Document ZBm2xBZkLypn3yMgYz4wNRqD0

FILE NAME: Metropolitan Life (ML) DATE: 1944 DOC#: ML036 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Correspondence between RaybestosManhattan, Dr. Gardner, Saranac Lab, Johns-Manville RE Dust & Asbestosis  J JA K A N A L , LA M :, I'. t January 12, 1S44 ..r. Gunnnr Gi'ipcon ReL-.. tor-Mari! in1.tan Cora'!',ny Bridgeport, Connecticut Dear lir. Sinpnon: O'tld lihe to incluue - coot ton eslir.r vith M-rny ropesranees in hutian subjects. Moons ire? ever reoorted c ccuprehcr.sivo survey of serial filris- tahen ever a or-riod of rears on tMe s 9 individuals. I have '-Titten Viundiver uravn to *.*^ JN lr.1*1 A^*'n to revi-v ths films nd I rv. ''ouc-rinip vhet! r you *'ouId ,11 1* t' "> v'r.V^cv Of 'V *1' .up at MarrieU:, ( <. 1-- c to \:r: r::!? to ;-?t :t r h a study the tt.or part 0A. Mk;`yMA n Vt * * . . T*. t.r/*M. I* V- *. able to touch f*.*.!'j ;jr^ ;c/h X ^Ft r '*p 1^^ x") np r.nri'O* '. X Tr* f* r. r: ; 1% ft our rose 7Ci'-V3 X*'3 i*/r+" 5x1f*'*. ^r 1x x--'c#**r r'frr?:.n * \ v V 'f')i1*1f. **^ c *- - ^ **v* 1 l ^ X 09-ti T.(?(?.: -ith Dr. L;.;.: . "nd*D r . McConns1 1 r* if ; . t> v v . - . r . - . ,->a `l.-i~ ;* * V ,nf. o.-.v* t.re ;y.;r -os? " ? r ** v* * 7 *, i hope tn' t it i..a" ho 00n-ibis Mr f: # * i**t; ) 7 \ >/,Av> 1 copy far ve e Ir>'n, Sec: U, r.'.'ili ' C*' R aybesto s-Ma n h a t t a n . Inc. l O M lifi, 120 Sraadvaf, Mao Xoik JiMirf 19,1^, 9 /s / (i I / Lorar OtfttMr I.B, Binvtor, 1ht Straftat laboratory for tha ttody of Ynboraaloala f tbt Idvard 1. Tmdaan Fanndatton, s oramai Loka, Son York* Star Dottor Oardaar, Vaplflag ko y o w lattar of Januar? 12tti takln to bo parnlttad to aakt a aanray of tha flint of aanhtla aaployaaa voold adrlaa that Dottar Lamia hat baaa flint la bla poaaaaaioa and It cold bo antlafantory for pon to aranina than aaA ayatoaaiioally rotora any tauagoa or atftor Inromatioo that fan nlflli ta obtain. Yhara ara alto nona flint at Ka&bala that bava boon takan of proapoatlra aaployaaa ho bara orlad ln othar Inftnatrlot that naf hnra test hasard and ttaaaa ara ln poaaaaaioa of tha Offloo nt Xaahaln, Fa. and lf fon ant ta look nt aona of thaaa, 111 fon plaaaa aoataatx- Itr* 0.1. Olila?, Aaalatant Donerai SUaagar, Unitad Statai Aabaatoa Dirialon af lafbeatoe-kanhattan, Zno.a Manta*la, Foaaaflraala. aad ba U l ba vaxf glad ta ahov than ta jan* Of coaraa It la ndarataod that r nana olii not bo nantlonad la anf af la tho axanln&tloa or la four raport of tho filai. For a nattar af foar raoords aad tha Matropolitaa Zaaaraaaa Caspaftf it la alright, bot X naan gaaaral pabUoatlon. Toara i w | trai/, va Fraaldeat m n ih wmmm > The Sa r a n a c Laboratory FOR THE STUDY OF TUBERCULOSIS OF THE EDWARD l . TRUDEAU FOUNDATION Sa r a n a c Lake, N.Y. January 31, 1944 Mr. Sumner Simpson, President Raybes tos-Mcnhat tan, Inc Ho ore 1222 120 Broaamay, Her-; Morh Denr Mr. 5i:rjson: I appreciate very much your letter of tie 12th ''hid av-fited r.iy on my return from recent trio. I an grateful to you for your offer to co oper? te in the natter of reviewing filr.s of your employees. I expect to see Dr. Li.nr.a on Monday ana 'ill ash him to give uy access to tr coscession. orofitabl no*-' " itn I do not bel that it vould r* 'j_r ^ 3 275 V i ev t: anheim as Ve' 'are evolution of C S C < >> * < w <J w . w' I shall, of mentioning the names of any particular employer in publication but simply achno'-ledge uy indebtedness to a group of companies "ho h-ve made such a study possibl; . 4* C~oV rL *M 1Hc'**rWtW e) /) 1A1 Mrs-rai* V.r; S. Sir.pson, President Raybestos-Yanhattan,Inc. Stratford, Connecticut Dear Mr, Simpson: Re: Industrial Hygiene __ Foundation of America,Inc, After our conference in New York in January about the Metropolitan Life Insurance report on dust counts taken in the textile mill,. I arranged with the Industrial Hygiene Foundation of America to send one of their engineers here to take dust counts in various textile departments. J am euoting from the summary from the Industrial Hygiene Foundation report "This is a report of a study undertaken to locate the most important sources of dust ana to develop additional dust control measures at the Manheim plant of U, S, Asbestos Division of Raybestos-Kanhattan,Inc. Sixteen dust counts were made in various departments. These samples Indicate that conditions in the Picker House are not satisfactory but dustiness in the Carding, Spinning and Twisting Depart ments is less than 5 million particles per cubic foot. Recommendations are made that can lead to a reduction of dustiness In the Picker House as well as in the Carding De partment. It is believed that while the card room is under considerable negative pressure the consequent starvation of the exhaust equipment is probably not In itself sufficient to account for any marked reduction in control of dust." I am also including herewith a record of the dust the various departments. Picker House At Pan Crushers Floor Eatching Batch feeding vertical opener 52 minute sample at central point of room for "general lr"-(near vertical opener) counts taken in Particles per cu.ft. 8.7 million 1.7 million 9.9 million 5,6 million AHorteIor* -- *-- J-* mi+miutn W o q ft dopfftd. #2-Mr. S. Simpson Carding General air conditions at various points in the Breaker Card Room ^articles per cu.ft. 4.0 million General air conditions in Finisher Card Room 2.8 million At a point beside the condensers in Breaker Card Room 3.8 million At a point near the card condensers in the Finisher Card Room 4.3 million Along central aisle-Finisher Card Room 4.8 million Spinning - - - - At mules At L-Frames on 2nd floor At L-Frames on 1st floor 4.8 million 3.6 million 2.0 million Twisters Average for all aisles Universal Winders 4.0 million 3.0 million In commenting on this report on the phone, Mr. McMahon, Managing Direc tor of the Industrial Hygiene Foundation stated,that the control of dust in this mill was far above the average for an asbestos textile plant. He Indicated -chat a dust count under 5 million particles per cubic foot is good. However we recognize that this is a continuing program, and we propose to first correct the conditions in the ricker House at those points where the dust concentration is over 5 million particles per cubic foot. We then propose to make some changes In the card room, which will result in further improvement. We are continuing to experiment with the application of oil to the fibre. We believe that this will result in further improvement throughout the plant. Please consider this as a preliminary report as I plan to advise you from time to time of improvements that have been made. A little later, after we have made some change.3 suggested by the Industrial Hygiene Foundation engineer, we shall arrange with Mr. Fehnel, of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, to make addi tional dust counts in our various departments . Yours very truly, Wf*incWfVAxU (.irtUucAU v*r Sa a n a c La k , N . r . Jul7 15, 1944 Kr. Vandiver Hrovn Johna-Manville Corporation 22 Saat 40th Street New Yoric, New lori Dear Hr. Brown: I am happy to inform you that we have Just returned from a most Interesting'trip to Asbestos, Quebec. I tools. with me our roentgenologist, Dr. Robert, also Dr. Vestal of the North Carol! a State Industrial Commission as he has had a lot of experience in thi 3 field and has seen a great deal of real asbestosis. in company with Dr. Stevenson we reviewed and read between two and three hundred of the X-ray films in hi3 files. We found only two oases out of the lo which could be diagnosed as questionable first degree asbestosis. I was greatly relieved to discover that the two experts did corrobort 3 me on previous observations that asbestosis was a rarity in the Asbestos--'netford area. it: if _ We are at^a loss to explain the ,,situation because of_the conditions in the teswil^ mill whi ch ertainduwbuld'be capable of ' causing characteristic disease in exposed vormren; The only difference that we can see between thi3 mill and that in similar plants in the U.5. is the absence of AfricaS fibre, However, I doubt whether this is the significant factor. Mr. Fehnel. of the Metropolitan, writes me th.at he is planning to go do Ascestos^for another survey in August. He will collect air-borne sample's `T5T"dust; one half of each willHfe sent to * <j laboratory and he will retain the other oae half for ar.alysis. W8 hope that by malting such a study in Quebec and comparing it with similar samples at Manville that we may arrive at some conclusion. While we were up ther 3 it seemed highly de sirabie 4XA^ X wera..o rere rt our exoeriner.taticn with of the clini cal and X-ray exr ar*Ipn^o on athsebesNtoorstihs AmIersri.coauUAr"t'>C.Comnadmier.de6n nutionTXn order tc do this in. an author i-ati ve mannar I should have the collaborat io of the clini vians and roentgens lois ts. I oroccsed to Dr 3 . Vesta i ana Robert that they Join me in t a venture . They would be ver y glad 0 ao dC and I thi ve --icnl produce sc3 whl*k that would be defi ni tely wor ^w while. It wras agreed that It - *ASW be desirable to have our Dr. ~.ccert review all t;he films that hav e been tal<en at '-hetford. Dr. Steve r.son felt that zt^is could be done and v.'ouId be very glad to have then ae r***V down to us. **his would give us a ba sis for statistical analysis ar.wAb informa.tien on the incidence cf veri ous X-ray abnormaliti S3 i -W- -)`fts'mni*l,rt1 5 / Mr. Vandiver Brown 2- July 15, 1944 ii o. Before attempting the' publication, of course, we must hare the further information which Mr. Fehnel's counts may supply and we must exa more films from the American textile plants. I trust that this posal may meet with your approval. Very truly yours, LUG:HH cc to Leroy U. Gardner, M. D. Director J. Sherry