Document mBzRByMwyRp0N0pn1rjnrYrQ4

/i : i ! o TURNER BROTHERS ASBESTOS COMPANY LTD. \ ROCHDALE. JW/BW Rof., Copy .toI NAM To J L* Collins, sc|*. Turner A Nevall ltd Manchester. Rtf............ 5th March, 1952 Dear Mr. Collins, Aabostoa Industry. floEulatlona Thank you for your lottor of 3rd March, encloa- ing your lottor of confirmation to Si,r George Barnett that tho appointment has been fixed for 30C on Monday. 17th March* Thank you also for the railway seat tickot enclosed* I have boon doing ray boot to compile statistical ararur.ition, but I have not been ablo to find anything very convincing You suggested that the comparison with silicosis would be favourable to us. but the figures given below, which are taken from the Chief Inspector's annual reports, show that this is not the case t- Deaths from Silicosis and Asbestosis contracted in Factories (excluding i'-lnes and (juarrles.) Extracted from Annual Report of H*M* Chief Inspector of Factories. 1944_L 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 HfT Silicosis 192 224 169 138 149 125 140 153 139 it* Asbestosis 18 11 17 11 6 10 . 11 16 15 It will be seen that the cases of silicosis in factories number approximately ten times the asbestosis cases. I have no precise figures of the relatlre numbers ContM* * ^ y PLAttfNPF'S - PLAINTIFF'S I it EXHIBIT EXHIBIT , I 'j, L. Collins. Ksq., Turner A Hawaii Ltd* Cont9n 1# 5.352# of peoplo employed, but the total numbor subject to risk of asbestosis can hardly oxcood 3iOOO persons, while the numbor liablo to silicosis in potlories, fltcolvorkDf stool and iron foundries, tool and cutter grinding, and so on, must substantially oxcood 30,000$ the annual . report for 1937 stntos that 12,770 factories vero subject to varioun Regulations governing silicosis, whereas only 201 factories wore subject to tho Asbestos Regulations* (Horo up-to-doto figures, have not boon published, but thane aro sufficiently indicative, although in both canoe a large numbor of the factories will have beon very small). A comparison of tho avorage ages at death and durations of employment is also not helpful, as tho follow ing table shows $ Fatal casos of.-Slllcoaln and Asbontosla. betVfCCIl,,.1929 ft.l/ftS Ha*_oX Ay.XAa iSLttUtf ti-L Duration of e=ployment in Vl'ft"*! death Longest ghoritaS Ayaragg Silicosis Silicosis with Tuborculosia 1,093 58.3 1,090 53.7 62.0 67.0 1.5 0.7 3*1.2 31.2 Asbestosis Asbestosis with Tuberculosis 171 48.1 76 39*0 48.0 29.0 0.5 0.8 15.6 10.3 It appears, therefore, that this line of enquiry gives us no help. I have looked again at the draft memorandum which Hr. Morling forwarded to you on 6th December, and I have amended pages 3. and 4. and enclose herewith the revised version. I think that, as stated in paragraph 5* of this draft, our case rests on the three points that the Regulations as they now stand are (a) impracticable, (b) unnecessary, and (c) inconsistent with similar Regulations* Cont'd* ... Pointn (a) and (o) re, 2 think. sufficiently established in thio draft memorandum, but the chief difficulty is to establish point (b). The following flpuroo may bo help ful, but 1 am afraid thoy aro not entirely convincing I- Inoidonoc of Asbostonio according to typo of mmUsn_______________________ , Proceeds oubJoat All Othflr iSL liCfJlllLUgng Processes giving ifc.iLttnd V> rise tojuuMatfla Akiti Nunbor of employoos 513 919 Percentage of total omployea 35.9* 64.1* Number of cases of usbostosis loading to r.uaponaion from work Percuntago of total cases 78 78^ 22 22* o It is clear that tho Incidence of asbestosis Is very much less in the processes not governed by Peculations 1, 2 or 5* that is in processes such as flyer spinning, doubling or winding processes* In these pro cesses rio exhaust draught or damping is requirod, but dust is undoubtedly omitted, but in the last 25 years during which we have constantly employed between 500 and 900 people in those processes, there have only been 22 cases of asbestosls, and a number of these were complicated by tuberculosis or other factors* I am having these 22 cases further examined, to see if any more satisfactory argument can be built upon them$ for example, if we could show that there have been no cases at all in certain pro cesses whero we know that a certain amount of dust is o emitted, this, could be used as an argument that there is a minimum level of dust concentration below which asbest os! s does not occur* We need to be able to convince the Cont*d .+ i J# Li Collins. Ebq.i Turner & Nevall Ltd* Cont'iu 3 . . .5 3 52 Chief Inspootor that this minimum is higher than zero* It does not appear that our ututistical evidonco alone is likoly to bo convincing and I am, thoroforo, turning up the medical references* 'Dr. Morovothor will, of courso, bo awaro of tho modicnl facts, and it was fairly door whon ho was horo a few veoks ago thot ho accepts tho fact, that low concentration!! of aobostos dust can bo doalt with by tho lunno without damage) particularly if tho porticle oizo is small. Dr. Knox hno rooontly oodo a survoy by ago of all employees in achodulod processes in this factory and has plckod out all tho canon which arc showing evon slight signs of fibrosis (none of thono cases is severe enough to be runpondablo by tho Pneumoconiosis Board, and many of thorn aro vary slight indood), compared with tho results of tho similar survey mtfdo by Dr. Horewothor in 1930. Inclienee oH-glbr.oaia relative _tfl_longth of employment. Icura liunfrcr EmcMcd Baaiaingj (0-4 Morewothorv 5-9 and (10 - lk f'ic (15 - 19 v (20 and over Totals Corapsrison( 0-9 with (10-14 Rochdale (15 - 19 (20 and over Totals 89 141 84 28 21 MM 1316131 566 120 89 85 860" Saagg of, FlbroalQ Group Incidence Averar.e smhex xgr.s<:iti Am 0o *r . 36 25.5 36=?- 27 32.1 40.4- 15 53.6 43.3 17 80.9 52.7 wmm ' 95 26.2 41.4 0m 8 6.6 53*4 3 3.47 42.3 18 21.1 46.6 29 T3T 47T2 These figures, which have been passed to Dr# Merevether* show that very substantial progress has been made at this factory in the elimination of asbestosis, but ve can hardly claim that they prove that complete Contfd. .. prevention of dust Is not essential In order to eliminate the disease* I am having tho 29 eases analysed by Job, In the same vay as the 22 suspended cases mentioned above, and possibly tho results will show that some scheduled processes are not dangerous at all No doubt you vlll bo speaking to me about the above and porhnpo vo can arrange to moot at some suitable time next vook* I am pretty voli tied up until Wednesday, with tho Board mooting and visits of Board of Trndo officials, but any timo on Thursday would suit mo proforubly tho uftornoon* Alternatively, Wodnooday oftornoon or Friday aftornoon would do, but Friday 1s ruthor close to our visit to London* Yours truly, ^ ^ ii CP-V /%^, fr&fi c hM U<M 4^ ** w o ;o <v I i iIV* II I \ "/ -