Dr. William R. Paul's Memo on the Zelienople Plant and Abnormal X-Rays Workers Were Not Told About (1977)

A five-page memo to file of August 1, 1977, by Dr. William R. Paul, J-M's corporate medical director, with copies to Dr. Paul Kotin and Helen Young, R.N., on their visit to the Zelienople, Pennsylvania, plant from July 25 to 28. After a lawyer at a union meeting advised workers to have X-rays taken elsewhere, four men learned they had lung abnormalities they had not been told about "by the radiologist or the doctor who does the routine medicals," and filed workers' compensation claims. J-M then had all the plant's X-rays read by Dr. George W. Wright, who found 22 abnormal films.

What it shows

Paul and plant managers planned to counsel each employee, "a service which had been neglected," to "avert any animosity towards the company," and agreed on "playing down the role of the radiologist" by saying the films were of poor quality. The union pressed him on why the doctor had not retaken them, and the men said the plant doctor "doesn't tell them anything." Paul counseled some 60 to 70 employees, but the four claimants' lawyer would not let them talk to him alone. The memo shows that, two decades after J-M's doctors debated keeping X-ray findings from the men, workers at one plant were still learning of abnormal X-rays from outside doctors.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

Dr. Paul writes a memorandum to file, 8/1/77, regarding his and Helen Young's visit to the Zelienople plant. He discussed with Youkers and Fredericks there the underlying factors behind the recent unrest at the plant. The unrest arose when four employees discovered that they had abnormal X-rays and indicated that they had not been told of this by the radiologist or plant doctor.

This situation was precipitated several months ago when a lawyer told employees at a union meeting to have their X-rays retaken by others. The results of the first group of X-rays taken indicated that four employees were found to have lung abnormalities. Other X-rays were taken, but no further abnormalities were discovered. These four have since filed workers' compensation claims and, as a result of this, J-M sent all the X-rays to Dr. George Wright for reading.

Dr. Paul visited the plant to discuss with the individual employees their x-ray findings. A union meeting was also held in which Dr. Paul discussed Dr. Wright's X-ray review. Dr. Paul explained that Dr. Wright had uncovered 22 abnormal X-rays, but that they were not necessarily asbestosis or pneumoconiosis cases. The men asked why some now were being told that they had abnormal X-rays. Dr. Paul explained that their X.rays were of poor quality, and the men questioned why the doctor hadn't retaken them before. Other complaints were made about the physical exam program. The men said that the plant doctor "doesn't tell them anything." Dr. Paul indicates in his memorandum that he believes that the doctor does tell the employees when there is a problem and feels that Dr. Raym is a capable physician. "I believe he will do the best for the company in the future."