Control of Asbestos Exposure of Naval Personnel and Environments (1974)

This was a U.S. Navy instruction, not a research study, issued 9 April 1974 by the Chief of Naval Operations to all ships and stations, except Marine Corps field addressees without Navy personnel. It stated that excessive asbestos inhalation can cause disabling or fatal lung fibrosis, and that asbestos had been found to be a causal factor in mesothelioma of the chest and abdominal linings. It listed ripout of pipe and boiler insulation among tasks that can generate excessive airborne fibers. It expected ripout and potential exposure to continue for 20 or more years. It set an 8-hour average limit of five fibers longer than 5 micrometers per cubic centimeter of air, with a ceiling of 10. A changed limit effective 1 July 1976 is illegible in this scanned copy. It required wet working where practicable, respirators in specified situations such as rip-out, and caution signs where levels could exceed the limit. Air sampling was required at least every 6 months. Exposed personnel were to have chest X-rays and lung function tests within 30 days after starting work, yearly, and within 30 days before or after leaving.

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From J-M's medical library

This copy comes from the Johns-Manville medical library. It was among the papers J-M kept in its medical library without an index entry.