H. B. Rhodes to R. E. Byrne, Jr. and Others on the 1975 Brighton Occupational Health Congress (1975)

A three-page Union Carbide memo of September 29, 1975, from H. B. Rhodes of the company's Metals Division in Niagara Falls, New York, to R. E. Byrne, Jr. and others, reporting on the 18th International Congress on Occupational Health in Brighton, England. A handwritten cover note sends Mereness of the Asbestos Information Association a "Private copy as per your request." Rhodes wrote that the congress produced "only one bombshell in the asbestos area": Dr. M. Wasserman's study of about 40 mesothelioma deaths in Israel, several of them small children, which he attributed to exposure outside the workplace. "Overall, the mesothelioma situation for occupational exposure continues to look discouraging."

What it shows

Rhodes learned from Dr. Lewinsohn of Turner Brothers Asbestos and Dr. Steve Holmes that the mortality data behind the British two-fiber limit were for exposures well above that level, and that its criteria "do not consider mesothelioma." He reported Dr. Muriel Newhouse's prediction of a 10 to 15 percent death rate from mesothelioma among her asbestos textile workers, and summed up "a great deal of concern that the mesothelioma and even the asbestosis picture will get worse before it gets better." The only person he found willing to say the two-fiber limit was safe for mesothelioma was Alex Cross of Cape Asbestos.

In Johns-Manville's index

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

H.B. Rhodes (Union Carbide) memo to R.E. Byrne, et al. (Union Carbide), 9/29/75, entitled "Visit to the 18th International Congress on Occupational Health - Brighton, England, 9/14-19/75." Rhodes summarizes the highlights of some of the papers presented at the above-referenced conference. Rhodes notes that the conference produced only "one bombshell in the asbestos area," a paper by Dr. M. Wasserman of Israel. Wasserman took a detailed look at about 40 mesothelioma deaths that had been recorded in Israel. There were several deaths among small children, a substantial proportion had no significant traceable occupational exposure, and the highest rates were not in the two regions of Israel where the plants which handle asbestos are located. Wasserman concluded that the cause was non-occupational exposure to asbestos. Based on the discussions at the conference, Rhodes believes that there is a great deal of concern that mesothelioma and even the asbestosis picture will get worse before it gets better. There is a growing feeling that short, intense exposures which overwhelm the lung clearing mechanisms may be enough to cause serious harm. "The question of how short is vague and depends to a considerable extent on the individual susceptibility." Only one attendant, Alex Cross, was able to take a firm stand on the two fiber limit, stating that it was safe for mesothelioma.

Related documents

• Asbestos Information Association Press Release on a Safe Level of Asbestos Exposure (1978)

About this copy

This is document 672 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-002324 to CRMC-Motley1000-Subj-002327.