Document QXr5Ne2pEz3NgBXmJ7wZbgagR

ll ---- Johns-Manville TWehty-TWo East Fortieth**Street . \\, New '* Yor. .k.N.Y. . Iffl January 22, 1935 Ur. U. F. Judd, Secratary, Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc., Bridgeport, Conn. Be: Mellon Institute of Industrial Research Symposium on Dust Problems______________ Dear Ur. Judd: . As I Indicated to you over the telephone this afternoon, I am enclosing a copy of a memorandum I prepared for Ur. Lewis H. Bronx regarding my trip to Pittsburgh last Tuesday, .January 15th, to attend the Symposium on Dust Problems held under the auspices of the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research. Very truly yours, VB:T Enclosure ^ Vandiver Bronx ' Attorney X i PLAINTIFF'S . i EXHIBIT I ~Tr*f . CC52.17 (?> u hJ<J .V ' : .. .1 ./* -VT/t** KSKRAEimi RE:- 2ELL05 PfSHIUSS OT HOTSZRIAL ' RESEiHCa szxposxmt OS DOST MKWT.wrs - PTTTS3I75gB- JA3.1S. ** -V . rv ^ ! T* r.r '. . 0?. ` . - On er ahont Beceaher 12, 1934 the Mellon Institute -ofIndustrial- Research addressed letters to soae 85 industries V;.. basing industrial disease problems invitiBg th.es to attend a * ' . meeting to be held under the auspices of the Institute on the "* - e?'. 15th day -of January* - One or these Invitations was received by : ~.i the Asbestos Institute and, although the Asbestos Institute did 'o'not'accept and was not officially represented, Jabna-Cacvllle ";-rL Corporation requested end obtained peroisslon to:send a-repre- vr'V eeatatlve.:! The 'Invitations expressly stated' tiat -"attendance Tv _-at-.tbls nesting need entail no obligation** * *^T* *' ; r * 4 - .* ' t- > *. . i, ^ *'^ % . ' . * * / ^ f .. ' ' , 'm # * w--'Johns-yenrUle was represented at ' the eceting by' : the- writer or this aenarand&B* Approx!natsly 250 people were . * present repesentlng over 50 lndca tries which bad acceded, the . .-.Invitation of . the. Mellon Institute, _ She Mellon Institute ns . . r<_greatly snrprlsed at the re&arfcable response end. It is cy 1 ... .opinion that- one cannot-find a better Indication of the serious nature of the probleas It was the purpose or * the nesting to- . v\.'-diseass*. . vV v./-i .u -? 'r .'I was able to ascertain that the ffellon Institute . v'.-jc' . * 'had been prompted to eall the meeting by representatives of the sand and glass.-and the refractories industries* . Eepreeea-. `-tatlves of-these'industries conferred* with Er*- E* B teidlein, 1' ./Director of-the Institute, and after advising his of the nature . . 'Of their prohlea, of Its wide-spread character and macrocs ' 'V menacing aspects, suggested " the need-of some fora of -concerted action on the- pert of those Industries presently.or potentially .. - Involved*/ -1 understand that- Ur* ?v V* Sherwood, Tic e-president .-' of Owens-miaols Glass Company and Er* .Soger BMtctrT'ne,* Presi-- * - i dent of- -the cAaerlsaa -Aefractories<Inirtttut, -Were-the persons' "whc-'presentad the situation to-the EeUoa Institute, Mr,. . : * ; Veldleln,-ton behalf of the 'Institute, -agreed to cooperate to ' ' *the'extent of calling- the meetings sad haring .the representatives * "'-7:spend. a day la Pittsburgh as the guests of- the Institute* ' There '. .mas sons preliminary discussion as to -the possibility of using ;. *: '7 the-EeUoa Institute as a clearing boose for inferaation and - .. " . /research upon aspects of the prohlea common*:to_ell Industries - : TTfc. were postponed until after..the holding .. ofjfche wieetlng1:."? - r- ; .Vs '' '. -'' .'-*. ~ 'An iapresslve list of experts, specializing upon various "aspects of i the dust' problem attended the aeetlng -and - I; PLAINTIFFS If EXHIBIT " -C05248 delivered addressee. JLaong these were Sr. 1. C. Eirth, a lawyer associated with Williams, Zversaan and Eorgan, Toledo, Ohio, attorneys Tor Osmns-nUnoia Glass Company; Dr. Eugene P. Pendergrass or the X-ray Laboratory, University Hospital, Phila delphia; Dr. A. J. Laasa, Assistant Xedieal Director of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; Dr. B.- R. Sayers, Medical . Officer In Charge of U. S. Public Sealth Service; Professor Philip Am Drinker of the School of Public Eealth, Harvard Uni varsity; Mr. J*. Robertson Jones, General Manager, Association of Casualty and Surety Executives; and Hr. Donald E. Cunnings, Assistant Director, Saranac Laboratory for Study of Tuberculosis. The addresses delivered by .these,specialists,-together with the- open discussion that followed then, revealed-, among other things, the very menacing character of the problem, its Complex nature, the -uncertainties attending most of its aspects and the . necessity of some fam of-united action by .the afflicted industries. v ~. ; ~ - "It was racognised that some aspects of the problem .-/' - were peculiar to special industries hut it eas equally evident that-other-aspects .were common to all. - Tor example, only teo - formr- sf dust, namely, free silica and asbestos, are definitely known-to produce disabling fibrosis of the lung. Even In the ' esse of these dusts the problems result!ng therefrom sre quite different since the fibrosis resulting fWos silica is of a much' aoreieerloos -character -than that -resulting from-asbestos in that the-former predispoees to tuberculosis and is such more likely to have a fatal -termination. -On the other'head (and .this illustrates one-of the most serious aspects of the problem- that is* common to all dust producing industries) the-fact that no other dost is known to produce-disability has not prevented entirely groundless claims aggregating -millions and even hundreds of millions of. . dollars being brought against industries which have no silica or asbestos dust heard. Tor exsple, Dr. pointed out that no one .had -ever malntained.-that gypsum dost was. harmful and yet, nevertheless, :the gypsum .industry had suits pending against it ` ~` of four dollars. .. . It appeared -that the f to eH industries- the following? (1) The menace, of ambulance- chasfrg lawyers. In V . combination-ei-th unscrupulous doctors. - The - - -. - uncertainties scrroeartlng diagnosis of any - - of* tiie various forms of pueuaonocosiosls are - :? '-'.-ifad easy -that a.^question of fact .is- presented . `" ,-ia- every case. ...Expert testimony can be pro ' dseed-by both plaintiff end .defendant-and it . is-far the Jury.-to decide whose experts ere 0052.19 .' - correct la their interpretation*. In making - . this decision, the Jury is not likely to favor - . -the opinion of the experts produced, by the employer* ; _ - v. .; \ .. * (2) She desirability of "g various dost , . diseases compensable under properly drawn '". ' wwrkaen*s-compensation lews* One of the - . . . ... speakers stated that "the strongest bulwark ' ,. against future disaster fcrindnstry is the . ' : ;:: \\ enactment of properly draua occupational* > /. - /,- ' ' ..* y,`. disease legislation** fladh legislation, would ' - : ; " "* (a) eliminatethe Jury and* slower a Medical y . ' :.. .Board to pees upon the existence of the '. / . *. disease and . the extent of the disaMI.I ty; ;; : v -. (b) ellxlnate the shyster lawyer end the - r.. * ` quack doctor since fees would be strictly . -y y> United by the lew; end (c) permit the correct * :ins of ****>*' lathe aakim of ' . .. awards by providing for hearings to reduce * '. -*' or ellxlnate awards if proof coold be adduced - - . that the claimant was not disabled or. that' - . .7. -the extent'of his disability had been ovar-v- - -S-r. estinate<1~.-r^,;.y -.1 - . (3) Problems-of.Weatiiatjdn, dost -collecting and ' elimination, end respiratory device#* - y "yvy.w; y.r -1 v '. ' v' .. .. . (4). She establishing of-standards (a) for dost ' - . . ' counting end particle alxe determination, - . .. ' (b) for the taking of X-raya for diagnostic . Vir/rr'. use,and (e) for the Interpretation of the ' -.'/markings ..on the files .so produced* . - ^. . - '' ?' . .! ' . ` T - ' ' yvlt. the dose of the dlscassjaa'a Kr* Sorts,' Tice- President of nda e notion that It. 91221am P* Tant, Chatman of the meeting appoint e noslnatlng eoaaitte# who would wlnete e group -of IndiTidusls to serrw as a eanalttee for the fOrealation of ways and to brlnli about effective cooperation of seen character between the various Industries far meeting end eoebetlng those phases of the dust problem to all* This -motion was carried - and m Committee appointed whiefa retired sad upon presented to .-the meeting, the names of seven Individual s to act as such Comslttea* * Bo other names having been placed In --*** aw, the following were elected to act as the Committee and report back to the vsrlons industries and grasps represented at the neotint or to whoa the invitation had been originally 00522Q sa -A- . Vandiver 3ros representing Asbestos, Cork end Voxv-Vetallle Er 3* 3, fiftJflatrails representing Chemical, Abrasives, Alloys . ; . ' .. and Xoa-farroos aetals Z* 0 Joses representing Foondriea ; Ju Sherwood representing Glass Sand, Ground Sand and Glass " Manufacture ' - A. J Gentholts representing Xros, Steel, and Ores V**:. *'>*: A, J. 3.' Cartla representing' T.lae, j^Casest' and' .-. is t > . ..SogerA, Eltehias representing RefractarieSjCeraaies and : Clayi . ?:". explained to.?tbeJothair aewbesAof the Cbnittee..- -" tbat'-X bad been seat to thaaeeting, solely^ as, en-observer sad."' . had so authority froa-Iohns-Manvilla Corporation to necept aeabership on. the Cooatlttaa 'Sad -certainly'none On the Asbestos Industry as.. a.-whole* * l eas urged, -howewar,* ts-swet with the ; Coaeittee and- agreed to do so on. the condition. that I night : . . . .. withdraw if- approval of ay serelag In that capacity should not " ' be_fartheocriag* . 1 pointed out that , mashers -of the Asbestos T^.i4nfay did not care to be associated In the *"* of the public or of employees with those lndastrles whose problem. vaa Silicosis sad. that for this reason I felt-there sight- be joae opposition to having? a. representstire of the Asbestos Induatry. working with then. `-I did.Indicate,. however, -that I rwbllxad aaaroua aspects of our probles were the ease and that If oooperatlon could be worked out without an undue amount of publicity,. Johns^Ucarllle Corporation and perhaps the Asbestos Industry-hs a whole, would la all likelihood be willing to. cooperate, "It was the opinion of the Casmlttee that this condltlan would'not-^presest any ' ' insuperable "difttenltr*.' - * .- - Kta Boger Eitchlnsj.;Presidest of American Refractor-- - las Zsstltate, was aade Chairman of the Coeoalttee which held a nesting Tuesday ewaslsg after the dose of the djapoaliat, ttr, Eltchina was designated to sect with Kr. Veldlain of the Melina . Institute and ash hla to asks a .proposal la definite and concrete . fans as to the muster la which the Mellon Institute night be able-to assist the various lndnstrles for. a. fee of $25,000. ;. 'han this proposal has been reedred and apprcwed by the members of the Coanlttee,'lt will be sobnltted to the waxious Industries with the reeauesdatloa that- it.be accepted and that the warlous Industries or individual corporations agree to stand good far a proportionate aaount- of -the fee not la assess- of a definite specified son. " '' (505221 w'. . w >.2/ > r.-"'.r:^^r^ :-,-< '-V- -.^U2S ' -:;' ST-it' . .. <, ,. . j~ tbit the', proposal which weald be nade*'"/7"t;--: >7 the Ballou, institute would -include, aaonj others, the follow-* -' larj. .* v--. .---.v**' * ..V;-:. -r ., \ * .... (s}.Qa ccupillajcf * coaprehenstve bibliography ss-i .. T* % f < i. -v * " : - or *11 books, treatises ud publicstloss ` : - '-.v with any. aspect of the dost problea; and :.; ;v.-the-evalaatton thereof ..\V'.'-;. -* .'.. it-* - .-.- -V ''j 'v*' ' 00 The rnepHfriffJ IfiarMny aad' cowelatinc of : data and iaforsatian free. various subserihicr -"-.v-V:-*:: :c*s!; \ industries relative- to. their particular experl--;v`i ---* \ , .\ Vj* ' ; v -v . " . t .. v* /. >s!'i V.::7" (c) The' drafting of.approved wortoeu's"compensation 'jTv'.i.vr'- \ . \. legislation covering pneumoconiosis^.... . J ' * `/t ^ ' * * ** .*'**. **.."'* JT * -- V * * ** **%. - . .-' . (d) The digesting of the laws of the 'various states i- . ';.". ; ' ; . j; which aiht affect the operations,of iadastrles-ii-'-.' - r .--.,v presentixe.a dast;hasard.>'; 1.;... : : ;* (eyijjte outliais*: of 'probleas're^oirias researrfj .5. ` or -the- estahliabsent of fired Standards and. ; . * -J ? / '' r >^the prevention of duplication of effort'and ' - v- .. . :r.' erpeaae alone these Uses*. .vJ -.-.vl; - ' ' She interest with which the discussions were - followed' - and the esthnslasa which greeted tha proposal far unified, effort ' ' lead aa to believe that the necessary support will be found*-. '... .for soee sort of progm along the; above, lines*.: ^::c.. "V ! TiSBITSS. BSOnT' * * . Jannarx.18,.1935 :,, ' . e ; *" ' *> .' -- ^ ^ . .. ' . ., . 005222 . *. . ^^ '