Rock wool insulation manufacture 1962

Rock (or mineral) wool is one type of synthetic vitreous fibers are made from rock or stone. They do not occur naturally in the environment, but are widely used for thermal and sound insulating purposes and to reinforce other building materials. Rock wool is commonly used in insulation that is used in homes and buildings. Short-term exposure can cause reversible skin, eye, and lung irritation. Workers from factories making synthetic vitreous fibers used in home insulation showed no increased rates of lung problems. Some refractory ceramic fiber workers showed changes in their chest x-rays, but these changes are not associated with breathing problems. There is no clear association between exposure to synthetic vitreous fibers and cancer in humans. A good health and safety program for rock wool and similar synthetic fibers can be found in NASA's Glenn Research Center, Occupational Health Programs Manual at
http://smad-ext.grc.nasa.gov/shed/pub/ohpm/ohpm19-inorganic.pdf. The program establishes minimum requirements to reduce the risk of occupational illness resulting from exposure to synthetic fibers. To provide an environment free from excess fibers, priority will be given to the use of engineering controls such as local exhaust ventilation for employees working with synthetic fibers. For more on rock wool health and safety, also go to the OSHA webpage on synthetic mineral fibers at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/syntheticmineralfibers/index.html . This clip is from the 1962 film, Heat and Its Control, from the U. S. Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the Johns Manville Corporation. The film is about the importance of controlling heat, chronicles man's use of heat-energy sources and explains radiation, convection, and conduction heat transfer. The film shows heat insulation production from magnesia, rock-wool, asbestos and celite (diatomaceous earth). The entire film is available at the US National Archives in Maryland.

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