Vandiver Brown to M. F. Judd Enclosing Minutes of the January 4 Dust Meeting (1934)

A one-page cover letter of January 5, 1934, from Vandiver Brown, Johns-Manville's attorney, to M. F. Judd of Raybestos-Manhattan in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Brown encloses the "minutes" of the meeting held "in Mr. William's office yesterday afternoon" and asks Judd to point out any inaccuracies. The minutes are not in this file, but a copy is kept with the minutes of the December 29, 1933 meeting that planned it.

What it shows

The January 4 meeting brought Dr. A. J. Lanza of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company together with men from both companies, as planned at the December 29, 1933 meeting. According to those minutes, Lanza agreed to complete the dust survey Metropolitan Life had begun in 1929, extend it to all the plants of both companies, and train company employees to take dust counts. He told the meeting there was "still a good deal to be learned" about asbestos dust, including "the harmful effects, if any," on workers and the point at which the quantity of dust in the air "became dangerous." The men discussed hiring an outside dust engineer, and the meeting was told of the "relatively better position" the companies would be in "in the event of litigation" if they could call on the testimony of an outside expert of recognized reputation.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

A meeting was held on 1/4/34 between J-M, R-M, and Dr. Lanza (Metropolitan Life) to discuss ways of eliminating dust and protecting the health of employees engaged in asbestos manufacturing operations. Dr. Lanza was advised by J-M and R-M that they wished him to complete his survey begun in 1929 and also to extend it to include all of the various plants of the 2 companies. Dr. Lanza agreed. J-M and R-M expressed the desire to have some of their employees trained in the technique of taking dust counts. Dr. Lanza indicated that Metropolitan would provide the training. Dr. Lanza pointed out that there was still a good deal to be learned about what quantity of dust is harmful. Fisher expressed a desire to have a Manville employee trained immediately so J-M can ascertain the efficiency of new dust equipment just installed at Manville. There was much discussion about the advisability of engaging an outside dust engineer to evaluate and make recommendations concerning both companies' dust control methods. Fisher doubted that a person could be found who knew more about dust control than those at J-M and R-M. It was pointed out by others, however, that it would be advisable to find such an outside person in the event of litigation. Dr. Lanza volunteered to try and locate such a person. Dr. Lanza also stated that Metropolitan could give J-M advice on respiratory protection.

Editor's note: J-M's description summarizes the minutes of the January 4, 1934 meeting, which are not in this file; it holds only Vandiver Brown's cover letter of January 5. A copy of the minutes is kept with the minutes of the December 29, 1933 meeting.