Historical perspective on asbestos: policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding

Our plain-English summary of Historical perspective on asbestos: policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding, by J.K. Corn, J. Starr (American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1987).

The study

• Authors: J.K. Corn, J. Starr
• Journal: American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Published: 1987;11(3):359-73
• Type of article: Historical article
• Cited by: 6 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy (J-M no. 000303).

Abstract

Current public health consequences of poorly controlled utilization of asbestos in the past can be traced back, in part, to decisions made 45 or more years ago. This paper focuses on the extensive use of asbestos as a fireproofing and insulating material in shipbuilding in the 1940s, when World War II industrial expansion brought about a hitherto unprecedented rise in the amount of asbestos utilized. Twenty years after World War II, asbestos diseases began to manifest themselves, affecting thousands of shipyard workers as well as other workers who had been exposed in the 1940s and during the postwar period. By scrutinizing past actions, the paper argues that social forces, as well as science and technology, affect the setting of priorities and the determination of policy regarding needed but hazardous materials.

In plain English

This article was a historical review of how the United States Navy and the United States Maritime Commission handled asbestos in World War II shipbuilding. It drew on memoranda, consultant reports and conference minutes, and it did not measure disease in workers. In a 1942 survey, consultant Philip Drinker reported that men in a west coast Navy yard were exposed to dangerous amounts of dust from asbestos used in pipe covering and breechings. At a Chicago conference on December 7-8, 1942, attended by one hundred twenty-two representatives, the presiding official said everything was subsidiary to production. The resulting 1943 "Minimum Requirements" covered asbestosis in less than half a page. They called for segregation of dusty work, special ventilation or respirators, and periodic medical examinations. The consultants could only make recommendations, and inspections ended on October 1, 1945. The authors concluded that policy was driven by the priority of building ships to win the war, and that the requirements apparently did little to make asbestos use safe. They said it is difficult to know what impact, if any, the requirements had.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Historical review and policy analysis of World War II Navy and Maritime Commission documents (memoranda, consultant reports, conference minutes, the 1943 Minimum Requirements); no measurement of disease
• Who was studied: Shipyards building and repairing ships for the United States Navy and the United States Maritime Commission during World War II; at the peak of employment in November 1943, 1,750,000 shipyard workers
• Exposure: Asbestos dust from asbestos used as fireproofing and insulating material in shipbuilding, including pipe covering and breechings; no fiber type named
• Main results:
  • In his 1942 health survey, Drinker reported that men exposed to asbestos in a west coast Navy yard were not allowed periodic physical examinations because of a labor contract
  • Drinker reported that most shipyards were careless or ignorant about respiratory protective equipment
  • The Chicago conference of December 7-8, 1942 was attended by one hundred twenty-two representatives
  • The presiding official, Daniel Ring of the Maritime Commission, stated that production was the objective of the conference
  • The hundreds of pages of conference transcripts contained only a few references to asbestos
  • The Navy approved the Minimum Requirements on January 20, 1943 and the Maritime Commission on February 9, 1943; the asbestos section (13.7) was less than one-half page long
  • The asbestos section called for segregation of dusty work, hoods with air velocities of 100 feet per minute at all openings or special respirators, and periodic medical examinations
  • A Navy memo said the requirements were reference material only, and the consultants Drinker and Roche had no power to enforce them
  • Reporting and inspections under the requirements ended on October 1, 1945
  • The authors judged that the short-lived requirements apparently did little to control asbestos use
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that wartime health and safety policy was set by the priority of building and repairing ships to win the war, not by humanitarian goals. They also concluded that historical context and social factors, not only scientific knowledge, shape occupational health policy.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors stated that it is difficult to know what impact, if any, the requirements had on health and safety in 1943 to 1945
  • The authors stated that the paper does not address why asbestos use expanded in a relatively uncontrolled manner after the war

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Shipyards and maritime work, The Navy.

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• Cancer mortality in U.S. counties with shipyard industries during World War II — W.J. Blot, B.J. Stone, et al. (1979)
• Historical developments and perspectives in inorganic fiber toxicity in man — I.J. Selikoff (1990)

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