Review
"absorbing, horrifying and sovering...[Tweedale] has arranged the mountain of material with great skill to produce a well-documented and very readable account."--The Annals of Occupational Hygiene (UK)
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Product Description
Asbestos was once known as the 'magic mineral' because of its ability to withstand flames. Yet since the 1970s, it has become a notorious and feared 'killer dust' that is responsible for thousands of deaths and an epidemic that continues into the new millennium. This is the first comprehensive account of the UK asbestos health problem, which provides an in-depth look at the occupational health experience of one of the world's leading asbestos companies-British asbestos giant, Turner & Newall. Based on a vast company archive recently released in American litigation, 'Magic Mineral to Killer Dust' gives an unprecedented insight into all aspects of the asbestos hazard - dust control, workmen's compensation, government regulation, and the development of medical knowledge. In particular, it looks at the role of industrialists, doctors, factory inspectors, and trades unionists, highlighting the failures in regulation that allowed the commercial development of a material that was known to be lethal since at least 1900.
About the Author
Geoffrey Tweedale is Reader in the Centre for Business History, Manchester Metropolitan University. From 1983 he worked as a Researcher and Teacher in the History of Business, Technology, and Medicine, and more recently has held the position of Research Fellow at both Manchester and Sheffield universities.
