Document 2JomE4qJKkGv5BdvGooMdDxDr

FILE NAME: Raybestos-Manhattan (RBM) DATE: 1936 Oct 30 DOC#: RBM121 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter to Lawyer from Dr. Lanza Stating that No Individual's Records are or will be Given to the Government Octob # 0 . 1936 Julian Mitchell, 3sq., Mitchell and Horlbeck Charleston, S. C. Dear Hr. Mitchell:-- It was a great pleasure to hear from you this morning end I have read your letter with much interest. I knew something of this mat ter because it comes under the jurisdiction of Dr/ R. R. Seyers of the Public Health Service, who is in charge of the Office of -Industrial E7giene in the Service, which whom I have worked in close cooperation*for over twenty years. I happened to meet him in Harrisburg the other day and ha told ma that the St8te of South Carolina had asked his assistance in making a survey of industial plants in that State. I I think this will be very much, to your advantage. Dr. Sayers /has had wide industrial experience and enjoys the highest favor end confidence of industrialists and employers all over the United States, rfhether he will naka X-ray examinations of employees, I do not knew, but Iwill ask Dr. Sayers, when he goes to Charleston, to get in touch swith you. The Public HeelthService Reports rigorously follow a stenuerd form, that is, their reports ere published without mention cf the firms or localities surveyed .so that the Identities of plants stal led are not revealed. Thinking you may be interested, I enclose a ccpy of the report that Dr. Sayers made on Anthro-silicosis in the anthracite regions of Pennsylvania. This study was made at the joint request of the mine operators association end the labor organizations. You will remem ber that when our asbestos study was published in the Public Health Re ports, we simply referred to Plants, A, B, C, D, therein following the standard procedure of the Public Health Service. I No indivuduals* records ere ever divulged by the Government, 'You may recollect thet thw Picker Clinic in Oklahoma was run jointly by the Public Health Service, the mine operators, snd the Metropolitan, e red in pur files the physical examination r cords of more than 50,000 individ uals. *7e were often solicited by interested parties to permit tb6m to have access to our records end our reply was always t)ie seme,namely, i th&t they were Government records and not available for any purpose wret- I soever, with the single exception of the United States Marshall in the .performance of his duty in trying to apprehend criminals. I am sure rhst lithe Federal Department would not meke available individual records to Hthe Stst6 Boar: of Health. A3 e rule, the Public Heelth Service studies ere published, but I believe thet this is not en invariable custom, depending upon their number end their general interest. Please give my very best regards to Mr. Jeffords and .with best wishes, I em, Sin-c-e-r--e-l-y--y-o-u-r-s A.J.Lenza, M. D. ;' Assistant Medical Director 1 cfeot ^ // '^y. 3 '316 rr