Rom 2001

"Rom 2001" refers to a peer-reviewed publication by Dr. William N. Rom and colleagues in 2001 examining asbestos-related disease in workers and the relationship between cumulative exposure and the development of malignancies such as mesothelioma and lung cancer. It is one of a series of contributions from Rom, a pulmonologist and occupational medicine expert at NYU, that informs how scientists and courts evaluate exposure and causation in asbestos cases. The citation is commonly invoked by experts when discussing low-dose exposure, dose-response, and the lack of a demonstrated safe threshold for asbestos.

Origin

William N. Rom, M.D., M.P.H., a longtime occupational and environmental medicine researcher at NYU School of Medicine, has authored and edited numerous works on asbestos disease, including the influential textbook Environmental and Occupational Medicine. "Rom 2001" is shorthand used by causation experts to cite his 2001-era publications that synthesize epidemiologic and clinical evidence on asbestos carcinogenicity.

Significance in Asbestos Context

For patients, Rom's work is part of the scientific foundation experts rely on to testify that even relatively low cumulative asbestos exposures can contribute to causing mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer. Plaintiff experts often cite Rom alongside Helsinki Criteria and IARC reviews to support the position that there is no established safe level of asbestos exposure and that each significant exposure contributes to overall risk. Defense experts may contest the application of his conclusions to specific low-dose scenarios, so understanding which Rom publication is being cited, and for what proposition, matters in expert reports and depositions.

Example Sentence

The plaintiff's pulmonology expert cited Rom 2001 in support of the opinion that the decedent's cumulative occupational exposures, even if individually modest, contributed substantially to his peritoneal mesothelioma.

Related Terms

Helsinki Criteria, Cumulative Exposure, Dose-Response, No Safe Level, Substantial Contributing Factor, IARC Monograph

Notes

• Ask your legal team which specific Rom publication is being relied on by your expert. The year alone is shorthand and the exact article matters for cross-examination.
• If you are gathering occupational history, preserve detailed records of job duties, products, and durations; Rom-based opinions depend on a credible cumulative exposure reconstruction.
• Watch for defense experts arguing that Rom's data come from higher-exposure cohorts and do not apply to your exposure profile; your expert should be prepared to address that critique.
• Rom's textbook Environmental and Occupational Medicine is a standard reference cited in many asbestos cases and can be requested through a medical library if you want to review the source material.