F. H. Edwards to J. M. Briley on Asbestosis and Lung Cancer in Insulation Workers (1966)

A one-page Owens-Corning Fiberglas memo of August 3, 1966, from F. H. Edwards to J. M. Briley, both in Toledo, headed "Asbestosis and Lung Cancer in Insulation Workers." Edwards said he seldom learned of these diseases among workers in the company's Supply and Contracting units, because they were handled as workmen's compensation claims by the insurance department and Aetna. He wrote that "Our present procedures ignore the importance of these and other lung diseases in relation to their impact on the industry," and proposed tightening procedures so the company would have "as much information about the cases as Dr. Selikoff and others will obtain."

What it shows

By 1966 Dr. Irving Selikoff's studies of insulation workers were drawing attention to asbestos disease in the trade. Edwards, writing within Owens-Corning, which sold Kaylo insulation and employed insulators through its contracting units, wrote that "medical diagnoses are sometimes influenced by the obvious environmental conditions" and added by hand that the physician "is assured of payment." His follow-up memo two weeks later proposed an X-ray program for insulation workers.

In Johns-Manville's index

Johns-Manville's legal department indexed the Motley 1,000 in 1984. Its index describes this document as follows:

F. H. Edwards (OCF, Toledo) memo to J. M. Briley (OCF, Toledo), 8/3/66, entitled "Asbestosis and Lung Cancer in Insulation Workers." Edwards states that he seldom learns of pulmonary diseases acquired by employees of the Supply and Contracting Units because the workers' compensation claims for these diseases are handled by the OCF insurance department and Aetna. Edwards states that OCF's "present procedures ignore the importance of these and other lung diseases in relation to their impact on the industry." He also states that, "[u]nfortunately, medical diagnoses are sometimes influenced by the obvious environmental conditions" and also by the fact that occupationally incurred diseases are compensable and insure payment to a physician. Edwards concludes by suggesting that the health procedures in the S and C Units be tightened up to assure that all lung diseases acquired by OCF's employees are recorded and that OCF has as much information about the cases as Dr. Selikoff and others "will obtain."

Related documents

• F. H. Edwards to J. M. Briley on Chest X-Rays for Insulation Workers (1966)

About this copy

This is document 609 of the Motley 1,000, from the set the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust's records facility certified as true copies, pages CRMC-Motley1000-Subj-002024 to CRMC-Motley1000-Subj-002024.