Document zzYdpbn9Y2a725gznw5M3bqDB

FILE NAME: Kaiser Gypsum (KG) DATE: 1974 Mar 27 DOC#: KG088 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Press Release - OSHA Alerts Employers & Employees to New Asbestos Hazard PUriYWPSE.viiiun UC-72W NEWS DEFENDANTS EXHIBIT UCC-978 U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR JfflCl Of 11(11111101, N IM IT II. 0. C. 11210 U3DL--W-14' Occoyotional Safety ni MaalCh AdainUcratlon Bair (202.' 962-2514 (Mm ) m y . 224-q.vj 904 U1AI A.W. E d itio n . ' b'adneidAy, March ,V, HIM oska m m ooioreM Asm sw u rtts to ax Asststus uazabc r u V.S. Pepatene: of Libor lifted industry and lab todcy to mu- fa Mi oeuin* >2 '.ardui* cxpoturn eo aibiieou libera. Atsldtaat Set*t*ry et labor John H. Standee, who taada eha Departnsnt's Occupar. nt! iifety and Health Adtiinlacrat inn (OSSA), eld h li pbncy hit learned that any tpaefcUr. .t tJptng eoapounda uiad to cover aaaa In dry-vall joint* contain atbotece. topleyoei landing joint* smooth kcforo ynlncing may r.poaa chemaolvt to three ta l . ) / .tbeatna fib; per cubic canllmatero of a ir. OSUA'a beato health tondini Italica copione oxpoiu* ta Ilvo U bati pat tubili Mncitaetc, on an 8-hour tin i uolgntod ovatige. . ' nsjtt o ff ic ia ls cdulion that many Deploy ind omplaya, macula }> n the nem- mi Idi ng tnfpptiy, say to arpoiert co unaccuplabU level of chryioU'.c atbestos. Aibaitsa io one of Uva taxis ivbstancot (the oihiri ero carbon eanoxlda, .ad, ilici and corion Oust) that lave ratalvodojoclol actoncior. rrwi 08HA laioottorr urea atofiuncecant o f the aponcy't '"largat Joolcn datanti Vrourtn" in January, 1911. (M OSHA field u n ff In nota than 100 (flee* nitaarvndo. one nil aunt* v t u OVAI tjipuviJ ; 0 b tile c y and haalch plant, fava bvn n itiflad o' the r.\w oourcu .if atb.-iit.ii .-syCitil . ' filo a* sc U tioa. celiar tuo lavai gtaupa. unions, and tacivi! nr i! :u t-tr.u.1 Ito '.rdwfti'y aro being a'ilnU re la.r. :!ia Oliere te alee: a ll arj,.oyica sc.il . -rricy* et the jccor,:;,il kvcrd and of cha need to reuply vich 05KA' n b n o i i :.toi.h ; . ; are rpljyoa ptonrcluii. iiore - v is nitres:! eg chs m fiarard by Pt. MarcuA K. Kby, clrtctoe of el Sti.r,M U ttitac* far OocupirInnal Safety tod tluulCH (KIOSK) o l c!io Dapartminl: ci Htvltb, JiM llon, juiJ ``olCict NIOSK U OSIU't cssaarch an t. . Kay ittd an m a lo o d o n of 17 aoabact of U e il 1974 (How York City) c i the [r.cttritiflc4 ] irathetiiMd of Pslntart and Allied Trsdas, conducted by Or. Irving J. S alth eli, dircetcr at th* invixaim atal Scleoeae laboratory, Xeunt final. School af HaiHalna, c l the City Jslwrsley of Ssw York eavaaled that tho longs of nine o f 17 wort** **tired showed , Miltiva X-ray ividene of tibrosia. AUhomjh Sellkoff couttoned that delusions cannot he drtvri lYMt ouch few data, caiy sutgeet that a oarlcus health b au n l oay exist aaong hem bulWnni because tur* asset, vav;h often follows tlbtoolo. uldo* develop lr. favor ehan JO ysari of *x?auto. ' ,'t she 17 uorkara ovmlrud, fl*n out ol 10 Who hAd bean in taping vari .0 to .a yvtri eh.'wed flbcoaia roaulcs; tone of the remaining oevr. wetbass ihawed fibxorU a|ie had an apa-surs history of 20 ta 19 jnuri, Since osboseok fibers ora niccoseopia lr. sir*, they cir. eerily Cl Into lid . Onto 1 thj lungs.-tto libers arc coated wlch a eccretlcn hot * nt dissolved ot elhUnrftcd. 5-j'ficUne buildup of Such sacraeions coo cav* steiot.1 Saji Smart of lung capacity ana vin death. i , Mi Health H a w d t OSHA WILL ADOPT 5 0 PPM EXPOSURE LIMIT IN EMERGENCY VINYL CHLORIOE RULE An emergency temporary health standard for vinyl chloride to be issued by the Occupational Safely and Health Administration will establish a ceiling exposure limit o f SO p atti per million. The emergency rule will be issued white OSHA pro* cceds with normal rulemaking procedures for a permanent standard. The OSHA action followed disclosure by officials o f die B. F. Goodrich Chemical Company plant in Louisville. Ky., o f a possible connection between vinyl chloride exposure and the deaths o f several employees o f angio sarcoma, a rate form o f liver cancer (Current Report, January 31, p. 1099). Union support end management opposition lo an emer gency standard for vinyl chloride were registered during an OSHA public hearing on February IS (Current Report, February 21, p. 1)89). H ie emergency standard wiU reduce permissible ex posure levels o f workers in industry from S00 ppm in air to a 50 ppm ce&ing, and at the same time require workplace monitoring and, where exposure is greater than the .30 ppm level, personal protective measures and equip ment. The adoption o f a SO ppm ceiling would be a signifi-. cant departure from the work practices standard rcconr mended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Current Report. Match 14, p. 1276). NIOSH maintained that there was inadequate evidence to support the concept that exposure levels o f less than 50 ppm were safe. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the emergency temporary itandard serves as a proposed per manent standard. Assistant Labor Secretary John IL Slender said the permanent standard would also be based upon the NIOSH recommendations. Proposed Standard The proposed standard (the emergency standard) would establish methods o f njoniloring work areas for vinyl chloride, set work practices to be followed, institute a medical surveillance program for employees, and require specific personal protective equipment. The rule is intended lo limit exposure to vinyl ddo- ride, a substance th at is used widely in the manufac ture of polyvinyl chloride, a form of plastic. Monitoring devices now available can measure exposures as low as onr.piul per milllnn in ait. 'I lie pturirriiry llninlmil, In 1 Issued 'V u'ii," i'iiii icinain iu effect up to six months. It will be superceded, however, as soon as the permanent standard proposal it adopted. ' Slender said that `" theoretically, the permanent stand ard can be on the books as early as lune. Meanwhile, the- emergency standard will serve to protect workers from (he grave danger we know exists.'* Following the OSHA hearing on Februaiy IS, Stender and other OSHA officials visited several chemical plants for on-the-spot investigations to determine possible means o f limiting worker exposure lo vinyl chloride. Stender said scientific evidence presented at the Feb ruary 15 hearing by Professor Cesare Maltoni, an Italian scientist, led to the emergency ceiling (eduction. M altonfi studies demonstrated that reduction from SCO to 50 ppm provides a considerable degree o f protection from the 250 ppm concentration observed by Maltoni to be cancer- causing in animals, white those exposed only to SO ppm showed n o apparent Ul effects. Stendei-i visits and meetings followed a field study by a team o f OSHA industrial hygienists and chemical engi neers a t a number o f chemical plants in Louisiana to develop technical recommendations. Although the emergency standard will become effective sh o rtly . after publication In the Federal Register, the permanent standard will not be adopted until the public has been given an opportunity to comment and, if requestejlra public hearing it held. testos OSHA A LE R T S IN O U STRY TO NEW SO U RCE O F HAZARDOUS EXPO SU RE TO ASBESTO S FIBERS Industry and labor were alerted to a new potential source o f occupational exposure to asbestos fibers con tained in spackitng and taping compound! used to cover teams in dry-wall joints, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced on March 27. The compounds are used chiefly In the home con struction industry. Workers snndinc joints smooth before painline may n n m > thcirtStlvtS to three to 13.7 asbestos hirers per cubic centimeters o f air. OSHA stilled. Ih c OSHA standard for asbestos limits worker expusute lo five fibers per cubic centimeter for an eight-hour timeweighted average. Trade associations, unions, employer groups, and repre sentatives o f construction industry ate being asked by OSHA to join the effort to alert cmphryeis and em ployees to the potential hazard. OSHA was alerted to (he hazatd by Dr. Marcus M. Key. director, National Institute for Occupational Safely and Health. Worker Examination Cm>rul awareness u f tin* puti-nlial bn/aril h br.eil mi ev.-tiuiiMilmi u l 1 / mi'inln'ir. til tin* lnteioaliini:il h..ili,-i liuud o f I'ainicr* and Allied Trades, New Ymk Ctly, conducted by Dr. Irving J. SclikufT,.director, environ mental sciences laboratory. Mount Sinai School of . Medicine, City University o f New York. X-rays revealed that (he lungs o f nine o f Iho 17 workers examined C r p r 'id 1) ' ! 1974 t>r Tk* Q m v ( Motto! A lta i,^ la r. KMX 01087 1356 occupational safety & health reporter shoved positive evidence o f' fibrosis, OSHA stated. This evidence ruggesti that a serious health hazard tnay exist among home bunders because lung canter, which often follow* fibrosis, seldom develops before 20 years of exposure. O f the 17 workers examined, five out o f 10 who had been in taping work from iO to 19 years showed fibrosis remits. Four o f the remaining seven, who had an ex posurc history o f 2 0 to 29 years, showed signs o f fibrosis. The OSHA field staff and all slates with approved worker safety and health plant have been notified of the new potential source o f exposure, OSHA stated. Health Hazards NIOSH ISSUES MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE SUPPLEMENT TO VINYL CHLORIDES DOCUMENT Recommendations for medical screening to detect liver disease and/or hepatic tumor associated with exposure to vinyl chlorides were issued by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health on March 22. The recommenditiosu, supplementing NIOSH's recom mended work practices document on vinyl chlorides (Cur rent Report. Mardi 14, p. 1276), were sent to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration on the above date. The supplement, "h- Medical Surveillance," recom mends specific health screening requirements that would apply to ail persons involved in vinyl chloride monomer production and polymerisation including those decks and management personnel involved indirectly with these operations. ' th e recommendations m ud be tpplled both at a pre- rmployment requirement and as part o f periodic health followups. Screening priorities must be given to current employees with prolonged and dose potential exposure to vinyl chloride monomer in present and past settings. The specific full text recommendations for routine health screening at the time of initial employment and for periodic health foilowup examinations (where specified) arc as follows: U) At time o f initial employment, ot upon institution of screening, a physical examination shall be performed with specific attention to detecting enlargement o f liver or spleen by abdominal palpation. (il) At time o f initial employment, or upon institution of screening and annually thereafter, a medical history check-list shall be completed by the employee. This list siull include questions concerning: (a) alcohol intake; (b) past history o f hepatitis; - (c) past exposure to potential hepatotoxic agents, including drugs and chemicals; (d) past history o f blood transfusions; and (e) past history o f hospitalizations. Completed medical check-iftis dull be reviewed by a physician and should be>acted upon as medically Indi cated for each individual employee. (iii) At time o f initial employment, or upon institution o f screening, a serum specimen shall be obtained for aertenittg with respect to the following five biochemical determinations o f liver function: (a) total bilirubin; .(b) alkaline phosphatase; (c) rerum glutamic oxalaccric transaminase (SCOT); (d ) serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT); and (e) gamma glutamyl transpeptidaie (GCTP).* Additional tests that may optionally be considered for use in screening include lactic dehydrogenase (IILD), serum protein detemunations, ru m protein electrophoresis, and platelet count. Laboratory analyses shall be performed in laboratories accredited by the College o f American Pathol ogists or licensed in accordance with the provision* of the Clinical Laboratories Improvement Act o f 5967. (iv) If results o f libaretory screening are normal, screening shall be reputed on tn annual bids. If the person being screened has been employed directly in vinyl chloride monomer production or polymerization for 10 years o r longer, screening shall be repeated every six (6) months. (v) if one or more liver ftmcslon tests are abnormal, serum testing shall be repeated as soon as possible, preferably within two (2) to four (4) week*. If no abnormalities are present open rescrcoung, testing should be repeated in three (3) months. (vt) t f abnormalities persist o n resereening. the em ployee shall be removed from contact with vinyl chloride monomer operations and an individuslized medical work up d u ll be Instituted. Suggested as Initial steps in medical workup are a complete physical extminalioA and various special procedures such as hepatitis B antigen-determina tion and liver scanning. ' If liver fumtidfl abnormalities are determined to be unrelated to liver disease ( * ., elevated alkaline phos- phataes in a young, physically active man or elevated bilirubin in Gilbert** syndrome) o r to be transient (e.g.. due to recent hepatitis or recent alcohol intake), the employee may be permitted to return to vinyl chloride, related employment, subject to individual meiEcal evalua tion. (vil) In view o f the preliminary results o f animal toxicology studies. It I* recommended (h it no women who is pregnant or who expects to become pregnant should be employed directly in vinyl chloride monomer operations. ' Hertrir Hazards LOUISVILLE HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER ORGANIZES RESEARCH ON LIVER ANCER A medical research program un angiosarcoma and re lated liver abnormalities is being organized by the Uni versity o r Louisville's Health Sciences Center and Cancel Center under a grant from the 8.F. Goodrich Company. An announcement by B.F. Goodrich Company that several workers at Its Louisville, Ky., plant died from angfosarcamii o f the liver prompted concern about health hazards associated with the production o f vinyl chloride (Current Report, January 31, p. 1099). Occvpoiianol SaUly A Health R ^ w im KMX 01058