Canadian Johns-Manville Memo on the Medical Program at Asbestos, Quebec (1951)

An unsigned one-page memorandum dated Asbestos, October 19, 1951, giving a short history of the medical program at Canadian Johns-Manville's operations in Asbestos, Quebec. It traces medical service from accident care in 1890, the hiring of Dr. R. H. Stevenson part-time in 1918, an X-ray machine in 1927, and pre-employment and annual examinations from 1930, to a new hospital in 1948. It reports that Dr. K. W. Smith had left J-M's employ on October 15, 1951, but was kept on as a weekend consultant, and that employment had grown so much that "periodic examinations have been running three and four years behind."

What it shows

The memo states that each employee was referred to the company doctor before transfer from a non-dusty to a dusty job, and that "In this way, illness from exposure to asbestos dust is avoided." At the same time it records that the annual examinations the company relied on had fallen years behind, and that a new company doctor would likely cost more than the salary plan allowed. Dr. Smith's earlier surveys of the Quebec workers are described in his 1949 survey of 708 mill workers.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

Johns-Manville's own chronology of what the company knew describes this document as follows:

A memorandum dated 10/19/51 discusses the history of the J-M medical program at the Asbestos facility. In 1890, J-M first made use of medical service for the treatment of accident cases. In 1918, Dr. R.H. Stevenson was employed part time. In 1927, a small portable x-ray machine was purchased. In 1930, J-M began pre-employment and annual physical exams. In 1948, a new hospital was erected. In 1951, employment increased to such an extent that periodic exams were running 3-4 years behind schedule. In October 1951, Dr. K. Smith left J-M's employ but was retained on weekends on a consulting basis. Regarding transfers, the memorandum states that each employee is referred to the Company doctor before he can be transferred from a non-dusty to a dusty operation; in this way, illness from exposure to asbestos dust is avoided.