W. H. Soutar to A. L. Fisk Jr. on Illinois Labeling Rules for Asbestos Fiber (1952)

A short memo of March 31, 1952, from W. H. Soutar at Asbestos, Quebec, the home of Canadian Johns-Manville's Jeffrey mine, to A. L. Fisk Jr. at Johns-Manville's headquarters, about a letter Fisk had written to Jack Kelleher on "rules and regulations with reference to labeling asbestos fibre for shipment into the State of Illinois." Soutar suggests the subject "might properly be discussed at one of our Quebec Asbestos Mining Association meetings" and asks for a copy of the Illinois statute. Below it is copied a J-M wire to Fisk of April 17, 1952, about Illinois "rules & regs" on labeling, use, handling and storage of "substances harmful to health & safety" of employees.

What it shows

The memo shows that in 1952 a state labeling rule for substances harmful to workers' health reached J-M's asbestos fiber sales, and that the company's Canadian mining managers thought the question of labels on fiber bags belonged before the industry's trade association. The memo is marked "Noted HMB" and copied to J. O. Eby at Asbestos. The wire at the bottom of the page is cut off in this copy.