History
Of Asbestos Health Effects
Long
Documented History of Asbestos Diseases in Exposed Workers
In the early 1900s, Dr. Hubert Montague Murray at the
Charing Cross Hospital in London reported on lung disease in an asbestos
textile worker. An autopsy confirmed the presence of asbestos fibers in the
worker's lungs.
It was not until 1924, however, that the first case of
asbestosis was reported in a medical journal. Dr. W.E. Cooke performed an
autopsy on a woman who had worked in an asbestos textile factory for 17 years
and died at the age of 33. The examination showed the lung scarring that is
associated with the disease. Within the next few years, several studies
revealed that asbestos workers were dying of lung ailments at young ages.
Documents from the 1930s and 1940s reveal that many
asbestos manufacturers were aware of the serious health issues surrounding
asbestos, but kept the information secret from workers and from the public
(Paul Brodeur's "The Cruel Saga of Asbestos Disease").
During the 1960s, evidence emerged indicating that
asbestos fibers posed a dangerous medical risk. Dr. Irving Selikoff of the
Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City studied the health and
mortality of asbestos insulation workers. He found alarming rates of lung cancer
and asbestosis. The study also confirmed the high rate of premature death among
the insulation workers.
Asbestos
Regulatory History
In response to the mounting evidence linking asbestos
exposure to respiratory disease, the United States federal government began to
regulate asbestos in the 1970s through the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Over the
years, the standards have become stricter. For example, in 1971, the first
permissible exposure limit (PEL) for asbestos under OSHA rules was 12 fibers
per cubic centimeter (f/cc) within an 8-hour period. Later that year, the PEL
was reduced to 5 f/cc and by 1986, it was reduced to 0.2f/cc. Specific
provisions were added to the construction industry standard in 1986 to cover
hazards relating to asbestos abatement and demolition jobs, which had now
become common.
Today, the PEL under both OSHA and the EPA is 0.1 f/cc
for asbestos work in all industries, including construction, shipyards, and
asbestos abatement. OSHA adds, however, that the asbestos PEL is a target
guideline for regulatory purposes only, that it does not establish any level of
"safe" exposure, and that there is still a significant health risk to
workers involved with asbestos. The agency also mandates various work
procedures to limit asbestos exposure such as HEPA filters, special ventilation
systems, glove bags, protective clothing, and respirators.