Sir Neville Stack to J. H. Marsh on a European Label for Asbestos (1978)

A two-page letter of October 11, 1978, from Sir Neville Stack, director-general of the Asbestos International Association in London, to J. H. Marsh of Raybestos-Manhattan, answering questions about labeling in Europe. Stack wrote that the European Economic Community (EEC) had not yet listed asbestos as a dangerous substance, but "eventually asbestos will be put on the list," as either "Toxic" or "Harmful." A German distributor had chosen "Harmful," with its St. Andrew's Cross, which "would certainly be better for the industry than 'Toxic' with a death's head symbol," but he was "jumping the gun." The industry hoped the EEC would accept its own asbestos label: "It is worth trying since it may be successful, and anything is better than the death's head label!"

What it shows

Stack also noted that the United Kingdom had "a voluntary labelling scheme for asbestos using the special 'a' symbol," which other EEC countries accepted in form but had not decided when to start using. The letter shows the international industry's aim in 1978: to keep asbestos from being labeled a toxic substance in Europe by getting its own label adopted first. The same case runs on in Vanherle's letter to the distributor and the letters of December 1978 and January 1979.

In Johns-Manville's index

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

Sir Neville Stack letter to J.H. Marsh, 10/11/78, regarding international labeling. Sir Stack states that the EEC Commission has not yet listed asbestos as a dangerous substance, but he believes that it eventually will be listed. Sir Stack is not sure under which class of substance it will be classified -- whether "toxic" or "harmful." Sir Stack would prefer it be classified as "harmful," which is symbolized by St. Andrew's cross, and not toxic which is symbolized by the skull and crossbones. Sir Stack hopes that the industry can develop and use a specialized asbestos label which the EEC will accept since asbestos is an unusual and particular substance. "It is worth trying since it may be successful, and anything is better than the death's head label!"

Related documents

• H. E. Vanherle to A. E. Dambach on Labeling Asbestos Bags for Europe (1978)
• H. E. Vanherle to Sir Neville Stack, and Stack to J. H. Marsh, on Labeling Calidria Asbestos (1978)

About this copy

This is document 722 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-002935 to CRMC-Motley1000-Subj-002936.