W. B. Reitze to G. E. Parker on Pneumoconiosis Cases at the Manville Plant Since 1932 (1975)

A one-page memo of November 26, 1975, from W. B. Reitze to G. E. Parker (copy to Dr. Paul Kotin), headed "Occupational Disease Information - Manville Plant," covering an attached list of all pneumoconiosis cases at the Manville/Finderne complex in New Jersey by year of diagnosis and length of service. Reitze points out that in 1932 four cases were diagnosed in men with 12 to 15 years' service, and in 1943 three cases, one with only two years of exposure: "many of the employees in those early years had very few years of exposure before they contracted some degree of pneumoconiosis." He notes six cases in 1971, none in 1972, two in 1973 and ten in 1974.

What it shows

The memo shows that J-M's own records traced diagnosed lung disease at its largest plant back to 1932 (see the 1932 correspondence on Dr. Meriwether's reading of Manville X-rays). Reitze adds that a "very massive" study of the Manville population under Dr. Jerry Chase, with Cliff Sheckler, was under way and would take three to four years to finish.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

In a memorandum dated 11/26/75, W.B. Reitze discusses with G.E. Parker the pneumoconioses cases at the Manville/Finderne complex. Reitze notes that, in 1932, "four cases of pneumoconiosis were diagnosed. Three of those four cases had twelve years exposure. One had fifteen years exposure. In 1943, three cases were identified -- one case with only two years of exposure, the second with fourteen years of exposure, and the third with twenty seven years of exposure." Reitze states that this information reveals that "many of the employees in those early years had very few years of exposure before they contracted some degree of pneumoconiosis."