W. P. S. Breese to S. Speil on Labeling Asbestos Fiber Shipped to Britain and Europe (1972)

A two-page memo of January 5, 1972, from W. P. S. Breese at J-M's Denver headquarters to S. Speil of the Research and Engineering Center, answering his question about labeling asbestos fiber and products shipped from the United States and Canada to Britain and Europe. Breese noted Britain's Asbestos Regulations 1969 and that a December 1971 letter reported D. Poutiatine's advice that the Asbestos Fiber Division had a policy "that asbestos fiber shipments to the U.K. area should not contain a warning label." He had not been told whether that policy followed full legal advice, and wrote that "it is the position of the Legal Department that export shipments should bear appropriate caution labels."

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

Memorandum from W.P.S. Breese to S. Speil dated 1/5/72, regarding asbestos fiber shipments to Europe. Breese states that in view of European legislation, it has been the position of the legal department that export shipments of asbestos fiber should bear warning labels.