Dr. A. J. Lanza to Dr. A. N. Pauly on X-Ray Films of Sixteen Manville Workers (1951)

A two-page letter of July 9, 1951, from Dr. A. J. Lanza to Dr. A. N. Pauly, the physician at Johns-Manville's Manville, New Jersey, plant, giving his readings of chest X-ray films of sixteen J-M workers, listed by name and film number, with a copy to Hugh Jackson. Lanza read seven films as asbestosis, three more as "Probable early," "Beginning" or "Mostly" asbestosis, and others as mixed dust disease involving silica, diatomaceous earth and, in one case, coal, including one "Far advanced pneumoconiosis." He could not interpret two films and asked for recent films and work histories of two men.

What it shows

The letter shows J-M's plant doctor sending workers' X-rays to an outside consultant, and the consultant finding asbestosis in most of them. Lanza cautioned that some films "cannot be interpreted by anybody on a purely X-ray basis." Around the same time Saranac reported similar findings at the Waukegan plant (see Vorwald's April 1951 letter to Woodard).

In Johns-Manville's chronology

Johns-Manville's own chronology of what the company knew describes this document as follows:

Letter to Dr. A.N. Pauly from Dr. A.J. Lanza dated 7/9/51. Lanza examined x-ray films of sixteen J-M employees. Lanza felt three cases had pneumoconiosis and two cases had dust diseases of an unidentifiable origin. Lanza was unable to give an opinion as to the one remaining case.

Editor's note: J-M's description says Lanza found three cases of pneumoconiosis and two of dust disease of unidentifiable origin. The letter reads ten films as asbestosis or probable or beginning asbestosis, three as mixed pneumoconiosis, one as pneumoconiosis with possible tuberculosis, and two he could not interpret.