Asbestos Not a Public Health Threat

Recent findings that levels of asbestos
dust in the environment do not endanger
the general public confirm the position
of the Asbestos Industry, according to
Matthew M. Swetonic, Executive Secretary
of the Asbestos Information Association/
North America. The findings are contained
in a report of the Advisory Committee on
Asbestos Cancers to the Director of the
International Agency for Research on
Cancer (IARC), a division of WHO ( a
World Health Organization agency). They
are conclusions of a specially-selected
panel of medical researchers convened
following the IARC conference on the
"Biological Effects of Asbestos" held
last October at Lyon, France,

Commenting on the IARC report, Mr.
Swetonic calls it a major contribution by
distinguished researchers from all over
the world and the most comprehensive
presentation of facts available about
the occupational hazards of asbestos and
the relationship of asbestos to the gen-
eral public. The Lyon conference was
attended by 130 participants from 20
countries and is representative of world
medical opinion. The major conclusions of
the IARC report can be summarized as
follows:

1. The population at large is not threat-
ened by asbestos fibers in the atmosphere,
Surveys in a number of countries have
shown that the concentration of asbestos
dust in the urban atmosphere is about
10,000 times lower than the concentration
known to be safe for occupat ionally-ex-
posed workers.

2. While a direct relationship between
inhalation of excessive asbestos dust and
certain diseases was confirmed, risks
varied according to the type of fibre,
the type of occupation and the extent of
engineering controls implemented in the
workplace.

3. No increased risk of disease results
from asbestos fibers which might be pre-
sent in the water supply, beverages, food
or in the fluids used for the administ-
ration of drugs.

4, It is confirmed that cigarette smok-
ing greatly increases the risk of lung
“cancer among men and women exposed to
excessive asbestos dust in their
occupations,

The IARC report recommends that future
reasearch be directed at understanding
the mechanism of disease production, at
ways to control disease and protect
workers from excessive dust levels, at
methods to determine the quantity of
asbestos fiber in the human lung and
other tissues and at the standardization
of diagnostic criteria.

ek ke k k &k

The Super in a northern iron mine was
surprised to see one of his new drill
operators being carried away on a
Stretcher, "Unconscious," the pit boss
explained, "Hit in the head by a chunk
of flying ice."
"FLYING ICE," echoed the super,
"Yeo," came the answer, "Tried to spit
against the wind."

* * * * *

At a nearby mine the same winter, a
Shovel operator saw his oiler walk
away in mid-shift and get in his car.
"Where ya goin'?" he shouted.

"To get my safety helmet," the oiler
Shouted back.

"Where'd ya Leave it?"

"Florida",

--hard at work repairing the pool table,