J. B. Jobe to Kenneth W. Smith on Labeling Industrial Insulations Division Products (1964)

A one-page memo of January 2, 1964, from J. B. Jobe at the headquarters of J-M's Industrial Insulations Division to Dr. Kenneth W. Smith, the company's medical director, copied to C. W. Hite and others. "As a result of many discussions," Jobe wrote, the division was "about to begin labeling Cements, Millboard, molded insulations and boards." He asked to review and approve the proposal before the wording of the label and the way it was applied were settled, which would also let him tell other parts of the company that the program was starting.

What it shows

The memo marks the start of J-M's caution labeling of its insulation products, after years in which labels had been considered and set aside (see the 1958 Marinite memos). Within weeks Smith had sent draft labels to the Public Health Service, and by May the wording was fixed in Acher's memo.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

J.B. Jobe in a memorandum dated 1/2/64 to Dr. K.W. Smith states that as a result of many discussions, the Industrial Insulations Division is about to begin labeling cements, millboard, molded insulations and boards.

Related documents

• H. M. Jackson to All Plant Managers on Caution Labels for Celite (1952)
• Johns-Manville Memos on a Caution Label for Marinite (1958)