M. Q. Scowcroft to John H. Marsh on the McGill Study of Asbestos Safety Garments (1974)

A two-page memo of June 28, 1974, from Milton Q. Scowcroft of the textile group at Raybestos-Manhattan's North Charleston, South Carolina plant to John Marsh. Scowcroft agreed with John Hawkins' critique of Dr. Gibbs' McGill study and wrote: "If his report should be published in any scientific journal, I believe that it would be extremely damaging, not only to the prime producers of asbestos textile materials, but to the entire protective clothing industry." He argued that the high dust counts came from the hoods, and said the company would develop a coated fabric and caution suppliers and garment makers "as to the potential hazard of wearing hoods with uncoated asbestos cloth on the inside."

What it shows

Scowcroft wrote that he had misunderstood "the agreement which allows McGill to release a report in the public press." He found that Plant 1 was U.S. Steel in Pittsburgh, where the coats and mitts had been made from the company's own acrylic-treated cloth, and that Plant 2 was a phosphorus plant in Canada. His view that coats, gloves and mitts were safe rested, he admitted, on "Logic (but no scientific evidence to this point)." He ended, "We think that this approach will solve the problem." John Magenheimer answered him on July 15.

In Johns-Manville's index

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

M.Q. Scowcroft memo to J.H. Marsh, 6/28/74, entitled "McGill Study of Asbestos Safety Garments." Scowcroft states that if Dr. Gibbs' report should be published in a scientific journal, Scowcroft believes that it would be extremely damaging, not only to the prime producers of asbestos textile materials, but to the entire protective clothing industry. "It is also subject to criticism because of the supporting data as to what type of clothing was being tested." Scowcroft states that it is his contention that the generally unsatisfactory dust counts which were obtained were entirely the result of wearing the hood. "Logic (but no scientific evidence to this point) tells me that there should be no danger to a worker wearing an asbestos coat or using asbestos gloves or mitts. Dr. Gibbs' tests neither confirms nor denies this contention." Scowcroft states that John Hawkins is starting an immediate development program to come up with a type of fabric which will have a coating on its underside, which would be the side closest to the wearer's face. R-M will approach the people who supply the bright aluminum finish, and the manufacturers of hoods and other protective garments to caution them as to the potential hazard of wearing hoods with uncoated asbestos cloth. Scowcroft states that he thinks "that this approach will solve the problem."

Related documents

• John J. Magenheimer to John H. Marsh on Scowcroft's Memo About the McGill Study (1974)
• John Hawkins to John H. Marsh Criticizing the McGill Safety Garment Report (1974)

About this copy

This is document 653 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-002262 to CRMC-Motley1000-Subj-002263.