Dr. W. R. Paul to Dr. Paul Kotin on Meetings with Waukegan Employees About the NIOSH Report (1980)

A four-page memo of March 25, 1980, from Dr. W. R. Paul, J-M's corporate medical director, to Dr. Paul Kotin, with four pages of his rough presentation notes, on meetings he held on March 11 and 12 with groups of 60 to 90 employees at the Waukegan, Illinois, plant after newspaper reports on a NIOSH X-ray study. The first day's groups were "generally hostile": workers asked why particular men had not been told, said they did not trust the X-ray readings, and complained of poor service, inadequate examinations, missed diagnoses and cases not counseled, and of brooms, blow-off hoses and a lack of vacuums in the plant. Paul found that the medical department's counseling and follow-up "has deficiencies which will be corrected," though a review of the files showed most complaints unjustified.

What it shows

Paul's notes summarize the newspaper account of the NIOSH study: "J-M failed to detect 2 out of 3 stricken with incurable asbestos-induced lung disease," and 35% of the X-rays were read as positive where the company had rated 11%. He answered that the NIOSH B readers had seen one film of each of 319 employees knowing nothing else about them. Workers told him that "Some were told by NIOSH their x-rays were normal whereas we have classified them as asbestosis." Paul recommended educating managers on the health aspects of the materials used at Waukegan, rewarding clean departments, and reviewing the retirement program, and called the NIOSH report "irresponsible conduct." A year earlier Waukegan had counted 35 pneumoconiosis cases never entered on its OSHA log (Szcygielski, 1979).

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

Dr. Paul reports in a memorandum to Kotin, 3/25/80, regarding discussions he has had with Waukegan employees regarding the results of the NIOSH report. (This NIOSH report showed that J-M failed to detect 2 out of 3 cases of asbestos related disease. It found 3% of the x-rays to be positive, while J-M had only found 11% to be.)

Dr. Paul reports that one group he spoke with was very hostile. There were accusations that the employees had not been told of their findings, and there were complaints made against the Medical Department: (1) service; (2) inadequate exams; (3) missed diagnoses; (4) non-disclosure. There were also complaints about the working conditions at the plant: (1) use of brooms; (2) lack of vacuums; (3) dissatisfaction with the response of supervisors to recommendations to clean up an area.

Dr. Paul reports that he spoke with Dr. Culmer and Fanny Fortuna and found their system regarding counseling and follow-up had deficiencies which will be corrected. Dr. Paul states that a review of the files revealed that the majority of the complaints were unjustified, and Dr. Paul recommended closer communication between the Plant Manager, Employee Relations Manager, and the Medical Department.

Regarding the complaints concerning plant conditions, Dr. Paul stressed the need for education of staff, managers, etc. on health aspects, need for a reward system, need to stimulate supervisors to pay attention to suggestions before they become complaints.

Editor's note: J-M's description says NIOSH found 3% of the X-rays positive, against J-M's 11%. Dr. Paul's notes give the NIOSH figure as 35%.