Anti-Asbestos Crusader, Dr. Irving Selikoff
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Anti-Asbestos Crusader, Dr. Irving Selikoff

ByAlex Strauss

From the 1960’s to the early 90’s, Dr. Irving J. Selikoff was both renowned for his pioneering research on the dangers of asbestos, and reviled for allegedly making exaggerated claims against the asbestos industry. In their recent article, “Science is Not Sufficient: Irving J. Selikoff and the Asbestos Tragedy,” Jock McCulloch and Geoffrey Tweedale revisit Dr. Selikoff’s life, illustrating how his landmark research helped shed light on a public health tragedy. McCulloch and Tweedale, both historians with a long-term interest in the asbestos industry, decided to spotlight the late asbestos researcher because, “Nothing of any value had been written about Dr. Selikoff, despite his importance in changing public attitudes in the U.S. toward asbestos,” according to Dr. McCulloch. Their article…

Asbestos a Deadly Carcinogen
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Asbestos a Deadly Carcinogen

ByAlex Strauss

Asbestos can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. Yet, companies that manufatured and used asbestos hid the truth about this carcinogen from the public and their own employees. The result of this shameful behavior is that thousands of healthy people of all ages have become stricken with debilitating and deadly diseases that could have been avoided. For example in the early 1940’s, the president of a major asbestos manufacturing company said that the managers of another company were “a bunch of fools for notifying employees who had asbestosis.” When one of the people in attendance asked, “Do you mean to tell me you would let them work until they drop dead?” According to deposition testimony, the response was, “Yes. We save…