Dr. Kenneth W. Smith to H. J. O'Brien on the Manville Plant Health Program and the No-Dust List (1953)

A three-page memorandum of January 8, 1953, from Dr. Kenneth W. Smith, Johns-Manville's medical director, to H. J. O'Brien at the Manville, New Jersey, plant, headed "Industrial Health Program - Manville Plant." Smith found the plant's medical and safety staff too small and poorly equipped, and asked for more space, doctors, technicians and a full-time industrial hygienist. Dr. D. T. DuBow, the plant doctor, had placed "several hundred employees" on the no-dust list, and Smith proposed sorting them into three groups: pulmonary disease with disability; disease without disability; and "no disability and only slight amount of disease."

What it shows

Employees with disability, and those with disease but no disability who could not be moved, "will be told of their condition." But "the employees in category 3 who may need future transfer will not be told of their condition"; their cases were to be reviewed a year later. On reporting cases to the state, Smith wrote that the procedure was "very well outlined" in Jackson's memo of September 5, 1952. The memo shows that by 1953 J-M's own medical director knew of several hundred Manville workers with dust findings, and set a policy of not telling those with slight disease. At the same time he wanted to separate the processing of compensation claims from the safety group.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

K.W. Smith memorandum dated 1/8/53 advises H.J. O'Brien re Industrial Health Program for Manville plant. Several hundred plantworkers then on Dr. DuBow's "no dust list." Smith divides list into 3 groups: ((1) disease plus disability; (2) disease but no disability; (3) slight disease and no disability). (1)'s to be advised and transferred; those (2)'s who are not transferred from dust are to be advised; (3)'s should have no disclosure and no transfer. Reevaluate (3)'s in one year. Plant's problems traceable to lack of staff and equipment (more of both approved).