Document zzgxQO53m126DEVVY95pK4Gam

FILE NAME Corning OC DATE 1947 Apr 17 DOC OC272 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Letter from Corning to Canadian & General Finance Ltd. CORNING FIBERGLAS CORPORATION 6113 PLAINTIFF'S K329 K329 K329 GENERAL OFFICES April 17 Mr. J. A. S. Keay Purchasing Department Canadian and General Finance 25 King St. West Toronto 1 Canada Ltd. Dear Sir TOLEDO OHIO 1947 ne awe . ~ ~ Sea RECEIVED / RECEIVED FN Sea : RECEIVED RECEIVED : . ' an . Your Ref 13-4-18 - = 13-4-1138-4-18 Fiberglas Fiberglas ~ _ - Your letter of March 14th addressed to the of Illincia Glass Company has been referred your writing us about the handling diferouities being Rio de Janeiro Tramway wight and Power Ltd. attention of Mr. Bendixsen me We appre encountered at : Years tions ago - long before Corging Fiberglas was formed investicawere carried out to determine whether exposure to glass in fiber form involved any hazard to the lungs and respiratory tract It is well know of course that exposure of sand particles of certain sizes in certain concentrations does involve hazard of contracting silicosis Because one of the principal ingredients of the glass ban reported of which glass fibers are made is and it is natural for some persons to conclude that exposure to fibers might entail a silicosis hazard It explore this Dessibility that Dr. Leroy U. Gardner Director of the Saranac Laboratory Saranac Lake New York engared in a series of experiments lasting over a seven year period Dr. Gardner 1941 after ingestion injection and inhalation tests Exposure to dust of buildings involves fibrous material is glass wool a material no hazard to the lungs not inhalable to insulate because this Dr. Gardner might just as well have said Exposure to continuous filament glass fibers of the type used by the Rio de Janeiro Tramway Light and Power Co. Ltd. involve this fibrous material is not no hazard to the lungs because inhalable glass No Free silics is present in After fusion of the batch at bi temperatures on the order of 2400 whFichtheproidnugcreesdieantssiloifcatthee baGtlcahss is undergo a chemical transformation cooled liquid made of amorphous sometime described as a asbestos fibers exposure silicates Glass fibers therefore - unlike the form of lung to which does involve the danger of contracting and pathology known as asbestosis are crystallising in structure 01 022 0775 contain no water of hydration Dr. Gardner explained to us that they they are unable because of their physical structure to penetrate the upper respiratory tract or to get into the lungs His findings have been accepted as conclusive by the U. S. Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surcery by the U. S. Public Health Service by industrial hygienists generally and by insurance underwriters A reprint of the page from his 1941 report containing the quotations oited accre is included among the items in the attached envelope we hope concern form of the foregoin- information 5 helpful to you in allaging over the possibility of contracting silicosis or any other lung pathology as a result of exposure to glass fibers G. Says . G. Hazari of the U. S. Public Health Service Breathing glass fiber aust is not harmful to the lungs Irritation of the skin is temporary superficial and not progressivNe o special personal protective devices need be worn except that in overhead application of glass fiber goggles are often desirable to protect against falling bodles or respirators are not needed in the handling of Fiberglas Materials As to the possibility of skin irritation investigations have been carried out by several eminent dermatologists One of these is Dr. Marion B. Sulzberger who found in a clinical investigation that no allergy or sensitization results from the exposure to glass fibers even though a superficial mechanical irritation of the skin may result from handling glass fibers in the wool form You are not concerned however with this nuisance characteristic which is peculiar only to Fiberglas insulating wool because these people are handling glass in textile form We know both on the basis of experience in our own plants and on the basis of experience of numerous fabricating plants throughout the country that the textile fibers yarns tapes braided sleevings cloths can be handled without undue difficulty Glass is an inert inorganic sensitizing allergenio substance - as indicated by many medical applications to which the Textile products have been put Some of these are described in reprints from medical literature which are among the items in the attached envelope The average fiber diameter of the continuous filament in the products that your people are handling is 0.00022 inches and the filament is controlled by manufacturing specifications within a range of .00021 to .00025 inches Within this range the filament lacks sufficient structural strength to penetrate the skin except perhaps the skin of persons abnormally sensitive to abrasive substances We find however that most individuals become accustomed to handling these materials without difficulty if they follow good rules of hygiene It is important that they use a mild soap well lathered in warm water to wash up before meals and at the end of the shift Other handling recommendations applying principally to Fiberglas wool products applicable also to the hamiling of Fiberglas 01 022 0776 Mr. J. A. S. Keay -3- April textile products are Mr. Edward C. Ames of Marice Section of the contained in the our company some reprint of remarks made by two years ago before the National Safety Congress In addition we have included some further items that may be helpful to you If you wish additional copies to supply them to you and we hope that of any of them we you will keep us will be glad of the progress of events informed , Yours very truly CORNING FIBERGLAS CORPORATION KOG 115 K. Assistant C. Grove to President for Sales Att Cardner Report Sulzberger Report BULED - BUSHIPS Memo Anderson Hirshfeld Reprint Buck Photostat Reprints McMahon Reprint MountjoMouy ntjoy Reprint Ames Reprint W. G. Hazard Reprint Health Aspects Brochure Letter to Job Training Supervisor Letter to Plant Physician Hein Letter 01022 01022 0777