Dr. Selikoff Talks About the Asbestos Tragedy 1982 Asbestos the way to dusty death

Dr. Selikoff Talks About the Asbestos Tragedy 1982 Asbestos the way to dusty death

Dr. Irving J. Selikoff 1915-1992, a New York physician based at Mount Sinai Hospital, was the leading American medical expert on asbestos-related diseases between the 1960s and early 1990s. In the late 1950s, Dr. Selikoff was practicing general medicine Patterson, New Jersey, when the Asbestos Workers Union asked him to treat its members. He soon noticed that a remarkable number of asbestos workers suffered from mesothelioma, considered to be a rare disease. In 1963, Selikoff published his research showing the link between asbestos and mesothelioma in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Other researchers had suggested this link before, but the scope and thoroughness of Selikoff's study persuaded many people that asbestos had to be restricted. Dr. Selikoff continued to publish and speak out on the dangers of asbestos. His work caused the Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA to establish workplace safety protocols for asbestos for the first time. The asbest