John H. Marsh to G. Ferrucci on Short Exposures and Fiber Carried Home (1976)

A confidential one-page Raybestos-Manhattan memo of November 24, 1976, from John H. Marsh, the company's director of environmental affairs, to G. Ferrucci, enclosing a report (not attached) by Dr. Hilton Lewinsohn and I. H. Weaver on their visits to the North Charleston and Marshville plants. Marsh pointed to excessive exposure to perchlorethylene and to Dr. Greene's apparent unawareness of recent asbestosis cases at Marshville: "six cases were recorded in 1975 and four cases in 1974." He wrote that "long term exposure is not necessary for the production of asbestos related diseases," since a few months or even weeks of excessive exposure could cause disease years later.

What it shows

Marsh also warned about fiber taken home on work clothes: once in the home "it is virtually impossible to get rid of it," and "Exposure then becomes a 24 hour a day 7 day a week matter, with young children being particularly at risk." That, he wrote, was why the company stressed protective clothing and change rooms, and why workers had to be protected even where operations might shut down in a few months. The report, he said, "will not be sent to anyone else."

In Johns-Manville's index

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

J.H. Marsh memo to G. Ferrucci (R-M), 11/24/76. Marsh states that "it is now accepted that long-term exposure to asbestos is not necessary for the production of asbestos-related disease. Exposure to excessive levels for a few months or even a few weeks can result in the appearance of a disease many years later. Therefore, it is important to ensure that workers are protected even though certain operations may be shut down in a few months time." "It is also important to prevent workers from taking asbestos fiber into their homes. Once fiber gets into the home, ... it is virtually impossible to get rid of it .... Exposure then becomes a 24 hour a day 7 days a week matter, with young children being particularly at risk. It is for these reasons that particular emphasis is placed on protective clothing, change rooms, etc."

About this copy

This is document 869 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-004576 to CRMC-Motley1000-Subj-004576.