Document aJ9LGvyZgkD5x5gBX4ObM8MMR

FILE NAME: Metropolitan Life (ML) DATE: 1944 Oct 121 DOC#: ML146 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Memo RE Dust Problems, Johns-Manville Plant Asbestosis II F. 0 H H 1) I) B Del Punt Problems notoVi'r I f , 1<U1, k Dir*, G ard n er p n ld on u n o x p e c te d c u l l on no t i l l s a f te r n o o n and wo dlocuflsei s e v e r e l a n tte r o on w hich I made n few notes a s fo llo w si 1 . DlatoRjBCftoug f ln r th F bronrlnents - A room haa n o t boon a v a ila b le up to tho p re s e n t tlica fo r conducting th e d u s t-n e ttlin g oxporim ents w ith the calclnod a n t Ar l a l , However, th e ex p erim en ts w i l l commence n o x t Monday nnd w ill re q u ir e s e v e ra l weeks, sin ce D r, Gardner d e?lro a to have thorn co n d u c te d on n a e r i e s o f days o f h ig h nnd low atraosphorlo hum idity. I f tho c a lc ln o d d u s t behaves In th e anno Banner an the n n tu ra l e a rth , Dr. Gardner In In clin ed to b olieve i t w ill bo un n ecessary to conduct fu rth e r anim al experim ents w ith th e calo in ed d u a t, Thla In beonune he fe o la th a t tho fa ilu ro o f th e n a t u r a l o n r th to produce any m arked r o s u l t a wen due to th o te n d e n c y o f th e m a te r ia l to f l o c c u l a t e and to bo excluded from th e lungs booause o f tho n o la tu re In the ro n p lrn to ry t r a o t . However, I f th i s m a to ria l does n o t be have the sane as th e n a tu ra l earth during the s e ttlin g experim enta, i t w ill probably be d e sira b le to conduct another eo rio a of anim al experim ents In th is event i t wRy bo n e c e s s a r y t o supplem ent c u r o r i g i n a l $5000 c o n trib u tio n so aa to cover the coat o f the a d d itio n a l work, y '" 2 , A sb e sto s E x p erim en ts - The sam ples ta k e n by Mr. Fohnol a t H o n v llle have been an aly sed Tor tho purpose o f determ ining (a) th e t o t a l number o f p n rtlc lo a o f a l l typos; (b) tho number o f p a r t i c l e s o f f i b r e and tho number o f n o n -flb ro u o p a rtic le s ) and (o) th e sices of the p a rtlo le s of oaoh ty p e . The namplon to bo ta k e n by H r, Fohnol a t th * Asbootoa F a c to ry w ill bo an aly se d In a s im ila r mnnnor a t Gnronno and a com parison obtained which Dr. Gardner hopen w ill throw some l i g h t on tho r e la tiv e ly sm all number o f film s a t A sbestos showing marked f ib r o s is In com parison w ith th e film s o f em ployees a t U nnville. I n c id e n ta l ly , Dr, G ardner In d ic a te d ho th o u g h t very good Job o f d u s t e lim in a tio n had boon done a t H ntiv illo , sin ce v e ry few o f th e d u s t snmploo allowed any v e ry h ig h c o n c e n tra tio n s. MET-0000680 TRIAL EXHIBIT C n lif o r n ln H int I n d u s t r i e ! A cc id e n t Commission1* Proposed r-nftv Crtl^rs r e la tin g to "In ju rio u s `lu h a tn n c e s 1'- I showed D r, G ardner p ro p o sed O rd er Ho. A, rh io h ro u ld re e u ire th e follow ing la b e l upon rny m aterials con t a i n i n g ns h ig h ns 1JC o f a s b e s to s o r o l l l o a where thoy warn to bn usod under c o n d itio n s l i k e l y to give r i s e to dust! This M aterial nny give B isa to P o isonous o r I n ju r i o u s D u st, AVOID BBJ5ATHIHG IT ." Dr, G ardner^ i n i t i a l re a c tio n was, lik e n in e, to say "ab su rd " Thnno d u s ts a ro n o t l i k e m in eral poisons nnd can o n ly bo c a lle d "p oisonous" i n a f ig u r a tiv e se n s e w hich d i s t o r t s th e m eaning o f t h a t word i n i t s v. u s u a lly acaopted sense. M ineral poisons produco an > iw nediato harmful r e s u lt, whereas d u sts req u ire exposure to exceedingly high co n ce n tratio n s over long periods of tim e* He th in k s t h a t th e u so o f any such l a b e l 0 th e proponed o r d e r would f r i g h t e n a g r e a t many pooplo nnd do a b s o lu t e ly no good. He s t a t e d th a t he would c o n s id e r such a la b e l not only u se le ss but also nlslonding even i f a p p lie d to a m a te r ia l c o n ta in in g 100* q u a rts , which is th e w orst o f th e n o n -m e ta lllc d u sts. Tfhen I s u g g e ste d t h a t p o rh n p s in m aking o u r o b je c tio n s rre s u g g e s t a re a s o n a b le com prom ise he s ta t e d th a t he could s e e no re a s o n why any su c h l a b e l o r one ap p ro x im atin g i t should be applied to m a te ria ls co n tain in g thoso duotn In r.ny p o ro o n tn g e , to say n o th in g o f l * . ''hen I to ld hire th a t i t would probably c a l l f o r a la b e l on asbestos-cem ent sh o u ts,w h ic h a re aom etines sawed w ith the r e s u lta n t produc tio n o f a l i t t l e d u s t, he s ta te d th a t th i s example pointed up the absu rd ity or the p ro p o sal. I f any such Order ahould in su e , however, s ilic a , s la te , t a l o and a s b e s to s should c e r t a i n l y n o t be lumped to g e th e r w ith th e o th e r oubntancos m en tio n ed u n d e r proposed O rder irA, some o f w hich a r e tr u e p o is o n s . He s t a t e d th a t th e ro wa* no renson fo r Including then along w ith true poisons such an chrom ic a c i d , le a d and some o f th e o th o rs r o f e r r e d to i n O rder Ho,A He f u r t h e r p o in te d o u t th a t s in c e th e " in ju ry " produced by a s b e s to s d u s t i s a mochnnlCal i r r i t a t i o n , w ith no chem ical r o a c tio n (as occurs In the case o f s ilic a ) i t could n o t p o cn ib ly be called a poison. T alo he consider n o n -in ju rio u a undor any circum ntances and I b e lie v e he lias c o n d u cted e x p e rim e n ts ancl made surveys upon which he bases th is o p in io n , V a n d iv er Brown,