Elliott DeForest of the Northwest Magnesia Association to Washington State on Deleting Its Asbestosis Rule (1943)

A copy of a two-page letter of June 14, 1943, from Elliott DeForest, secretary of the Northwest Magnesia Association in Seattle, to John E. Morgan, supervisor of safety at the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. On behalf of the association he asked that proposed General Safety Standard 49, Article A-5, on asbestosis, be "deleted from your code." He wrote that in over 40 years the members had "no knowledge of anyone who is even acquainted with the coined word 'Asbestosis' much less ever having contracted the disease," and that publicizing "such a so-called disease" would give workmen an excuse to file claims, leaving the industry "unduly burdened by such parasites."

What it shows

DeForest called asbestosis a "foreign disease" that "should be left in Europe where it belongs," said that magnesia made up 85% of most of the pipe covering people called asbestos (see 85% Magnesia), and argued that in the "cramped quarters of war vessels" it was better to give a man proper vision than to encumber him "with respirators, air hoses, hoods, etc." The association's members installed pipe covering and other insulation, including aboard ships, and the letter shows their trade group opposing a state rule on asbestosis in the middle of the wartime shipbuilding boom.

About this copy

Only DeForest's letter is in this file. Two of the covering letters are on the site as Rossiter's letter to Simpson and Brown's letter to Simpson.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

Secretary of the Northwest Magnesia Association (Elliott DeForest) writes to John Morgan of the Washington State Dept. of Labor, 6/14/43, requesting on behalf of the Magnesia Association that proposed General Safety Standard 49, Article A-5, re asbestosis "be deleted." DeForest indicates that in the 40-year experience of the Association, "we have no knowledge of anyone who is even acquainted with the coined word 'asbestosis' much less ever having contracted the disease."
"The Association believes that if such a "so-called" disease were advertised to the general public, and to workmen in particular, that it would give such people an excuse to file claims for all sorts of allied ailments and "our particular industry would be unduly burdened by such parasites. Since this foreign disease has not come to our attention, we feel it should be left in Europe where it belongs and not brought to our local communities and create hysteria and fear amongest [sic] the families of our contented workmen who are now enjoying good health and living to a ripe old age, which is significant or the Pipe Coverers Union as compared with the other trades."

DeForest states that when there is the slightest amount of dust which might arise from any sawing, the Association has available proper ventilation and respiratory devices. "However, when it comes to installing our material in cramped quarters of war vessels, we have proven that it is of more value to consider safety in regard to giving a man proper vision and not allowing him to be encumbered with respirators, air hoses, hoods, etc."

DeForest sent a copy of his letter to Asbestos magazine with no comment. A.S. Rossiter (editor of Asbestos) sends DeForest's letter to S. Simpson in case Simpson would like to contact DeForest on the subject. Simpson sends a copy of DeForest's letter to V. Brown asking Brown if he would like to write a response to DeForest. Brown writes back to Simpson that it is his inclination to "let DeForest learn the facts about asbestosis from the State of Washington Dept. of Labor" unless Simpson feels differently.

Editor's note: This file holds only DeForest's letter. The covering letters J-M's description mentions, from A. S. Rossiter to Sumner Simpson, from Simpson to Vandiver Brown, and Brown's reply, are not in this file.