Document 9J65bKxZNN0ypOxYL9Bye6LN5

FILE NAME: WR Grace (WRG) DATE: December 13, 1937 DOC#: WRG024 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: 1937 Letter to Division of Occupational Hygiene regarding Public Health Reports Survey of an Asbestos Plant. o l it a n L if e In s u r a n c e C o m p a n y A Frederick H. Ecker Leroy A.L incoln, *,<*< 8W YORR CITY December 13, 1937 Mr. Manfred Bowditch, D irector, Division o f Occupational Hygiene, 23 Joy S tra o t, Boton, M ass. Dear Manfred: A rscent number of the Public Health Reports bad a survey of an asbestos plant made by Bloomfield and one of his s t a f f . They sta te that everything considered they think five m illion particles is a pretty fa ir threshold lim it fo r the asbestos industry and I agree with.them. I do not know what to say about Mr. Dewey's opinion and I can not imagine upon what the opinion is based. Of co'Jrse, the asbestos people in Canada have advanced that idea for some time as an explanation of why a s bestos seems to be more c lin ic a lly severe in England than in tn is country but I have always had the feelin g that their argument was motivated by se lf- in te r e s t rather than to make a s c ie n tific contribution. I have had the feelin g for sone time that asbestosi3 is pretty much of a r a r e 's nest anyway. I do not doubt that asbestos dust in su ffic ie n t quantity w ill cause a pulmonary fib r o s is . I am not sure that asb e sto sis alone w ill produce d isa b ility or death. I tnink that in*TE2 reported cases of fa t a l asb e sto sis they have put the cart before the hor$e - tn at is to say, these individuals have died of heart disee.se and because they worked in in asbestos plant and had some pulmonary fib r o s is , th eir deaths were charged to a sb e sto sis. In the complicated C|Sm , death was due to tuberculosis. Tuberculosis and heart d ise -se are tine two^Teading causes of death among in d u stria l workers and i t is to be expected that the asbestos workers would have th eir quota. However, tn is i s ju s t an opinion of mine. I am engaged now in running down a l l our death claims from a s b e sto sis. Some time in January or February, I want to go up to Boston because in th is se rie s which we have, the only post-mortems were taose dene in Boston binytrDord. uTcitmioonthytoLDeerr. yLaenudr,j in cidentally, I may use your good o ffic e s to as I want to d iscu ss these cases with him. get an Best regards. Sincersly yours, A. J . Lanza, fj.D. A ssistan t Medical Director 00083 EXHIBIT exhibit Hor S ~J _ 1- rARMrt. -