Kenneth M. Frederick Asbestosis and Lung Cancer Death Claim, California (1966–1972)

Papers from the California workers' compensation claim of Kenneth Martin Frederick, who worked for various employers in California from 1936 until his death on July 8, 1966. The first is a three-page letter of July 26, 1966, from Dr. R. G. Lippert, a Fresno neurosurgeon, to Aetna Casualty & Surety Co., describing Frederick's "longstanding history of asbestosis" and a final diagnosis of oat cell carcinoma of the lung; Lippert wrote that this would "strongly suggest a direct relationship between the patient's tumor and his occupation." The rest is a compromise and release signed in November 1972, settling his widow's and son's dependency claim for $13,500, to which Travelers Insurance Co. contributed $1,000 on behalf of Armstrong Contracting & Supply Corp., Johns-Manville Corp. and Armstrong Cork Co.

What it shows

The employers named in the settlement include insulation contractors and asbestos distributors (Douglas Insulation Co., Western Asbestos Co., Armstrong Contracting & Supply) as well as J-M. The claim is one of a number filed in the mid-1960s by men who had worked with asbestos insulation, and it ties lung cancer to asbestosis in a worker's own medical record. The reason given for the compromise was a dispute over whether the death arose from work and over which employment contributed to it.

About this copy

The first page of the 1972 compromise and release (page 4 of the file) is left out of the copy here because it shows a Social Security number. Dr. Lippert's letter and the rest of the agreement are published.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

Kenneth Martin Frederick asbestosis/lung cancer workers' compensation claim filed. Insulation worker employed by various companies including J-M.