History of Asbestos and the Law
Asbestos Litigation
1898 DR. H. MONTAGUE MURRAY
Asbestos-related disease was reported in Industry more than 70 years ago. Dr. H. Montague Murray, in 1906 at the Charing Cross Hospital in London testified before a governmental commission inquiry about occupational disability that he had seen a man in 1898 who was very short of breath and had worked in an asbestos factory. The man's lungs at autopsy were badly scarred. It was Dr. Murray's prediction that since the hazards of this exposure were now known, very few similar cases would occur in the future, and there was no need to provide compensation benefits.
1924 DR. COOKE
In 1924, Dr. Cooke in England reported the case of a woman who died of severe lung scarring after having spent 20 years in a textile factory weaving asbestos. Various studies have been conducted over the years concerning the inhalation of asbestos dust and its relationship to asbestosis, increased rates of cancer and mesothelioma.
1940s IRVING J. SELIKOFF
The Union Asbestos and Rubber Company (UNARCO), an asbestos factory in Paterson, New Jersey, was in operation from 1941 through 1954, manufacturing asbestos insulation products for pipes, boilers, turbines, and other industrial uses. Following an initial evaluation of 17 workers who had filed compensation claims in 1951 against this employer, Dr. Irving J. Selikoff, Professor Emeritus of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and a world-renowned expert on asbestos-related diseases, conducted a survey of the 933 men employed in the Paterson, New Jersey asbestos factory from 1941 to 1945. Dr. Selikoff reported that the factory workers suffered from asbestos-related disease in much greater proportion than that could be expected in the general population. Of the 304 deaths that occurred among the 582 men observed from January 1, 1961, to December 31, 1977, cancer of one type or another accounted for 116 deaths (38.2%), and an additional 18 deaths (5.9%) were due to asbestosis.
NEW JERSEY'S LEGACY OF ASBESTOS DISEASE
Even though New Jersey has been the site of many asbestos industries, there appears to be a dramatic under-utilization of the workers' compensation system for recovery. An unfortunate legacy of asbestos-related disease is likely to remain a problem of huge proportions not only for New Jersey's Workers' Compensation System but also for the nation as a whole for many years to come. Asbestos fiber remains prevalent in work environments throughout the nation. Equipment containing asbestos remains in use, and buildings containing asbestos fiber will require maintenance, repair, encapsulation, and/or removal. The long latency periods for asbestos-related disease further complicate estimated projections for the future.
2015 PAUL MACAVOY
Paul MacAvoy of Yale University predicted that excess mortality due to asbestos through 2015 would range from between 154,600 and 450,600. His most probable estimate of death was 265,000. An estimate by the New York Academy of Sciences indicates that the social costs of death and disability flowing from asbestos exposure are estimated at between $39 billion and $74 billion over the next 25 years.
AMENDMENTS TO THE NJ WORKERS' COMPENSATION ACT
Before the amendments of the NJ Workers' Compensation Act of 1944, asbestosis was not a compensable disease. Even the amendments to the Workers' Compensation Act in 1949 kept asbestosis and silicosis separate from the general provisions of the Workers' Compensation Act.
In 1951, the special asbestosis and silicosis section of the Workers' Compensation Act was repealed, and asbestosis was placed in the same status as all other occupational diseases for compensability purposes.
WORKERS' COMPENSATION BENEFITS
Workers' compensation benefits have been awarded to claimants exposed to asbestos and who have suffered asbestos-related disabilities. The courts have recognized asbestos exposure as causing multiple disabilities, and awards have been made for occupational exposure, which has resulted in a "second disease." Even where asbestos exposure can be identified as occurring 50 years earlier in employment, the resultant disease has been recognized as compensable. Even if the employee's widow had knowledge of the asbestos-related disease and its relationship to the employee's disability during his lifetime, in a dependency claim, the Statute of Limitations does not bar a claim in NJ until two (2) years after the date of death of the employee.
Psychological/psychiatric disability for asbestos-related diseases has been considered by the courts in workers' compensation actions. A standard for recognizing disability flowing from what appears to be psychiatric (subjective) complaints have been established so that this type of disability is also judged based on demonstrable objective medical evidence.
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The author, Jon L. Gelman, practices law in Wayne, NJ. He is the author of NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (Thomson-Reuters) and co-author of the national treatise Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (Thomson-Reuters). For over five decades, the Law Offices of Jon L Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have represented injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.
Recommended Citation: Gelman, Jon L., History of Asbestos and the Law, www.gelmans.com (2022),
https://www.gelmans.com/ReadingRoom/tabid/65/ArtMID/1482/ArticleID/914/preview/true/Default.aspx
© 2000-2024 Jon L Gelman. All rights reserved.
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...About Asbestos/Mesothelioma
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Asbestos in renovations and demolitionsThe National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) regulations under the Clean Air Act specify work practices for asbestos to be followed during demolitions and renovations of all structures, installations, and buildings (excluding residential buildings that have four or fewer dwelling units).
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US EPA - Current Best Practices For Preventing Asbestos Exposure Among Brake and Clutch Repair Workers
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US EPA - Protecting Workers from AsbestosWorkers can be exposed to asbestos fibers during activities that disturb asbestos-containing materials including during home or building construction, renovation or demolition.
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Lawsuit Filed By Former Hoffman LaRoche Employee Alleging Asbestos Related Disease
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The Rate of Malignant Mesothelioma is Increasing for Women
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Asbestos Disease Remains a Problem Despite Lower Consumption in the USThe US Geological Survey brings some hope to reducing asbestos disease in the US. Historically, as the production of asbestos fiber lowers, so does the incidence of asbestos-related disease, which is a latent medical condition that takes 10 to 30 years to manifest itself.
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Irving J. Selkoff M.D. 1993 VIdeo Asbestos Workers International UnionDr. Irving J. Selikoff was a remarkable physician and scientist who contributed to knowledge in several areas of medicine, including asbestos-related disease and helped in the worldwide struggle to prevent exposure to asbestos, Dr. Selikoff helped train a generation of occupational physicians who now work around the world. He spent most of his career at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. For more about Dr Selikoff and his work, go to the website of the The Collegium Ramazzini ( https://
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National Cancer Institute - Malignant Mesothelioma ResourcesMalignant mesothelioma is a cancer of the thin tissue (mesothelium) that lines the lung, chest wall, and abdomen. The major risk factor for mesothelioma is asbestos exposure. Explore the links on this page to learn more about malignant mesothelioma treatment and clinical trials.
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OUTRAGEOUS MISCONDUCT The Asbestos Industry on Trial. By Paul Brodeur. 374 pp. New York: Pantheon Books. $19.95.Mr. Brodeur's more general conclusion is that lawsuits, with their threat of large punitive judgments, are indispensable for gaining reasonable compensation for victims and protecting workers in the future. He makes a convincing case that it was only through litigation - led by the colorful lawyers who doggedly pursued the early cases and are the heroes of this book - that the sins of asbestos companies were unearthed. He also shows how alternatives like worker compensation programs often re
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Asbestos, the saver of lives, has a deadly side NYTimes Jan 23, 1973Shipyard work attracted about 4.5‐million Americans into its ranks at one time or another during World War II, and an estimated 3.25‐million of those people are still alive. If they think about the experience at all these days it is probably to again remind themselves with satisfaction that things could have been worse. Whether they went into the work simply for a paycheck, or as a kind of emancipation (at some shipyards nearly one–third of the workers were women), or as an alternative to the mi
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Dr. Yasunosuke Suzuki, A Pioneer of Mesothelioma Medical ResearchI am saddened to report the passing of Dr. Yasunosuke Suzuki. Dr. Suzuki partnered with the late, Irving J. Selikoff MD at Environmental Sciences Laboratory (ESL) of The Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, and conducted some of the most famous and pioneering scientific research linking asbestos exposure with mesothelioma. Dr. Suzuki passed away on August 8, 2011 at the age of 82.
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Cancer Risk Passes to Kin of Asbestos WorkersUnto the second generation, deadly asbestos fibers are now destroying the lungs of children of Paterson area asbestos workers of the 1940s, most of whom already have succumbed or are totally incapacitated from lung cancers and related diseases.
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https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/epdf/10.2105/AJPH.81.6.791To gain insight into corporate activities regarding the identification of occupational carcinogens earlier in this century, the actions of one industry, the asbestos industry, were reviewed. This industry, in concert with many of its insurers, systematically developed and then suppressed information on the carcinogenicity of asbestos. The development of warnings for those exposed to the asbestos was delayed. As a result, millions of workers were exposed to the carcinogen and hundreds of thousand
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