Paul D. Burnum to H. M. Jackson on Telling a Worker About His X-Ray (1969)

A handwritten note of February 10, 1969, from Paul D. Burnum at J-M's Long Beach, California, plant to H. M. Jackson at headquarters, about the physical examination of a Long Beach employee. Burnum and Alan Harris were "not sure just how much information we should convey to the man." Burnum felt the company should tell him and let him talk it over with the examining physician, though he also saw "the danger of unnecessarily alarming a person." If permissible, he would tell the man "that his x-ray did show a deviation and that our Doctor would frankly discuss it with him," and he asked Jackson to "advise if this would be in order."

What it shows

A plant manager who wanted to tell a worker that his chest X-ray was abnormal felt he first needed headquarters' permission. That fits the caution J-M's industrial relations department was urging at the same time about releasing medical information outside the company (H. M. Jackson to J. D. Anderson, November 1968), and the company's growing count of workers with X-ray changes (Report to the Board of Directors, January 1969).

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

Handwritten memorandum from Paul D. [Burnam] (Long Beach plant) to Jackson, 2/10/69 concerning physical of Adrian Verduzco. The writer was uncertain of precisely how much health information it was permissible to convey to an employee. The author advocated full disclosure through the examining physician, but felt he had to request permission to reveal to the worker that his x-ray had shown a "deviation" because of a recognition that it created a "danger of unnecessarily alarming a person concerning a situation." "Please advise if this would be in order or advise what action if any we should take."

Editor's note: J-M's description gives the writer's name as Burnam; the note is signed Paul D. Burnum, Long Beach Plant.