G. W. Wright to F. J. Solon, Jr., on Dr. Selikoff's Asbestos Standard Statements (1973)

A four-page Johns-Manville memo of June 22, 1973, from Dr. G. W. Wright to F. J. Solon, Jr., marked as a plaintiff's exhibit. Wright criticized Dr. Irving Selikoff for insisting that the asbestos standard be "much less than 2 F/cc time-weighted average" and for, in Wright's judgment, misusing British data from Turner Brothers and a 1972 paper by Hilton. He listed questions for British experts to answer about Selikoff's figures, and reported his talks with old-timers in the insulation trade, who said "conditions are enormously less dirty now than in those early days."

What it shows

Wright wanted Selikoff's statements at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference checked by British experts, writing that he was "certain there are grave inaccuracies." His own notes from insulators describe heavy past exposure: in applying 85% magnesia, "the dust created by pummeling the material into place was so dense that they would be unable to recognize anybody four or five feet away," which he called amosite exposure. The memo shows how J-M's medical side prepared to answer the push for a lower exposure limit.

In Johns-Manville's index

Johns-Manville's legal department indexed the Motley 1,000 in 1984. Its index describes this document as follows:

Dr. G. W. Wright (J-M) memo to F. J. Solon, Jr. (J-M), 6/22/73, responding to Dr. Selikoff's Statement made at the recent American Industrial Hygiene Conference. Dr. Wright is critical of some of Dr. Selikoff's findings and of his recommendation of a TLV less than 2 fpcc. Dr. Wright raises certain questions about Dr. Selikoff's and Dr. Hilton's work on asbestos-related disease. He also reports on certain discussions he has had with old-timers in the insulation trade regarding the amount of asbestos exposure then and now. Dr. Wright states that "without exception, all of the men who worked 25 years or more, told me that conditions are enormously less dirty now than in those early days."

Duplicate of Motley Document #617.

About this copy

These are documents 617 and 620 of the Motley 1,000, from the set the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust's records facility certified as true copies, pages CRMC-Motley1000-Subj-002081 to CRMC-Motley1000-Subj-002084.