Asbestos as a Health Hazard as Related to Manufacturing Industries International Union, U,A, W. Chrysler Department Juno 18, 1974 rjc u . 8008 0170 * PRODUCED BY FORD There is now substantial scientific evidence to demonstrate that exposure of workers to asbestos dust over considerable periods of time is seriously harmful to their health, and consequently rontri- * butes to their doath rates. lrurthor, there is evidence that exposure over limited time periods may also be harmful. Sorious medical problems resulting from occupational exposure to asbestos havo boon recognized for over half a century. The first record of a case of 1 asbestosis was reported in England in 1906, In 1918 it was reported that the practice among American and Canadian insurance companies 2 was not to insure asbestos workers?* This practice was due to the as* sumod health Injury conditions of the asbestos industry. Asbestos is a gcnoric name that applies to a group of natu rally occurring hydrated mineral silicates which arc incombustible in air and separable into filaments, Chrysotile is the most widely usod form of asbestos in the United States today, Crocldolite and amosito asbestos are also commercially significant. Other types of asbestos Include tremollte, anthophyllito and actinolltc. Asbestos fibers can be spun into threads and woven into doth. Asbestos is remarkably heat resistant and will not burn, Further, for the most part, asbestos is resistant to chemical action, K Iq also a non-conductor of electricity, i 8008 0171 PRODUCED BY FORD Aa many as 3,000 different products currently in use con tain asbestos.^ The heat resistant properties and fibrous nature of asbestos make'it extremely desirable for use where fire or excessive heat aro encountered. In the automobile industry, asbestos is exten sively used in brake linings, in automobile transmission friction materials and in gaskets. Despite the qualities which make it a commercially signi ficant substance, asbestos, especially asbostos dust, has been im plicated as a definite hoalth hazard. In Chrysler Corporation, possible occupational encounters -- with asbestos dust occur at four locations. The Kokomo Transmission plant, the Trenton Chemical plant, the Eldon Avenuo plant, and the Chelsea Proving Grounds have operations which could result in the release of asbestos dust. At these locations, a total of approximately 300 workers could be directly exposed. (Further details contained in Appendix A.) Classically, the condition produced by asbestos dust exposure is a lung disease called asbostosis. Asbestosis may develop in situa tions where the dust concentration is high or the exposure is long. This lung disease develops when scar tissue, which forms around In haled asbestos fibers, slowly sproads throughout the lung. The air exchange between lung and blood is diminished and the blood does not transport adequate oxygen. Breathlessness becomes pronounced. 8008 0172 PRODUCED BY FORD 4. - 3 - ;Br. Irving Sclikoff,)n recognised authority on asbestos disease, rclatiSd the plight of an asbc static. "One of tho men in the asbestos workers' union, who, before he died, used to walk backwards. 1 had never seen that before until 1 began to care for asbestos workers. You may wonder why asbestos workers walk backwards. They don't always walk backwards. It is only going upstairs. They are so short of breath that after two steps they have to sit down. It is easier to go up a flight of stairs backwards titan walking up. It is a terrible way to dle."^ , . . *V A recent study showed thAt 12% of the deaths of workers in i/ a New Jorscy asbestos plant were due to asbcslosis. Of the 199 deaths recorded between January 1, 1959 and December 31, 1971, 24 were due to tho lung disease. Asbcstosis, as a disoasc causing death in tho general unexposod population, is extremely rare. Another investigation involving 392 individuals working in asbestos insulation trades showed radiological evidence of asbcstosis y in 339 In addition to the X-ray changes, 134 of these workers dis played labored.broathing of some extent. This group consisted of worker* with more than 20 years clapsod since the onset of exposure. Analysis of data concerning the symptom of breathlessness indicated a striking observation. Labored breathing, as a symptom, was uncom- monly soon in workers with less than 20 years from the onset of expo tror but was an oxtromely important symptom after that. Of 725 '- - 8008 0173 ' PRODUCED BY FORD workers with less than 20 years from the onset of exposure, only one experienced severe labored breathing. Of this group, 32 workers complained of minimal breathlessness'on exertion. While, as indicated earlier, of tho 392 workers with more than 20 years since tho onset of exposure, 134 displayed labored breathing of somo degree, with 61 of these showing disability of greater or lesser extent. Further, a government survey showed that seven of 18 workers employed at a Tyler, Texas asbestos plant for 10 or more 6/ yoars showed symptoms of asbestosis. This report is particularly interesting since the plant was in operation only slightly moro than __ 17 years. Asbestosis as a discaso has been shown to be a significant occupational illness. It is untrcatablc, irreversible, ofton disabling, 7/ and frequently fatal. A number of medical studies have linked asbestos exposure with an increased risk of lung cancer. In the so studies of broncho genic cancer, it has been shown that the frequency in workers exposed to asbestos is far greator than tho ihcidenco of the disease in tho gen eral population*- Among 632 asbestos insulation installers observed from 1943 to 1967, there were 63 excess deaths (above that expected) / due to lung cancer. 8008 0174 ' PRODUCED BY FORD In another study, Sclikoff found that in 307 consecutive deaths among asbestos workors, lung cancer was at least seven times r 9/ as common as-cxpecteo7 Thin study also revealed that, upon examine- lion, four of 133 men no longer actively at work were found to have the malignancy. Newhouso also found nn excess of lung cancer in a study of workers employed at nn asbestos factory making both textile and 10/ insulation materials. This excess of liuig cancer was shown among workors with hoavy exposure and was Irrespective of the duration of exposure. At this time there is evidence that cigarette smoking, togother with asbestos exposure, heightens tho likelihood of the occurrence of lung cancer. Sclikoff and associates havo suggested that asbestos workors who smoko havo a 92 x greater risk of dying of lung cancer than 11/ men who noithcr smoko nor work with asbestos. Mesothelioma, a fatal cancer attacking the lining of the lung or abdominal cavity, has been associated with asbestos exposure. Eighty percent of the cases of mesothelioma studied in South Africa and the United Kingdom have been shown to havo an occupational or . 12/ para-occupational association with asbestos fibors, Sclikoff also reports that in additional studies the association of asbestos and mosothclioma was further indicated by tho finding of four mesotheliomas of tho lung cavity and three mesotheliomas of tho abdominal cavity among 26 eonseewtivo autopsies of cases of asbostosisT In Sclikoff's Investigations of 8008 0175 PRODUCED BY FORD -0" 307 consecutive deaths among asbestos workers, there were ten In* - 14/ stancos of mesothelioma, This rare cancer normally afflicts only ~ 15/ ono out of 10,000 in tho general population. O, L>, Cron Indicated that mesothelioma did occur in cases 16/ of asbestosis. However, in most casco of mesothelioma which he had seen, asbestosis was not found. From these observations, and knowing that long periods of exposure were required to produce nsbes* tosis. Cron postulated that mesothelioma could occur long after a short intensive exposure to asbestos. Studies of the distribution of mesothelioma in populations -- occupationally exposed indicate a strong relationship between exposure to asbostos fiber and the presence of mesothelioma, . Asbestos dust has also boon implicated in other neoplastic disease. In 197Z, Dr, Sclikoff and co-workers reported an increased incidence of gastrointestinal cancer (cancer of the stomach, colon, 17/ and rectum) among asbestos workers. Among those asbestos workers, 13 died of gastrointestinal cancer while five deaths of this type would normally be expected. Additionally, in his study of 307 consecutive deaths among asbestos workers, Solikoff reports that 34 doaths were !/ due to cancer of the stomach and colon. Asbestos'related diseases are insidious in nature. Reports . of the development of mesotholioma, for examplo, give a rango of from 19/ 23 to S3 years from exposure to dovelopmont of the diseaso. Moreover, /> 8008 0176 PRODUCED BY FORD mesothelioma may occur, many year* later, following a very limited exposure, "It ha*been recognised that biological monitoring (by periodic cheat roentgenogram*) and removal from further exposure after initiation of fibrosis, calcification or neoplasia will not absolutely prevent further progression of asbestosis or the clinical development of neoplasms'.' --^ Asbestosis typically has been found to devolop in shorter periods of time than does mesothelioma. 2--1/ Radiologic ally evident asbestosis appears to vary directly with the occupational duration of exposure. For instance, in a study by Scllkoff and co-workers. 72. 8% of asbestos workers with 20 - 29 years exposure exhibited abnormal x-ray changes while only'-' 10.4% of workers in the same industry but with less than 10 years exposure showed x-ray changes. Further, fully 19 out of 20 workers showed x-ray 22/ changes after 40 or more years exposure.-*- Moreover, it was particularly evident that asbestosis in these cases tended to be considerably more extensive and severe. ' Studies conducted on the effects of asbestos exposure have produced disturbing.results. Dr. Sellkoff discussed the implications of such studies "At present, one In every five deaths among insulation workers is due to lung.cancer, one in 10 to cancer of the pleura or peritoneum, one in 10 to the scarred lungs of asbestosis. " 2**3--/ Sinco insulation workers receive relatively light exposures compared to some other occupational groups, those results are especially striking. . ' 8008 0177 t PRODUCED BY FORD Especially disturbing is that in many eases of asbestos related disease, the disease resulted from exposure dating back to the 1930's. Since that time asbestos usage has multiplied tremendously. Dr. Hammond of the American Cancer Society has projected that by the end of the century, if working conditions are not significantly altered, asbestos exposure can lead to 17,000 deaths from lung cancer, 10,000 deaths from mesothelioma, and 10,000 deaths from asbestosis. 2--4/ Dr. Selikoff calls asbestos a "hidden time bomb" that results in cancer 20 to 40 years after exposure. "It's what's happening in 1973 that will bocome ovident in the year 2000. " "Unfortunately, " said Selikoff;' referring to asbestosis, "it's almost entirely a man-made disease. That means It's also man preventable. " 2--5/ ' The Federal Government has acknowledged the fact that there is a very definite relationship between asbestos fibers and disease. It was 9lth this knowledge that an emergency standard (or controlling occupational ' exposure to asbestos was announced by the Department of Labor, under the OSH Act, on December 7, 1971. A permanent asbestos standard became y effective on July 7, 1972. Through extensive medical ^scientific-epidemiological investigation. It hae been shown that definite health risks are attributable to asbestos exposure, Tho U. S. Department of Labor has recognised the serious hacard represented by this, material. Since asbestos-related health haaards are 8008 0178 t vJt 4 PRODUCED BY FORD T. V ' 4`Xr, W iyfrj -9* almost exclusively confined to the occupational setting. It can only be concluded that Individuals working with asbestos are subject to an Insidious and potentially deadly stress not encountered by unexposed persons. I it* " "A * *!, 8008 0179 -tu.iai... \ .U.awr PRODUCED BY FORD Appendix A Specifically* the locations* the functions which could lead to asbestos dust exposure and the number of workers entailed in these functions aro as follows; . Kokomo Transmission plant, in the grinding and scouring of pads* 24 workers could be exposod. * ' Trenton Chemical plant, in brake lining and disc brake pad manufacturing* 146 workers could be exposed* . . Eldon Avenue plant* in the grinding of brako linings, 121 workers could bo exposed* ' * Chelsea proving grounds* in the grinding of brake linings* four to 10 workers could be exposed. o 8006 0180 J. ' PRODUCED BY FORD L. " *I , ,y.** / n FOOTNOTES I 2./ Criteria for a Reconimcnricd Standard, Occupational Exposure to Asbestos, U.S. Department of HEW, PHS, NIOSH, 1972 J2/ Criteria for a Recommended Standard, Occupational Exposure to Asbestos, U.S, Department of HEW, PHS, NIOSH, 1972 3/ Hoalth/PAC Bulletin, No. 50, March 1973 4/ Hoalth/PAC Bulletin, No. 50, March 1973 J5/ X. J. Sclikoff, J. Churg, E. C. Hammond, The Occurrence of Asbcstosis Among Insulation Workors in the United States, Annals, New York Academy of Sciences 6/ Tho New Yorker, October 29, 1973 7/ Tho New Yorker, October 29, 1973 8/ Criteria for a Recommended Standard, Occupational Exposure to Asbestos, U.S. Department of HEW, PHS, NIOSH, 1972 2,/ I. J. Sclikoff, J. Churg, E. C. Hammond, The Occurrence of Asbcstosis Among Insulation Workers in tho United States, Annals, New York Academy of Sciences 10/ Criteria for a Recommended Standard, Occupational Expoauro to Asbestos, U.S. Department of HEW, PHS, NIOSH, 1972 11/ Criteria for a Recommended Standard, Occupational Exposure to Asboatos, U.S. Department of HEW, PHS, NIOSH, 1972 12/ Criteria for a Recommended Standard, Occupational Exposure to Asbeatoe, U.S. Department of HEW, PHS, NIOSH, 1972 13/ I. J. Selikoff, J. Churg, E. C. Hammond, Relation Between Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma, New England Journal of Medicine, 272, 1965 M/ Hoalth/PAC Bulletin, No. 50, March 1973 15/ Target Health Hazards, Asbestos: Airborne Danger, U.S. Government Printing Office: 1973, U-512-378(27) ... 3LI BOOB 0181 &L . A: ' PRODUCED BY FORD 16/ Criteria for a Recommended Standard, Occupational Exposure to Asbestos, U.S. Department of I1EW, IMIS, NIOSH, 1972 12/ Health/PAC Bulletin, No. 50, March 1973 18/ 1. J. Selikoff, J. Churg, E. C. Hammond, Relation Between Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma, New England Journal of Medicine, 272, 1965 12/ Criteria for a Rocommcndod Standard, Occupational Exposure to Asbostos, U.S. Department of HEW, PHS, NIOSH, 1972 20/ Criteria for a Recommended Standard, Occupational Exposuro to Asbestos, U.S. Department of I1EW, PHS, NIOSH, 1972 21 / Criteria for a Recommended Standard, Occupational Exposure to Asbestos, U.S. Department of HEW, PHS, NIOSH, 1972 22/ I. J. Selikoff, J. Churg, E. C. Hammond, The Occurrence of AsbeBtosis Among Insulation Workers in the United States, Annals, New York Academy of Sciences 23/ Target Health Hazards, Asbestos: Airborne Danger, U.S. Government Printing Office; 1973, U-51 2-378(27) 24/ Target Health Hazards, Asbestos: Airborne Danger, U.S. Government Printing Office: 1973, U-512-378(27) 25/ Doctor Says Asbestos To Kill Million by 2000, Dotrolt Free Press, February 24, 1973 opelu42 8008 0182 ___ PRODUCED BY FORD