Knowledge of risks of mesothelioma

It has been known widely since the mid 1960s that that asbestos can cause mesothelioma.

It has been known since the end of the 19th century that asbestos causes lung disease. The risks of asbestos were ignored in industry until the late 1970s, later in some cases. That is why there is now a mesothelioma epidemic.

The knowledge of these risks was not passed down to ordinary workers. Manufacturers, employers and government knew about the risks. The asbestos industry ran a campaign, emphasizing the usefulness and relative safety of asbestos, through an organization called the Asbestosis Research Council. The government departments tasked to protect workers from the dangers of asbestos were, and still are, badly under resourced.

Amosite (brown asbestos) fibres