Dr. Irving J. Selikoff, the fight to Protect Workers and the Asbestos Industry’s Fight against Workers

Imagine a time before the U.S. EPA, before OSHA and before industrial hygienists were organized in attempting to protect American workers.  During that time, Irving J. Selikoff was a crusader on a mission to save workers from 100% preventable asbestos-related occupational diseases like asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer.

In those days, the asbestos industry employed a “state of the art” defense to defend against cases where workers alleged their mesothelioma, asbestosis or lung cancer was caused by exposure to asbestos-related products.  This “state of the art” defense was, in a nutshell, that they did not and could not have known about asbestos hazards. 

So in 1964 and 1965 Selikoff did what only a member of the scientific community could do: organized a symposium dedicated to protecting workers against asbestos diseases by publishing peer-reviewed articles stating the dangers of asbestos exposure and related diseases.  This conference was on the “Biological Effects of Asbestos” and the presentations were published in 1965’s volume 132 of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.  

Though any asbestos company who cared to know about asbestos hazards could have learned from the English 1890s publications of the Queen’s Inspectorate done on the workers dying in the Turner & Newall asbestos factories or even the 1940s publications 

What did the asbestos industry do in response?  The industry went to war against Dr. Selikoff.  The asbestos industry tape-recorded his presentations, made verbatim transcripts, hired a doctor to analyze the transcripts and provide any potential refutations, stating: 

As is still true today, often times the industry has the best ability to monitor health hazards in people exposed to various levels of a toxic pollutant—such as asbestos, benzene, diacetyl, etc.—in regularly exposed people.  They have the records, the data, the facts.  Therefore what is publically known often pales in comparison to what a company is forced to produce in litigation.

In the 1980s, the time had come when the asbestos industry did not produce important information publically.  Therefore, Dr. Selikoff knew that in order to gain valuable information it had to come from lawyers who sued these companies.  Larry Madeksho was one such lawyer who shared information with Dr. Selikoff:

The communication continued and the legal system in litigation against asbestos companies brought to light the dangers of asbestos over time.

At a time where there is serious, well founded doubt about the U.S. Justice System, it has nonetheless done tremendous good for American people.  Unfortunately, Dr. Selikoff passed away on May 20, 1992 at the age of 77.  We remember him and honor his legacy by fighting for human safety over corporate profit motive.