Dr. Morris to Mr. Bowditch on the Asbestosis Problem at Bethlehem Steel's Quincy Shipyard (1943)

A one-page memo of January 7, 1943, from Dr. Morris to Mr. Bowditch on a December 15, 1942, visit to Dr. Manley at the Bethlehem Steel Company's shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, made during Dr. Merewether's tour. Manley and Merewether "discussed the asbestosis problem and both agreed that a definite hazard exists, especially in the removal of old asbestos from ships which are being repaired." Merewether remarked that he was thankful that the material sold as asbestos contained about 85% of a harmless magnesium silicate, which he felt kept more lung disease from being seen.

What it shows

A supplementary note says the X-rays of "the asbestosis case, file #5197" had been removed from the files without Manley's permission and could not be found. It also describes sand blasting in which a supplied-air respirator was "probably not worn" while the sand was shoveled. The memo shows a shipyard doctor and a visiting British factory physician agreeing, at the end of 1942, that ripping out old asbestos during ship repair was a definite hazard; nothing in it shows that Johns-Manville saw it. A week earlier, Philip Drinker had warned a Maritime Commission conference about asbestos installation work in the yards.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

Correspondence among personnel at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard and the Massachusetts Department of Labor (Bowditch) and outside physicians (Lanza, Merewether, Sampson, Tabershaw) concerning an asbestosis diagnosis of a shipyard worker. On 12/15/42, Dr. Merewether visited Dr. Manley at Bethlehem Steel to discuss the "asbestosis problem." They were aware of the hazards created during the removal of old asbestos from ships which were being repaired. There is no indication that J-M was advised, but J-M was well acquainted with the authors.

Editor's note: J-M's description speaks of correspondence involving Lanza, Merewether, Sampson and Tabershaw. This file holds only a one-page memo of January 7, 1943, reporting Merewether's visit of December 15, 1942.

Related documents

• U.S. Maritime Commission Conference on Health and Safety in Shipyards, with Philip Drinker's Address (1942)