Dr. Kenneth W. Smith to C. W. Hite on Asbestos and Cancer for the Division Managers' Meeting (1961)

A two-page memo of June 19, 1961, from Dr. Kenneth W. Smith, Johns-Manville's medical director, to C. W. Hite, for the Division Managers' Meeting of June 21. Smith wrote that British and South African doctors had long linked lung cancer to asbestos and that American writers were reporting cancers elsewhere in the body as well; J-M had "not had many cases," but other companies had enough "to cause me some concern." He described a Washington meeting called by Dr. Harold Magnuson of the U.S. Public Health Service, where Dr. Thomas Mancuso reported "19 cases of lung cancer among 31 people who had asbestosis" at a brake lining plant, which Smith called "a phenomenally high incidence."

What it shows

Smith reported that the meeting, which included Dr. Arthur Vorwald, formerly of the Saranac Laboratory, ended in "an unanimous decision that a problem exists in the asbestos industry," and that Magnuson would budget two million dollars for a study if industry invited him. Smith urged J-M to take part, "realizing that if asbestos is incriminated as a cause of cancer, it might affect our Company business quite seriously." If the Public Health Service found no link, he wrote, "it would be of tremendous value in our future Workmen's Compensation cases and product liability suits." The memo shows that J-M's senior management was told in 1961 of strong evidence linking asbestos to cancer, and that the company weighed a government study in terms of business and litigation. Smith made the same case to the Asbestos Textile Institute (see the June 1961 meeting summary and the September 1961 minutes).

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

In a memorandum to C.W. Hite dated 6/19/61, Dr. Smith states that Hite may wish to discuss the following information at the next Division Managers' Meeting. For many years, British and South African medical authorities have associated lung cancer with the inhalation of asbestos fibers. In recent years, American authorities have reported numerous cases of cancer, not only of the lung but in other parts of the body, associating these conditions with asbestosis.

Dr. Smith states that, although J-M has not had many cases of cancer, other companies have had numerous cases. This causes some concern to Dr. Smith. Dr. Smith reports that he attended a meeting two weeks ago, along with other doctors, which was held in Washington and organized by Dr Harold Magnuson (Chief of the Occupational Health Division, USPHS).

The immediate reason for calling the meeting was a report by Dr. Tom Mancuso (University of Pittsburgh). Dr. Mancuso studied the health of workers in a brake lining plant in Pennsylvania. Dr. Mancuso reported that there were 19 cases of lung cancer among 31 people who had asbestosis. Dr Smith notes that this is a "phenomenally high incidence." Additionally, the incidence of abdominal cancer was 50 times higher than in the normal population. Dr. Smith states that at the end of the meeting, "there was a unanimous decision that a problem exists in the asbestos industry."

Dr. Smith believes that the question of whether or not an association exists between asbestos and cancer should be answered preferably by an authoritative group such as the USPHS, rather than by university workers. Although Dr. Mancuso has the authority to investigate any American industry in which he feels a health problem exists, Dr. Smith states that Dr. Mancuso would prefer to be invited by the industry to undertake such a study. There would be no direct expense to industry for such a study other than making men and records available to the survey team.

Dr. Smith urges that such a survey be conducted "realizing that if asbestos is incriminated as a cause of cancer, it might affect our Company business quite seriously. . . . On the other hand, if the U.S. Public Health Service finds that no relationship exists, it would be of tremendous value in our future Workmen's Compensation cases and product liability suits."

Related documents

• Asbestos Textile Institute Air Hygiene Committee Minutes on a Public Health Service Cancer Survey (1961)