R. J. Sexton to S. C. Giambruno on Johns-Manville's Thermobestos Proposal (1962)

A Union Carbide memo of December 4, 1962, from Dr. R. J. Sexton to S. C. Giambruno of Industrial Relations, enclosing Robert E. Peele's memo of December 3, 1962, and part of a Johns-Manville industrial hygiene report (8 pages). Sexton wrote that "Johns Manville is extremely interested in having our Construction Department use their 'Thermobestos' blocks," but "I believe that possibly unnecessary pressure is being applied to us from several sources." Peele reported that three J-M men, F. E. Saxer, N. Gordon and H. E. Kaufman, met him on November 20, 1962, said J-M's own laboratory could not reproduce his results, and invited him to Manville, New Jersey, at J-M's expense. Sexton favored further testing of new blocks but opposed the visit.

What it shows

Peele's memo records that the shop had stopped buying Thermobestos almost at once after his March report. He told J-M's men that his department's interest was "always confined solely to the environmental conditions as they effect the health of our workers." He also reported a call from F. G. Comerford of Union Carbide's own Design and Construction department, who said "we should not back down on our requirements" but that it might be wise to consider J-M's proposal "in light of the many ramifications of the problem as it affects the whole company structure, i.e., purchasing, sales, manufacturing." The attached J-M pages give its own dust tests of experimental blocks, run at its Manville laboratory.

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. R. J. Sexton memo to S. C. Giambruno (Industrial Relations, Union Carbide), 12/4/62, entitled "Insulation Block Dust Survey, Construction Insulation Shop, Plant 511." Dr. Sexton refers to the two reports issued by R. E. Peele on Thermobestos and states that he believes that J-M is extremely interested in having Union Carbide's Construction Shop use Thermobestos blocks; however, he believes that "possibly unnecessary pressure is being applied to us from several sources." Dr. Sexton attaches a memo from Peele, dated 12/3/63, summarizing Peele's meeting with three J-M representatives. The representatives informed Peele that J-M conducted its own industrial hygiene surveys on Thermobestos at its Manville Industrial Hygiene Lab and did not come up with the same results as Peele. They then invited Peele, at J-M's expense, to visit J-M's testing facilities to evaluate their industrial hygiene studies. Peele also mentions that a member of J-M's Design and Construction Department told him "to consider their proposal in light of the many ramifications of the problem as it affects the whole company structure, i.e., purchasing, sales, manufacturing, etc." Also attached to Dr. Sexton's memo is a portion of an industrial hygiene report prepared by J-M's lab in Manville on Thermobestos. Dr. Sexton in his memo states that Union Carbide should continue to conduct surveys on samples of Thermobestos blocks that are of a new formula. However, he is not in favor of Peele accepting J-M's invitation to visit J-M's lab.

Related documents

• R. J. Sexton to L. N. Dickinson Enclosing Union Carbide's Thermobestos and Kaylo Dust Survey (1962)
• R. J. Sexton to G. J. Ratcliffe Enclosing Union Carbide's Survey of New Thermobestos Blocks (1962)
• R. J. Sexton to S. C. Giambruno Enclosing Union Carbide's Third Insulation Block Dust Survey (1963)

About this copy

This is document 613 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-002050 to CRMC-Motley1000-Subj-002057.