Document aJ4D7XGRD3mwM3mpL7jNvej89

FILE NAME: Metropolitan Life (ML) DATE: 1937 Aug 30 DOC#: ML067 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letters to Dr. Gardner & Mr. Manfred Bowditch from Dr. Lanza RE A.M.A. Postponing Article Publucationl,Asbestosis and Threshold Limit for Asbestos Industry 003518 / Metropolitan Life Insurance Company F R K n t R K ' k H . E c KI' K . f Ani'msri L kro> A .L in co ln . PnxuUm ANTHO N> I A S ? A.VU>. ffu atu t N E W T O R K CITY December 13, 1937 Mr. Manfred Bowditch, D irector, Division of Occupational Hygiene, 23 Joy S tr e e t, Boston, Mass. De*r Manfred: A recent number of the Public Health Reports had a survey of an asbestos plant made by B lo o afie ld and one o f h is s t a f f . They sta te th at everything considered they think fiv e m illion p article s is a pretty fair_ threshold lim it fo r the asb esto s industry and I agree v ita .them. ~ ~> I do not know what to say about Mr. Dewey' s opinion and I can not imagine upon what the opinion i s based. Of course, the asbestos people in Canada have advanced th at idea fo r some time as an explanation of why a s bestos seems to be more c l in ic a ll y severe in England than in th is country but I have alnays had the fe e lin g th at th eir argument was motivated by se lf-in te rrath er than to make a s c ie n t if ic con tribution. I have had the fee lin g fo r sot time th atfa sb e sto sis i s p retty much of a m are's n est anyway. I do not doubt th at asbestos dust in s u ffic ie n t quantity w ill cause & pulmonary f i b r o s is . I am nom) sure that a sb e sto sis a l o n e w i l l p ro d u c e d i s a b i l i t y o r deathT I think th at in^tn? reported cases o f f a t a l a sb e sto sis they have put the c a r t before the horS'e - that is to say , these in dividuals have died of heart d isease and because they worked in an asb e sto s plant end had some pulmonary f i b r o s i s , the: deaths were charged to a s b e s t o s is . In the complicated c j.se |, death was due t< tu b ercu lo sis. Tuberculosis and heart d ise a se are tee twopueading causes of death among in d u strial workers and i t i s to be expected th at the asb esto s wori would b&ve th eir quota. However, th is i s ju s t an opinion of mine. I an engaged now in running down a l l our death claim s from a s b e s to s is . Some time in January or February, I want to go up to Boston becaus in th is se rie s which we have, the only post-mortems were those done in Boston by Dr. Timothy Leary end, in c id e n ta lly , I may use your good o ffic e s to get an Introduction to Dr. Letry as I want to d iscu ss these cases with him. Best regards Sincer.ly yours, A. J . Lansfa, K A ssistan t Medical Director r' 1 & -