Document 0LNnkn7MjRXNYOm9ZzneapeMJ

FILE NAME Manville JMA DATE 1966 DOC JMA063 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Correspondence between Dr. Rex Wilson Goodrich Co. & Dr. Kenneth Wilson M RE Asbestos & Mesothelioma February 28 1966 Dr. Rex H. Wilson 500 South Main Street Akron Ohio 44318 Dear Rex Please forgive the for a considerable Now I shall try to delay in answering your letter I have been out of the office length of time - first due to travel and then due to illness answer your questions about asbestos There are several different types of asbestos fiber The main commercial types are chrysotile amosite and crocidolite In the chrysotile industry we have not seen malignant mesothelioma I am speaking from personal experience in the Canadian chrystile production and from information received concerning the African chrysotile Certain authors have claimed that the South African blue crocidolite fiber can lead to mesothelioma I have reviewed their writings and I am not satisfied that their conclusions are scientifically correct affiliation Other authors in this country have stated that they have found pleural mesothe- liomas in asbestos workers Some of these observations may be accurate but many of them I doubt because in talking to certain authors I have found that they have used the term as estosworker for the man's occupation and have not inquired whether or not the man uses asbestos in his work For many years I have noted that the term asbestos worker has been used to designate an individual who works in the insulation trades Asbestos was the original insulating material Today there are several thousand people using glass fibers for insulation for instance the asbestos fiber whatsoever but still are purposes who have no exposure to called asbestos workers because of union this must sound to you and will be I know confusing it not ea fors youy to answer which were submitted to you Briefly as I see it mesotheliomas of the questions in the basic producing companies the pleura noortpetrhietyonoecucmurarien ntohte s ie ne sn ulation trades I do not know but I have my Whether or no answer to the question of how much exposure doubts Therefore I can give you is necessary about asbestos fibers in the air is concerned I think this As far as the question started in South Africa and was added to bears clarification This thought found called asbestos findings in Miami and Pittsburgh when investigators substances bodies in the lung juice at operation or autopsy There are countless that looks like an asbestos which we can inhale and which witlhlatprIodhuacvee ssoemeenthtiongdate have not bothered to body in the lung The reports is due to the fiber and not to identify positively that the asbestos body Dr. Hex H. Wilson 2 February 28 1966 some other substance The earlier reports concerning these asbestos bodies in lung juice in nonexposed people simply postulated that the asbestos fiber must exist in the air in urban populations due to the disintegration of asbestos brake Linings of automobiles This is absolute nonsense because we have thoroughly investigated the brake lining dust at our Research Center and the tremendous heat caused by the friction of braking an automobile destroys the asbestos fiber Personally I do not believe that it is possible to have asbestos fibers freely floating in the air of any city so that the civilian population can have any ex- posure This is a rather lengthy letter but I am going to add one in the business of mining asbestos and producing asbestos troubles that are reported in the press today I think we more thought If we products had all the would be out of business As it is we are a pretty healthy industrial organization Sincerely Medical Director tl 500 SOUTH MAIN STREET The B.F.Goodrich Company AKRON OHIO 18 ' PHONE 216-253-1171 REX H M WILSON D. C P. MEDICAL DIRECTOR February 22 1966 Dr. Kenneth W. Smith Medical Director Johns Manville Corporation 22 East 40th Street New York New York 10016 Dear Ken On December 14 1965 I wrote to you for an answer to the question Is it true that individuals coming in contact with asbestos can have as a result malignant mesotheliomas of the pleura If so how much exposure is necessary Are there asbestos fibers in the air This question was submitted to the Question Clinic of the Journal of Occupational Medicine To date I have not heard from you May I have a reply Best regards oN Sincerely yours Rex H. Wilson M. D. RHW