Dr. George W. Wright, Minutes of the Scientific Relations Subcommittee on X-Ray Findings at Billerica and Manville (1969)

Four pages of confidential minutes, signed by Dr. George W. Wright, J-M's medical consultant and chairman, of the February 17, 1969, meeting of the Scientific Relations Subcommittee of J-M's environmental health committee, attended by H. M. Jackson, Bert Jobe, Karl Lindell, Dr. F. L. Pundsack and Ivan Sabourin. Reporting on J-M's X-ray reading program, Wright recorded that Dr. Leonard Bristol's data showed "30 % (18/60) of current Bilerica employees have asbestosis by x-ray," and that "Of 500 Manville employees (chiefly textile) 24% have asbestosis by x-ray." Billerica, he added, "may be a place to study amosite and mesothelioma question."

What it shows

These are among the first results of the outside X-ray review J-M had ordered of its plant workers (Bristol to Jackson on Billerica X-rays, 1968; Report to the Board of Directors, January 1969): about a quarter or more of the current workers at the two plants read so far showed asbestosis. The same minutes note that work done "in house" or by groups "chiefly industry supported" suffered in scientific acceptance, that Dr. Irving Selikoff's widening interests called for "caution" so as to keep him "from diluting primary responsibility," and that a newsletter insert for insulation workers "contains nothing sensational." On fiberglass, the members thought a cancer study should be mounted soon "to forestall unwarranted accusations that might be carried over from the asbestos fiber controversey" as well as to learn the true situation for employees and users. Dr. Bristol's results for six plants were reviewed later that year (Jackson to Burnett, October 1969).

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

Dr. George W. Wright's minutes of Scientific Relations Sub-Committee meeting held 2/17/69 indicates that, so far, Dr. Bristol's study shows that 30% of the current Billerica employees have asbestosis by X-ray and 24% of the Manville employees have asbestosis by X-ray. Dr. Wright states that: "It's anticipated that these are the two groups most likely to show abnormalities," and Billerica may be where the amosite and mesothelioma question should be studied.