Document XRqR4JVOneNp8gbdrqR6Kme9J

r Asbestos Information Association/North America W 8M i4M 201 East 42nd Street New York, N .Y. 10017 (212)697-5600 g tc : > vd.i'- May 4, 1971 TO: Board of Directors, AIA/NA and Administrative Sub-Committee, AXA/NA Gentlemen: As you recall from the April 16 AIA/NA Board meeting, the Association had been requested by Dr. Irving J. Salikoff to condemn the use of asbestos in the manufacture of cloth for womens' coats. Dr. Selikoff claimed that this use of asbestos could be a health hazard for both the people making the coats as well as for the women who would eventually wear them. The decision reached at the Board meeting was that the Association could not comply with Dr. Selikoff*s request for the following reasons: 1. The cloth in question was made in Italy. The asbestos was woven into the cloth in an attempt to import it into this country as a low duty asbestos fabric rather them as a woolen fabric, ' for which the customs duty is much higher. It was the opinion of the Association's legal advisor, G. E. Parker, that a condemnation of the practice based on the customs question might constitute "trade libel" on the AIA/NA's part. EXHIBIT To condemn the use of the cloth on the basis of its being a health hazard would be even worse, for it would place the AIA/NA in the position of giving tacit approval to the contention that even slight exposure to asbestos can be hazardous. This, of course, completely undercut our current efforts to defeat local, state and federal moves to ban asbestos-containing products. - More - Sponsored by Certaln-tood Produels Corp., Flinlkoto C o, OAF Corp., Johns-Manvlllo Corp., National G y p iip po ,, Panacon C orp, Raybasios-Manliatian, In c, and Woodward Corp, CRMC-Swetonic-001387 2. Board of Directors, AIA/NA and Administrative Sub-Committee, A1A/NA On Thursday, April 29, we learned through Dr. Selikoff that a press conference had been planned for Monday, May 3, by the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union to tell the world about the supposed hazard. We obtained a copy of the release announcing the conference (attached). With the assistance of Power Fraser of GAP, we were able to obtain considerable background information on the matter, as follows: 1. The importer of the cloth was a New York firm known as Tuscany Fabrics, Inc. 2. In March 1970, the U.S. Customs Bureau ruled that the cloth could no longer be imported as an asbestos fabric, but must be considered a wool fabric for duty purposes. 3. Tuscany Fabrics then brought suit against the Federal Government, protesting the Customs Bureau ruling. On October 14, 1970, the U. S. Court of customs in New York City upheld the Bureau's decision. Tuscany Fabrics is appealing this decision in a higher court. In the meanwhile, the fabric is no longer being imported, and, in fact, none has entered the country since before the March 1970 decision -- more than 14 months ago. With this background, we prepared a brief statement to be given to the press should the AIA/NA be queried as a result of the May 3 press conference. The statement (a copy of which is attached) has not been used to date because we have not be queried. The HGWU press conference was monitored by a representative from Hill and Knowlton. Attached is a copy of his report, plu's copies of material distributed at the conference.\_Thus far, we have seen stories on the subject from THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE- NEW YORK POST, WOMEN'S WEAR DAILY, THE LONG ISLAND PRESS, and THE WASHINGTON POST. UPI also carried the story. A copy of the article from the TIMES is attached. - more CRMC-Swetonic-001388 3. Board of Directors, AIA/NA and Administrative Sub-Committee, AIA/NA Based on the decision reached at the April 16 Board meting (which we and Hill and Knowlton believe is still valid) we have elected not to reply to any of the stories that have thus far appeared. This position will be re-evaluated when our testing of the coat material is completed and we havB some idea of just how much or little asbestos may be released from wear and tear on these coats. Sincerely, M. M. Swetonic Coordinator, Special Projects OF CLOAK, SUIT, SKIRT AND REEFER MAKERS' UNIONS INTERNATIONAL LADIES' GARMENT WORKERS' UNION/AFL-CIO .May 3' 1971 FOR RELEASE; TUESDAY, MAY UTH, 1971 American women were warned today that olothing made with fabrias c o n t a i n i n g a s b e s t o s ''m a y b e a m a j o r h e a l t h h a z a r d . " The warning was issued by Henoch Mendelsund, a vine president of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union and general manager of its New York Cloak Joint Board. He said that the danger inherent in the use of asbestos had b e e n c a l l e d to his a t t e n t i o n b y Dr. I r v i n g J, S e l i k o f f , head of the Division of Environmental Medioine at the Mount Sinai School of M e d i c i n e of The C i t y Uni v e r s i t y of New York, and director of its Environmental Science Laboratory. He quoted Dr. S e l i k o f f as sayings "I w o u l d not w a n t a woman to hold a baby against a cloth of this type." Asbestos particles, so minute that tens of millions of them would fit on the head of a pin, settle in the lungs when inhaled and remain there. They do not dissolve. The y may cause V lung cancer, respiratory insufficiency and other major ailments." 1 ?m Dr. S olikoff, a p i o n e e r in the field of m o d e r n a s b e s t o s epidemiology, says that* "onoe the asbestos partioles are inhaled, they are not expelled and they do not dissolve. The host may suffer no ill effects for year3, but the danger of lung cancer or some other asbestos-induced malady remains," On April l6th, Dr, Selikoff, in a letter to Mr. Mendelsurid, said: "It has come to our attention that a coat fabrio was recently i n t roduced c o n t a i n i n g significant amounts of the (asbestos) fiber. We have obtained a sample of the material from a c o a t ' m a d e with it and electron microscopic and electron diffraction studies indicate an important content of chrysotile a s b e s t o s , c o n s i s t e n t w i t h the d e s i g n a t i o n of '8$ a s b e s t o s . '" Mr. Mendelsund said that bis own subsequent investigation s h owed that n o A m e r i c a n m i l l uses the asbestos fiber in its fabrics, "These fabrics are being imported," he said, "and one manufacturer has already used them to produce around 100,000 o o a t s . " ' He has i n f o r m e d the u n i o n 's shop r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of the danger of w o r k i n g on f a b r i o s c o n t a i n i n g a s b e s t o s , a n d u r g e d t h e m to refuse to handle such fabrics. "It has become evident," Dr, Selik o f f says, "that occupational ,, exposure to the inhalation of asbestos is assoc iated\tfith serious health-hazards, including a very great risk of lung cancer, || '`" gs m Usai CRMC-Swetonic-001391 OFCLOAK.SUIT, SKMT AND REEFER MAKERS' UNIONS INTERNATIONAL LADIES' GARMENT WORKERS' UNION/AKL-CIO k* OFF1CK OF THiS GENERAL MANAGER PRESS CONFERENCE M o n d a y , M a y 3, 1 1 : 3 0 a.i PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE THIS SWATCH OF FABRIC FROM T H E PLASTICINE BAG. IT IS DANGEROUS 8^> of this fabric is m a d e of asbes t o s . A s b e s t o s p a r t i c l e s are. so fine that tens of m illions of them can fit on the head of a pin. If inhaled, they may lodge in your lungs. Scientific studies have proved that they may cause lung cancer, respir a t o r y insufficiency, and other m a y o r illnesses'. Yet tens of thousands of women's ooats made of fabrics containing asbestos are now being worn by American women. P r o f e s s o r I r v i n g J. S e l i k o f f , M.D., h e a d of t h e D i v i s i o n of Environmental Medioine at the N.Y.City University's Mount Sinai School of Medicine and director of its Environmental Sciences Laboratory, says: "I WOULD NOT WANT A WOMAN TO HOLD A BABY A G A I N S T A C L O T H O F T H I S T Y P E ." # * if # A press conference has been called for Monday at 11:3 at the hea d q u a r t e r s of the N.Y. C l o a k Joint Board, I L G W U ,22 W. 38th St., 2nd floor. Henoch Mendelsund, a vice president of the ILGWU and general manager of the Cloak Joint Board, will report on what the Union is d o i n g to prevent the us e of f a b rics c o n t a i n i n g asbestos. Professor Selikoff will be present to answer questions. WOA I.S 117D. 10 . .15. AH. 01. flj JOINT GDI,',','Gil, (>r TIIN I,MIAN OUT-OF-TOWN DEPT. SOUTHJ5!HIKY-ITW,iW)M,I,HIA joint uoaiid HENOCH MENDELS I'.TO, GENTHAI, MANAGED MURRAY M.KOI,KEll, ADMINISTRATIVE,SECRETARY EOUJNIIOTIIAKIHJU i, IMIKSIIJKNT ftWEST IWTH STREET NEW YORK,N.Y. 1001* H65-JOOO .-*&* km CRMC-Swetonic-001392 ASBESTOS INFORMATION ASSOCIATION/NORTH AMERICA STATEMENT ON ASBESTOS IN WOMENS* COATS The Asbestos Information Association/North America is aware of the question that has been raised with regard to the possible health effects of asbestos dust that might be released through wear, from ladies' coats made from an asbestos-containing cloth imported from Italy The AIA/NA is presently running a series of laboratory tests on samples of this cloth to determine what quantity, if any, of respirable sized asbestos fibers are released from the material during normal wear. Asbestos-related disease is associated almost solely with long occupational exposure to heavy concentrations of dust. The AIA/NA hopes to have results on these tests by the end of this week. It is our understanding that as a result of action by the United States Customs Bureau, no imports of this fabric have been made to this country for more than 14 months. In February 1970, the Customs Bureau ruled that the asbestos content of the material did not qualify it as an asbestos product, as the manufacturer contended, and that it was therefore subject to the much higher customs duties imposed on imported woolens as compared with the relative low duty on imported asbestos fabrics. This decision was upheld by the U. S. Court of Customs in Tuscany Fabrics vs. the United States on October 14, 1970. ## CRMC-Swetonic-001393