Asbestos and cancer: history and public policy

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos and cancer: history and public policy, by W.K. Morgan (British Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1992).

The study

• Author: W.K. Morgan
• Journal: British Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Published: 1992;49(6):451
• Type of article: Comment, Historical article, Letter
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy (J-M no. 004139).

In plain English

This item was not a research study. It was a letter to the editor responding to an earlier letter by Weller (1992;49:70-2) on the history of asbestos and cancer, which the author argued contained many errors. The author questioned whether, in 1950, 30 to 40 published cases of asbestosis together with lung cancer should have been taken to show cause and effect. The author wrote that the link between crocidolite and mesothelioma came to light with a 1960 paper by Wagner and colleagues, and that it was uncertain whether amosite was similarly carcinogenic. The author stated that the 5 m/p/cft dust limit was based on the 1938 Dreessen report, and that dust measurement from 1930 to 1960 counted particles without separating fibres. The author also stated that the United States government had never accepted blame for asbestosis contracted in United States naval shipyards. The author concluded by urging Weller to read the papers Weller had cited. The letter presented no new data.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: letter to the editor (correspondence) replying to an earlier letter; not a research study
• Main results:
  • The author questioned whether, in 1950, 30 to 40 published cases of asbestosis together with lung cancer should have been taken to show a cause and effect relation.
  • The author wrote that the association between crocidolite exposure and mesothelioma did not come to light until the paper by Wagner et al in 1960.
  • The author wrote that it was uncertain whether amosite was similarly carcinogenic.
  • The author noted that Wood and Gloyne's 1934 publication described 21 cases of active tuberculosis in 100 subjects with asbestosis, and that further studies showed tuberculosis and asbestosis were unrelated.
  • The author stated that Dreessen et al (1938) did not recommend elimination of hazardous exposure, and that it became apparent only from 1965 onward that their view on the 5 m/p/cft level was incorrect.
  • The author stated that the 5 m/p/cft threshold limit value (TLV) was based on the Dreessen report.
  • The author stated that dust measurement methods between 1930 and 1960 counted particles and did not separate fibres from other particles.
  • The author stated that the asbestos regulations were not amended to 2 m/p/cft until 1970.
  • The author stated that the United States government had never accepted blame for asbestosis contracted in United States naval shipyards.
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that it would help all concerned if Weller read the papers Weller had cited.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Asbestosis, Lung cancer.

Related studies

• Asbestos and cancer: history and public policy — M.P. Weller (1993)
• Asbestos and cancer: history and public policy — J.C. Kelso (1992)
• Asbestos and cancer: history and public policy — M.P. Weller (1992)
• Asbestos and cancer: history and public policy — B.I. Castleman (1991)
• Asbestos and cancer: history and public policy — M. Greenberg (1993)
• Asbestos: scientific developments and implications for public policy — B.T. Mossman, J. Bignon, et al. (1990)

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