How Major Companies Covered Up Asbestos Related Diseases In The Early 20th Century - A Short History

Asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma are life threatening diseases. In most instances the victim of these diseases will die within ten to fourteen months after being diagnosed with an asbestos related disease.

Mesothelioma and asbestosis are caused by being exposed to and then inhaling or ingesting asbestos particles or fibers. Since the early 1800s, although companies that were involved in the mining, manufacture, or use of asbestos and products that contain asbestos knew that they were exposing their employees to these life threatening diseases, they covered up this knowledge. And, in many cases, when queried, these companies stated the exact opposite.

Here is an abbreviated history of what these companies knew and what they covered up between 1918 and 1938. Their denial of the health risks associated with asbestos exposure ultimately gave a death sentence to many of the people who worked for them.

1918 - Medical statistician Frederick Hoffman, an employee of the Prudential Life Insurance Company, reported that life insurance companies in the United States usually denied coverage to asbestos workers because of the "assumed health-injurious conditions of the industry." You can find his report in a United States Department of Labor Bulletin.

1922 - A statistician for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Louis Dublin, wrote that asbestos employees are at risk of injury to their lungs.

1930 - Johns-Manville, a major asbestos company, produced an internal company report that detailed the medical injuries and fatalities suffered by asbestos workers.

1932 - The United States Bureau of Mines sent a letter to Eagle-Picher, an asbestos manufacturer, stating that "It is now known that asbestos dust is one of the most dangerous dusts to which man is exposed."

1933 - Doctors from the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company discovered that 29% of all of the employees of one of the Johns-Manville plants suffered from asbestosis.

1933 - Johns-Manville settled lawsuits filed by eleven of its employees with the proviso that the employee's attorney would agree that he would not bring any new lawsuits against Johns-Manville.

1934 - Raybestos Manhattan and Johns-Manville rewrote an article written by a Metropolitan Life Insurance Company doctor that was related to the diseases acquired by asbestos workers. The rewrite attempted to minimize the dangers related to asbestos dust.

1935 - The editor of Asbestos Magazine was instructed by Raybestos Manhattan and Johns-Manville not to publish anything that is related to asbestosis.

1936 - Although a group of companies in the asbestos industry reached an agreement to sponsor research about the health effects related to asbestos dust, they required that they also have complete control over any disclosure of the results of the research.

1937 - The Chief Safety Inspector for the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, Roy Bonsib, documented asbestos related illnesses. He also analyzed the potential of creating asbestos dust when asbestos insulation was installed and removed.

1937 - 1938 - The Industrial Hygiene Foundation published two articles in the Industrial Hygiene Digest related to asbestos workers who acquired industrial types of cancers.

If you or someone you love has an asbestos related disease don't you think that you should hold the company responsible for the disease accountable for their actions?


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To find an experienced mesothelioma attorney go to http://www.mesorc.com/mesothelioma-lawsuits/legal/rights

Wendy Moyer on behalf of Sokolove Law.