Document wgYJrMyDnoVb829QoKQZbzVEJ

Letter from S.A. Williams, Vice President Waukegan, to Fisher, Mgr. Manville factory with Questions Asked Dr. A.J. Lanza and his Answers Verbatim, August 29, 1933 "Question No. 2. Do you agree with my recommendation that employees definitely be made aware of the fact that asbestos dust is hazardous to their health? My idea is that a poster be placed at one or more conspicuous places in the department signed by the physician, stating that the dust is injurious, advising the continuous use of respirators while at work and cleansing of hands before eating lunch and after work." "Answer: ...I doubt if the hazard is sufficient to justify warning posters as might be used where lead, benzol or carbon monoxide are concerned. This is especially true in view of the extraordinary legal situation. If anything is said at all, it would be better to make a general statement that the Company is taking steps to control the amount of dust in the air for general health purposes." "Question 5: I have made a diagnosis of asbestosis on an employee who has been working in the card room of the textile department six years. This place is extremely dusty. He is not disabled. In my judgment the best disposition of such a case is to remove him from the dust and give him a job in some other part of the plant." "Answer: It is difficult to answer this question. I think it would depend upon the man's age, the nature of his work, his length of service, and other considerations which might have some bearing. If he is well along in years and shows no disability, it may be just as well to leave him alone. One of the difficulties and vexations in trying to deal with the problems of pneumoconiosis is that economic as well as production factors must be balanced against the medical factors." Letter from S.A. Williams, Vice President Waukegan, to Fisher, Mgr. Manville factory with Questions Asked Dr. A.J. Lanza and his Answers Verbatim, August 29,1933 "Question No. 2. Do you agree with my recommendation that employees definitely be made aware of the fact that asbestos dust is hazardous to their health? My idea is that a poster be placed at one or more conspicuous places in the department signed by the physician, stating that the dust is injurious, advising the continuous use of respirators while at work and cleansing of hands before eating lunch and after work." "Answer: ...I doubt if the hazard is sufficient to justify warning posters as might be used where lead, benzol or carbon monoxide are concerned. This is especially true in view of the extraordinary legal situation. If anything is said at all, it would be better to make a general statement that the Company is taking steps to control the amount of dust in the air for general health purposes." "Question 5: I have made a diagnosis of asbestosis on an employee who has been working in the card room of the textile department six years. This place is extremely dusty. He is not disabled. In my judgment the best disposition of such a case is to remove him from the dust and give him a job in some other part of the plant." "Answer: It is difficult to answer this question. I think it would depend upon the man's age, the nature of his work, his length of service, and other considerations which might have some bearing. If he is well along in years and shows no disability, it may be just as well to leave him alone. One of the difficulties and vexations in trying to deal with the problems of pneumoconiosis is that economic as well as production factors must be balanced against the medical factors." COMPENSATION MOTIVE T Keep the workers in the dark to avoid claims. Waukegan memo: letter from S.A. Williams, Vice President Waukegan, to Fisher, Mgr. Manville factory (8/29/33). "Question No. 2. Do you agree with my recommendation that employees definitely be made aware of the fact that asbestos dust is hazardous to their health? My idea is that a poster be placed at one or more conspicuous places in the department signed by the physician, stating that the dust is injurious, advising the continuous use of respirators while at work and cleansing of hands before eating lunch and after work." "Answer: ...I doubt if the hazard is sufficient to justify warning posters as might be used where lead, benzol or carbon monoxide are concerned. This is especially true in view of the extraordinary legal situation. If anything is said at all, it would be better to make a general statement that the Company is taking steps to control the amount of dust in the air for general health purposes." "Question 5: I have made a diagnosis of asbestosis on an employee who has been working in the card room of the textile department six years. This place is extremely dusty. He is not disabled. In my judgment (sic) the best disposition of such a case is to remove him from the dust and give him a job in some other part of the plant." "Answer: It is difficult to answer this question. I think it would depend upon the man's age, the nature of his work, his length of service, and other considerations which might have some bearing. If he is well along in years and shows no disability, it may be just as well to leave him alone. One of the difficulties and vexations in trying to deal with the problems of pneumoconiosis is that economic as well as production factors must be balanced against the medical factors." 72 i l General Headquarters, August 29, 1933. Personal & Confidential Mr. A. R. Fisher, Manager, Manville Factory QUESTIONS ASKED CR. A. J. LANZA AND HIS ANSWERS VERBATUM Attached is ccpy made by Mr. Kottcanp's office of questions asked Dr. A. J. Lanza by our local physician at Waukegan and his answers; also the recaimendations by our plant physician. I would like to have you turn this over to someone who could review this correspondence and then go over it yourself and write me your opinion of it. ' cc - Mr. J. P. Kottcanp Waukegan Factory S. A. WTIIJAtg, Vice President 1 QUESTIONS ASKED ER. A. J. LANZA AND HIS ANSWERS VEEBA1UM Question No.l. ' Among eleven employees in the Textile department, all exposed to asbestos dust, one only wears a respirator, several on being questioned claim they cannot wear them continuously especially in hot weather. Should all employees be forced to wear these respirators whether subjected to much or little asbestos dust? Is any such difficulty experienced at the Manville N.J. J-M plant or ether places of which you have knowledge? Answer: Respirators are not satisfactory. It is possible to construct a respirator which will filter out fine dust, but it would offer so noth re sistance to respiration that it could not be worn continuously an an eight hour shift. There are on the market snail face mask respirators which acre equipped with positive pressure and these are both satisfactory, efficient, nd comfortable but they cannot be worn except by a person who stands in one fcclaoe as they have to be hooked up with a rubber tube to an air line. I rdoubt if they would be practical in a textile plant. Questions No.2. .. Do you agree with ny reaarraendation that employees definitely be made aware of the fact that asbestos dust is hazardous to their health? My idea is that a poster be placed at one or more conspicuous places in the de partment, signed by the physician, stating that the dust is injurious, ad vising the continuous use of respirators while at work and cleansing of hands before eating lunch and after work. Your rnmmip on this please and particularly is there any addi tional advice that should be given? ' Answer: This is partially answered by No.l. I doubt if the hazard is sufficient to justify warning posters as might be used where lead, benzol or carbon monoxide are concerned. This is especially true in view of the extraordinary legal situation. If anything is sard at all, it would be better to make a general statement that the Company is taking steps to control the amount of dust in the air for general health purposes. Any action contem plated at Waukegan would probably be influenced by the experience at other '.ants of the Ctzrpany. -2 Question No.3. Do you regard the finding of asbestosis bodies in the sputum as pathogenesis of asbestosis? I have one employee with x-ray and physical findings pointing toward asbestos is but not sufficiently definite that I can be positive as to whether or not she has asbestos is. However, every one of four or five speci mens of sputum examined shew typical asbestos is bodies. On the other hard, is it possible for a person to have asbestos is and not be able, with careful and thorough searedi to find a^btxrfryb <; bodies in the sputum? Answer: The presence of asbestos bodies in the sputum cnly inplies that the individual has been exposed to asbestos dust. I am not certain of the exact pathological significance. My impression is that the presence of asbestos bodies in the sputum indicate same definite lung pathology. I be lieve it is quite possible for an individual to have asbestosis without asbestos bodies in the sputum. Question No.4. Are you of the opinion that the added information derived frexn stereoscopic filns of the-chest justified the procedure of taking a stereo on every case that is to be x-rayed? This is the conclusion I drew from Dr. Pancost's talk in Chicago. Do you consider it advisable and practical that an x-ray film be taken of every enplcyee in the Waukegan J.M plant who is exposed to asbestos or silica dust? TP date I have x-rayed cnly those cases suspected, fran history or physical findings, of having asbestosis of other lung pathology. Answer: Stereoscopic films are better than single films. They are also more expensive. In our work. at the Picher Clinic, we used single films sirrply an account of the expense involved. You can diagnose silicosis or any ocher form of pneumoconiosis from a single flat film. Cn the other hand, you can probably get a more carplete and accurate idea of the exact condition of any given case firm a stereo. If it is the intention to determine what may be the* extent of pneumoconiosis among enployees, obviously the cnly thing to do is to x-ray all of than and then correlate your findings with the length of exposure and Tature of the job in order that you nay get a fairly accurate idea of what ^ the hazard is. ' Question No.5. I I have nade a diagnosis of asbestosis cn an employee who has been working in the card roan of the textile department six years, mis place is extremely dusty. He is not disabled. In my judgment the best disposi tion of such a case is to remove him fran the dust and give him a job in sane other part of the plant. Fran your remarks in Chicago I believe this was your advise as to the disposition of such cases. Answer: It is difficult to answer this question. I think it would depend upon the man's age, the nature of his work, his length of service, and other considerations which might have sane bearing. If he is well along in years and shows no disability, it may be just as well to leave him alone. One of the difficulties and vexations in trying to deal with the problems of pneumoconiosis is that economic as well as production factors must be balanced against the medical factors. Question No.6. . We have what seems to be an unfortunate situation existing in the fact that the textile department including loams, twisters, pools, etc. occupies one side or about half the width of a long building, the other side of which is occupied by the packing, brake lining and other departments in which there is very little dust. The card room, or most dusty part of the textile department is isolated by partition. Further isolation of the textile department involves considerable expense. Should or would you be guided by the dust counts and other' observations in these adjoining departments? Answer: . I think the answer to the situation outlined in this question is the control of dust in those processes that cause it. Wien everything possible has been dor- to aooaiplish this result, it may then be necessary to isolate or confine the dusty processes so as to avoid needless exposure of other employees not concerned in these processes. This is a situation that occurs in many different types of industrial hazard. It calls for nothing more than the application of camcn sense to the problem.