Asbestos was first used in bulk in the late 1890's. Because of its many properties (strength, pliability, heat resistance, etc... ) asbestos became a widely used manufacturing product in homes and building across the country. Thus, exposing numerous workers to high levels of asbestos dust. Because of the long latency period between exposure of the dust to the development of the disease, it was not until around 1910 that many workers began getting sick due to their exposure years earlier.
Eight years later (1918) Prudential life Insurance indicates that they will no longer cover workers exposed to asbestos under their life insurance policies. It is noted at this time that the company was making an actuarial decision based on the "health injurious conditions of the asbestos industry."
In the late 1920's Johns-Manville (one of the largest manufacturers of asbestos at the time) begins undertaking studies of its workers to determine the detrimental effect of asbestos on its work force. In 1930, Johns-Manville concludes that asbestos is harming and killing many of its workers that have been exposed. Sadly, the report is made for internal use only and is not shared with the asbestos workers, the United States government or citizens as a whole. Shortly following this study, the U.S. bureau of Mines sends a letter to another manufacturer (Eagle-Picher) stating that "it is now known that asbestos dust is one of the most dangerous dusts to which man is exposed."
In 1933 it is reported that 29% of workers at the Johns-Manville plant have scarring of the lung tissue due to prolonged exposure to asbestos. This condition comes to be known as asbestosis.
Despite knowledge of the dangerous conditions of asbestos, a year later representatives of the asbestos manufacturing company at both Johns-Manville and Raybestos-Manhattan actually edit an article written by Metropolitan Life where they completely minimize the dangers of asbestos dust. They further instruct editors at Asbestos magazine to publish nothing about asbestosis.
In 1943 the president of Johns-Manville says that managers and representatives of another company were foolish for notifying employees of the dangers of asbestos. A manager questioning this statement blunting asked "do you mean to tell me you would let them work until they dropped dead?" to which the president replied, "Yes. We save a lot of money that way."
In 1951 asbestos companies (having control over both the studies and the printing of asbestos related studies) remove all references to cancer before allowing the publication of the research they are sponsoring. A year later a medical director at Johns-Manville attempts to make the company place a warning label on all of its products to reduce the risk of disease in workers. His efforts are resisted by the company and are unsuccessful.
In 1964 a Dr. Selikoff publishes an article pertaining to a study of asbestos on exposed workers. The article reports an abnormally high incidence of both asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.
1971 OSHA issues its first asbestos exposure standard. This is followed a couple of years later by the EPA banning spray-on asbestos because of the potential for air pollution.
In 1977, almost 90 years after asbestos was widely introduced into the U.S., lawyers begin representing clients against negligent manufacturers of asbestos. These lawyers are able to show that the industry willfully and wantonly withheld and suppressed information that led to the exposure of thousands of workers.
In 1978, the first bill to limit these companies liability is introduced into congress. It would be one of many bills pushed by big business in an effort to escape the almost century long deception and corporate homicide that had taken place. side note: * These efforts are still very much alive today and have been spearheaded most recently by Senator Specter at the request of corporate giants attempting to buy their way into congress. Later that year a judge rules that the industry was guilty of consciously attempting to suppress information to employees about the dangers of asbestos. A year later, plans are initiated to ban asbestos in all its uses by the EPA.
Present time, many workers who have been exposed to asbestos as far back as World War II are only now beginning to develop cancer as a result. The average latency period is typically 30-50 years. The reprehensible decision of these companies, which put profits over people, is still affecting thousands of families each year. In fact, 2000-3000 people this year will be diagnosed with mesothelioma as a result of this willful negligence. Thousands more will be afflicted with lung cancer and asbestosis.
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