Document 06oKg30mR90gqdm6LngbD644R

FILE NAME: General Electric (GE) DATE: 1934 DOC#: GE005 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter from Dr. Hamilton with GE Reply I -*c"-x, '7S':i -- May 11, 1934 ,*.o Oerard Swope, President General E le c t r ic Company Sew York, B. Y. onIn e*re:f rfci/u ri.c ered LO'i ,u air') o) 'o*rj3V3`I i- iw -on Dear Mr.s * ^0c4r.fciri? ai se c rn? .erifactnro ''o firms I *rfi of busier -.* k irrn^v ori *un;- m ou xl b eaow qh r*s- , ,v Vo'w ill'p e rh a p s Remember th at Jjy rrp te a s vd winter su g g estin g th at an inquiry he made Into' the use o f a sb e sto s In General E le ctTl p la n ts because., pf, ^ rio^w ;-troublfb^^JBh has a r ise n reoefvtly in ; otheprplants.Mfittife'] t h is j& a # * 8 ^ . M rS a i in stru c t ed* a f to - look ^tttpr e? s `Xippor tm tasx9 Atlffche. o u tse t I .sVff,d...ttfl.t the^probLes^ puldrbe a t tacked'-' inP th-:%amer wy a s vbmzls a 2 namely, by-!h e ia a ih a tlo n -c f; tnfe'"&` c o n ten t'o r the* a i r . But 'sL,qu- \stfi co n su ltatio n with Dr. L. U. Gardner, of Saranac, d isc lo se d the f a c t that^. there are no $ ata as y et #$b regard rtp r ^ g x^pge^auB ering whth^ryh^'aunt ntfiOi^Jaf-'jg&$n;g^ to be harmful^ i s - t o ' e r a m i n e ^ h o . W e . ^ s ^ j e ^ ^ ^ f P g i d i l y a 2 s t d i I M F n n o n d n r v r .9__ * \ t r i > *A 4 1 ' T 4 w* ' jS * * _ . . # a ____ a completely enclosed ^ p m r a tu a WhXdh ^?oM j^ e v ^ n t $a*tofiw>H eecapfngi\^iM.h^^de^tq^Qr and not e a sily ' soaked'in by an exh aust, The draughts from the moving b e l t s blow them about .pnpr^tJw^acciiatulate on su rfa c e s higher than the men' s headsT r k i s oeyond doubt th at the men breathe in some o f t h is asb e sto s d u st. v.sb owi !?e d iscu ssed the question o f tak in g X-rays o f some o f the o ld er employes, wapr^rp^uctant to ad v ise such a procedure i f i t would mean alarm ing `thef rTdn' ah ir"slartin g rumors o f danger, but Mr. Opermeier was q u ite sure i t would n o t. He o ffered to explain to the four men who have worked lo n gest in th at department (from 18 to 35 years) th at the Company wanted to be sure the dust \ , o c S ) was not harmful and bo wished to have the o ld e st employes examined. He sa id they were reasonable men and th e ir r e la tio n to the Company was such th at they would respond with en tire confidence. In Bridgeport I found a quite d iffe r e n t situ a tio n . G.l. > 't,: - 2- May 11,1934 tf!gcv8 PTJsrEU *;:`icw.cG j.tti'OoX:' TOY V 1 not with. regard to dust, for there Is much here also, b u t t . ^ a regard to the length of exposure. The men in Bridgeport have 'been* exposed lean than two yearsj therefore nothing, would, bq.-revealed by an examination. nT-then-. ?3;y `-;'A .-^y ;" r?- 71 7d-7is.Gu.ap7Mied7-lm-y' 7in7ve7st7ig7atiipn7'..'of7.: 7Yo7rk7' W, i7th. lir'. `-'^ n' *ae7O i rnsl in Bridgeport^, arid h<^ paid; he.WaV p ffT feb tlV ^U U n sV to rW ^iSh feioi.gin rii examination o f ' the four old employes in "th at plant carried out. The th ird p l^p e in which a sb e sto s i s tused,.-Scheneatady^oaf i s i s already under Dr.-Voshurgh' s su p e rv isio n ,, and. I d id jo o t take- /iemrcr th at up *-1- j-~ - .. * i '^i*`',** r ' - C . -s '---- _ i. 'Y ,Yr'... ' '...-V1 .- '- *-"- +^>1' My c o n c lu sio n -is"th a t th e rry is ir. .h o t !Yorfo a n d , ; rxs&'o port an atmint o f-a sb e sto s; oust ,,larg e enough 'to' b$, pxobably~hgy---> f u l and''eventually"cause-`trou b le.,,.T h e only ray tbtldetsrainejjif-ir.d * 7 i t h is i s tru e-!is to riSe'-'vhat effect^years'VbfvCTpo3u?axtov|hasnha^ii3Ei vd on those exposed. I Would, th e re fo re ; advise you*'to au th orize 'Sir, O veraeier to have X-ray p ic tu re s taken of ...the,, four, men lon gest employed-; T h is' can'be'done tn Y.qrk /'b u t the films^-shcr^ld '$o jtq'>i_-pr an Dr. L. U. 3aran&a'Lake ,, s cW- Was " fo r in te fo re ta tto a v "There " i s .no; cine``in York Who lu - -.nii/b t h is f i e l d li'artd G ard n er'is ^the1forem ost one in\..tW ;c<^iah 7 7-^Hia --** :. . .,, . . .- > *-- .* r ... l e a d e n * `'Xeielcrsco n two day (Snc.) * *. i 'J '/ , 11 : v o a .' v * ?* ... _ ; A lice Tliwallton , `'r.' )'/ ^ ^ ` ,,> ;:': *S' J *1 . .r:ao i f'i'r- Vii aj^rr ii it all hijO *,* rf ; Ti *3 i. i j /V- 1C' *.V * " 1 .la * . iiiri veil -j s w '%'fi '.'iina oi: J.-a*<4** r ( fI GERARD SW OPE PRESIOENT / !, GENERAL' | ELECTRIC / cCO:M PA N Y O E N E E A L E L E C T R IC B U IL D IN G 5 7 0 LEXIN G TO N A V E. A T S15T S T .,N E W YORK May 15, 1934 Dr. Alice Hamilton School of Public Health Harvard University 55 Shattuck Street Boston, Massachusetts Dear Dr. Hamilton: I have read with interest your letter of May 11th, regarding your investigation of the method of handling asbestos at our York, Bridgeport and Schenectady plants, and have forwarded it to Mr. Burrows, Vice-President in charge of manufacturing, for his consideration. Very truly yours,