Document 06njZO55dq6KMKLK0a1rj06Jx

mm> CTTAtUSMCS (*C2 E. 1. du Pont de Nemours & Company INCORPORATED Wilmington, Delaware PETROCHEMICALS DEPARTMENT ,r PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL ALL EMPLOYMENT LOCATIONS cc: y V'J li/, ' w, t 1 EXHIBIT DUP-1713 E. B. Yelto J E. F. Rupps G. F. Curtin Division Heads Directors of Manufacturing Director, International Op's. Production Managers Directors of Marketing National Sales Managers Technical Director Technical Managers Manager, Domestic Sales W. A. Bethem J. R. Cooper May 8, 1981 ASBESTOS SCREENING PROGRflAM PARTICIPATION OF PENSIONERS Jr ^Ac As you have been informed previously, Company sites have participated in a Medical Division program to increase our ability to detect asbestos-related lung abnormalities in our employees at an early stage. A special review of x-rays of employees over forty with ten years' service and probable ?ob-related exposure to asbestos has been completed. Other employees are receiving a comparable critical review at the time of their " 'periodic physical examination. It has now been decided by Corporate management that all pensioners who believe they may have been exposed to asbestos during their Du Pont employment should be given an opportunity to participate in the x-ray screening program. The plan for management of the program is given below. The Screening Program The screening program is to be managed by each site for its own pensioners. Your site is responsible for pensioners for whom your site was the final employment point or pensioners from former Du Pont sites for whom you have administrative responsibility. The program will parallel that for employees. Pensioners who wish to participate will respond to a letter prepared by the site. The site, in turn, will arrange for individual consultation and a chest x-ray, which will be read by a board-certified or qualified radiologist. DUP 0810421 DU 009411 ^ggiaafc-iii^attSj.gafi ttMai Jammu zsaii: -2 - No attempt should be made by the site to dissuade any pen sioner from participating in the screening; anyone who wishes to participate should be accommodated, and arrangements made for an x-ray. However, if a person is in doubt about his exposure and it appears from a discussion of his work history that he has had no possibility of asbestos exposure, the advice that he need not participate may be given and recorded. If there is any doubt concerning potential for exposure, he should be encouraged to participate. A record should be kept of all contacts from pensioners and their disposition. A suggested format for recording pensioner contacts is attached. The site may elect to carry out x-ray screening at its own site or may arrange to refer the pensioner to a nearby clinic, at the plant's expense. Where the pensioner resides at an inconvenient distance from the site, Wilmington Medical will assist in identifying a conveniently situated radiologist to whom the site physician can refer the pensioner. Pensioner travel expense for the initial screen should not be paid. All pensioners participating in the program should be advised of the x-ray screening results whether or not an asbestos-related abnormal ity is detected. Pensioners who have no detectable abnormality but have been exposed to asbestos should be advised to refrain from smoking and to be followed with annual chest radiographs by their personal physicians. If the x-ray detects an abnormality, a work history should be obtained and if it appears that the abnormality may be related to Du Pont employment, the same procedure for pulmonary consultation should be followed as with employees. Disposition and possible compensation for disability should follow standard departmental procedures. Of course, if an abnormality but no work relatedness is found, the pensioner also should be advised of the abnormality and urged to consult with his personal physician at his own expense. Medical Division will separately contact site physicians concerning this program. A copy of their letter, to be mailed May 11, is attached. Because of the importance of this program, we ask that you discuss with your physician each aspect-of this program and address medically related questions to the Medical Division, Wilmington. The initial screen of participating pensioners should be completed as soon as possible. DU 009412 DUP 0810422 ' -3- Communication All pensioners should be advised of the screening program. A suggested letter, background information, and response form for your use in informing pensioners is attached. It is recommended that a stamped return-address envelope be enclosed with the letter. Address lists and mailing labels for the pensioners administered by your site are provided in this package to assist with the mailing of letters. Announcement of the x-ray screening program for pensioners should be made no earlier than May 27 to supervision and employees. Letters to pensioners should not be mailed before this date. Since pensioner involvement will heighten awareness of the screening program, a general announcement to employees at your site should be made if you have not already done so. Attached is a suggested announcement to employees and "Questions and Answers" which you may want to use in whole or part to inform your supervision and employees of this program. In determining the nature and extent of employee communications, you should consider the highly sensitive, personal, and emotional nature of this matter. You should also consider that union organizers and others may try to make an issue of Company practices concerning asbestos handling and may use the OSHA standard on access to medical records as a vehicle to accomplish this. Also attached is a copy of the Corporate media standby state ment on the pensioner screening program and a draft media statement for your site. Media questions about the Corporate program should be referred to George K. Palmer (302) 774-8294 of the Corporate Public Affairs staff. Sites may modify material in this package to fit their circum stances, but any change of substance should be reviewed with the writer before release. Questions from union representatives concerning this program should be referred to W. A. Bethem or T. W. Bruce, Industrial Relations Section. Other questions regarding this program or departmental procedures for implementation should be referred to the writer or B. R. Bundens (4-0745) Personnel and Salary Section. DUP 0810423 GCS:MAP Enclosures G. feele, Manager Pe el and Salary DU 009413