J. P. Woodard to Dr. A. J. Lanza Enclosing Saranac's First Interim Report on Asbestosis and Pulmonary Cancer (1952)

A letter of August 1, 1952, from J. P. Woodard of Johns-Manville's industrial relations department to Dr. Anthony J. Lanza, chairman of New York University's Institute of Industrial Medicine, enclosing the Saranac Laboratory's "First Interim Report" on asbestosis and pulmonary cancer, dated May 7, 1952, and prepared for the Quebec Asbestos Mining Association. The report, signed by Dr. Arthur J. Vorwald, the laboratory's director, described 14 months of exposing two strains of mice to Quebec chrysotile dust to see whether it raised the rate of lung tumors. Woodard wrote: "You will note that the conclusions so far do not indicate unfavorable findings. Of course, later conclusions on results of animal exposure beyond the fourteen months here covered may change the picture."

What it shows

The report found "a trend toward a greater incidence of tumors in the exposed animals than in the control animals," though not yet a statistically significant one, and said the final phases "will be of great importance" because tumors were rising faster among the dusted mice. It noted that if the tumor rate among exposed animals had been 11 per cent rather than 9.5 per cent, the difference would have been statistically significant. The study was meant to provide data "for correlation with experience pertaining to pulmonary cancer in industrial workers."

In Johns-Manville's index

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

J.P. Woodard (J-M) letter to Dr. A. J. Lanza (Chairman, Institute of Industrial Medicine, N.Y. University), 8/1/52, enclosing Saranac Lab's "First Interim Report on Asbestosis and Pulmonary Cancer" to the QAMA (Quebec Asbestos Mining Assoc.), 5/7/52. The Interim Report summarizes the results of a 14-month experiment concerning the influence of inhaled asbestos dust on the incidence of lung tumors in mice. The purpose of the study is to obtain experimental data for correlation with experience pertaining to lung cancer in industrial workers exposed occupationally to asbestos dust. Woodard's letter states that "you will note that the conclusions so far do not indicate unfavorable findings. Of course later conclusions on results of animal exposure beyond the fourteen months here covered may change the picture."

About this copy

This is document 2 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-000337 to CRMC-Motley1000-Subj-000359.