Industrial Hygiene Foundation Memorandum on Research Projects for Johns-Manville (1953)

A five-page memorandum of August 3, 1953, on the letterhead of the Industrial Hygiene Foundation of America at the Mellon Institute in Pittsburgh, proposing research projects for Johns-Manville. It outlined studies of the dust from Hy-Sorb, the relative toxicity of diatomaceous earths and of crocidolite, chrysotile and amosite fibers, and threshold limits for dusts. The last project was a study of the "Possible Relationship of Asbestosis and Cancer of the Lung."

What it shows

The Foundation noted that published reports of "a high incidence of lung cancer in persons suffering from asbestosis" differed from other observers' experience, and that "no convincing evidence will be available to either side" until an epidemiologic study was done. It proposed a review of the cases reported by Merewether and Hueper, a study of the workers' jobs and fiber types, and a comparison with unaffected workers as a control. This is an early step toward the lung cancer studies the Foundation later proposed to the Asbestos Textile Institute and carried out for the Quebec mining companies.

In Johns-Manville's index

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

"Memorandum on Research Projects for Johns-Manville Corporation" (on IHF stationary), dated 8/3/53. One research project mentioned is a study into the possible relationship of asbestosis and lung cancer.

About this copy

This is document 95 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-000791 to CRMC-Motley1000-Subj-000795.