Johns-Manville Employee Relations Department Health Research Report, July 1971 (1971)

A confidential 14-page progress report of July 1, 1971, from J-M's Employee Relations Department to about 25 senior managers, including W. R. Goodwin, J. B. Jobe, F. L. Pundsack and Dr. T. H. Davison, on the health research programs in which the company was taking part. It reports that in the U.S. Public Health Service's asbestos industry study begun in 1963, Public Health Service doctors and Dr. R. Liss of the Manville plant had counseled some textile workers, and that Dr. W. Lainhart had told an industrial hygiene conference in May 1971 that 17% of men and 13.8% of women examined who were over 50 had findings "possibly related to occupational exposure in asbestos textile manufacturing." Other entries cover Dr. Enterline's study of J-M retirees, Tulane's study at the Marrero plant, McGill University's tests of respirators against asbestos fiber, and fiber glass studies.

What it shows

The report notes that the retiree study had found "certain types of causes of death which are higher than those found in the general population" (see Jackson's memo on the Enterline study). Under a Mount Sinai program it records that Dr. Irving Selikoff "verbally indicated his belief that up to one-third of mesothelioma cases may not be attributable to asbestos." The last pages describe trade association work: the National Insulation Manufacturers Association persuaded several state legislatures not to ban fiber glass duct lining, and with the Asbestos Information Association "opposed the banning of asbestos product use and urged controls instead"; the Asbestos Cement Products Association agreed to "vigorously oppose the banning of such products." It gives a snapshot of the research J-M was following and funding in 1971, and of the industry's position on bans.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

J-M Employee Relations Department Health Research Report (7/1/71) discusses the USPHS asbestos industry study which began in January, 1963. The report indicates that USPHS medical officers, along with Dr. R. Liss (Manville plant doctor) medically counseled some textile department employees under study. Others will be contacted by mail at a later date.

The report indicates that Dr. W. Lainhart presented a USPHS paper entitled "Health and Asbestos Processing Progress Report" at the ACGIH conference. Dr. Lainhart found that 17% of the males and 13.8% of the females have positive medical findings possibly related to occupational exposure in asbestos textile manufacturing. Also the report states that McGill University is conducting a study to determine the effectiveness of various types of respirators, including disposable respirators to control the inhalation of asbestos fiber.

Editor's note: J-M's description gives Dr. Lainhart's figures of 17% of men and 13.8% of women without saying whom they cover. The report gives them as shares of the 216 workers over 50 who had been evaluated so far (122 men and 94 women), out of about 2,600 in the study.