Minutes of a Johns-Manville Meeting with Dr. Anthony Lanza on Physical Examinations (1931)

Three pages of minutes, signed by Clarence L. Sager, of a meeting at Johns-Manville's office on July 15, 1931, with Dr. A. J. Lanza and Dr. McConnell of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and J-M's Voorhees, Pond, Hughes and Sager, on physical examinations at J-M plants. Lanza recommended examining all applicants and all old employees, and every employee every two or three years, using fluoroscopes rather than X-ray machines. He advised that anyone with tuberculosis be kept out of the plant and that a worker whose lungs showed fibrosis "be transferred to a location in the plant where the exposure is not so great."

What it shows

The minutes record that "Dr. Lanza is very strongly of the opinion that asbestosis should be made compensable under the New Jersey law. He feels that this is the only protection which the industry has, and that permitting the disease to remain outside the compensable class lends encouragement to unethical lawyers and physicians to work up claims." Dr. McConnell reported that a Metropolitan Life engineer had found many particles getting through the Pangborn pressure mask, "thus tending to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of masks," and the meeting noted a New York State Department of Labor report that masks did not protect workers from rock dust. Two weeks later E. M. Voorhees sent these minutes to Vice President S. A. Williams (memo of July 28, 1931).

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

Lanza Recommendations re: Medical Program. Minutes of meeting held 7/15/31 between J-M, Lanza, and McConnell (Metropolitan) notes that Hobart & Wardwell (J-M attorneys) had previously recommended physicals, including x-rays of all employees. Lanza recommended pre-employment and periodic exams and the use of fluoroscopes rather than x-ray equipment. Once a possible tuberculosis or fibrosis was identified
then x-rays could be used. Lanza advocated that employees showing signs of fibrosis be transferred to a location where exposure was lower. He stated that he believed that asbestosis should be compensable under New Jersey workers compensation law. McConnell reported that Fehnel (Metropolitan) had studied the Pangborn respirator and concluded that a high count of particles found their way through the mask, tending to "demonstrate the ineffectiveness of masks"; Discussion also referred to a New York State Department of Labor report which concluded that masks were not effective for protection of workers from the perils of breathing rock dust.

Editor's note: J-M's description says the minutes note that Hobart & Wardwell, J-M's attorneys, had recommended physical examinations including X-rays of all employees. That is not in these minutes.

Related documents

• E. M. Voorhees to S. A. Williams on Dust Conditions at J-M Factories (1931)