O. B. Westmont to A. S. Elsenbast on the Public Health Service and California Dust Survey at Lompoc (1953)

A one-page memo of November 18, 1953, from O. B. Westmont, manager of Johns-Manville's Lompoc, California, diatomaceous earth plant, to A. S. Elsenbast at division headquarters, sending the preliminary report of dust studies made at the plant from late May to mid-August 1953 by the U.S. Public Health Service and the California Department of Public Health. Westmont wrote that he had suggested to Dr. Cralley and Paul E. Caplan, "as diplomatically as possible," that the report note equipment problems such as bag breakage and say that several dust abatement projects were unfinished, and he believed Caplan had included most of his suggestions. The counts showed "considerable work must be done" to bring dust down to 5 million particles per cubic foot.

What it shows

Westmont stressed that the full value of the dust control program would not be seen until all projects were done and that standard operating procedures had to be followed everywhere in the plant. In the second letter (November 6) he asked Dr. Kenneth Smith how to answer a Public Health Service request for further tests on Lompoc workers, noting that "some employees will object" to repeat testing. The study grew out of plans made the year before (Woodard's 1952 minutes; see also the Public Health Service letter).

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

O.B. Westmont (Lompoc) memorandum to A.S. Elsenbast (DHQ), 11/18/53, discusses an industrial hygiene survey report prepared by Paul Caplan (USPHS) concerning the Lompoc facility. Caplan conducted the industrial hygiene survey at the Lompoc plant from May through mid August 1953. In August, Westmont discussed the initial draft report of the survey with Cralley (USPHS) and Caplan. Cralley solicited comments. Westmont diplomatically suggested that detailed information be given about the conditions under which the counts were taken (bag breakage, mechanical difficulties with ventilation equipment, etc.). He also suggested that the report should emphasize that counts were made during a period when several dust abatement projects were under construction or had not been started. Cralley and Caplan seemed to agree with the suggestions, and Westmont believes they incorporated most of the suggestions into Caplan's report. Westmont states that dust count figures in the report indicate that much work needs to be done, but in the report Caplan notes that the full value of the dust control program will not be realized until all projects have been completed.

Editor's note: J-M's description calls Paul Caplan a U.S. Public Health Service man. The memo calls him "Industrial Hygiene Engineer for the Department of Public Health," the California state department.

Related documents

• Seward E. Miller of the Public Health Service to J. P. Woodard on the Diatomaceous Earth Study (1952)