Egilman David, Bird Tess, Lee Caroline
Int J Occup Environ Health. 2014 Apr-Jun;20(2):115-25. doi: 10.1179/1077352514Z.000000000104. Epub 2014 Mar 4.
The dust diseases silicosis and asbestosis were the first occupational diseases to have widespread impact on workers. Knowledge that asbestos and silica were hazardous to health became public several decades after the industry knew of the health concerns. This delay was largely influenced by the interests of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) and other asbestos mining and product manufacturing companies.
To understand the ongoing corporate influence on the science and politics of asbestos and silica exposure, including litigation defense strategies related to historical manipulation of science.
We examined previously secret corporate documents, depositions and trial testimony produced in litigation; as well as published literature.
Our analysis indicates that companies that used and produced asbestos have continued and intensified their efforts to alter the asbestos-cancer literature and utilize dust-exposure standards to avoid liability and regulation. Organizations of asbestos product manufacturers delayed the reduction of permissible asbestos exposures by covering up the link between asbestos and cancer. Once the decline of the asbestos industry in the US became inevitable, the companies and their lawyers designed the state of the art (SOA) defense to protect themselves in litigation and to maintain sales to developing countries.
Asbestos product companies would like the public to believe that there was a legitimate debate surrounding the dangers of asbestos during the twentieth century, particularly regarding the link to cancer, which delayed adequate regulation. The asbestos-cancer link was not a legitimate contestation of science; rather the companies directly manipulated the scientific literature. There is evidence that industry manipulation of scientific literature remains a continuing problem today, resulting in inadequate regulation and compensation and perpetuating otherwise preventable worker and consumer injuries and deaths.
尘肺病中的矽肺病和石棉沉着病是最早对工人产生广泛影响的职业病。在该行业知晓健康隐患几十年后，石棉和二氧化硅对健康有害这一认知才公之于众。这种延迟在很大程度上受到大都会人寿保险公司（MetLife）以及其他石棉开采和产品制造公司利益的影响。
了解企业对石棉和二氧化硅暴露的科学及政治方面持续存在的影响，包括与科学历史操纵相关的诉讼辩护策略。
我们审查了诉讼中产生的先前保密的公司文件、证词和庭审证言，以及已发表的文献。
我们的分析表明，使用和生产石棉的公司一直在持续并加大力度改变有关石棉与癌症的文献，并利用粉尘暴露标准来避免责任和监管。石棉产品制造商组织通过掩盖石棉与癌症之间的联系，推迟了可允许石棉暴露量的降低。一旦美国石棉行业的衰落变得不可避免，这些公司及其律师设计了最先进技术（SOA）辩护策略，以便在诉讼中保护自己，并维持对发展中国家的销售。
石棉产品公司希望公众相信，在20世纪围绕石棉的危害存在合理的辩论，尤其是关于与癌症的联系，这导致了监管不足。石棉与癌症的联系并非对科学的合理争议；相反，这些公司直接操纵了科学文献。有证据表明，如今行业对科学文献的操纵仍是一个持续存在的问题，导致监管不足和赔偿不力，并使原本可预防的工人和消费者伤亡持续存在。
