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Biomedical subjects

David Egilman

Publications and source records attributed to David Egilman.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Attorney-directed screenings can be hazardous.

BACKGROUND: The history of occupational health screenings indicate that they are often necessary to protect the health and interests of workers. However, medical screenings for asbestos and other occupational diseases which are organized and funded by attorneys may result in serious adverse outcomes to those screened. METHODS: We report a case of death that appears to have been heavily influenced by an attorney-initiated and -directed screening program. RESULTS: While well-run medical screening programs are essential to disease detection in workers, attorney-run and corporate screenings can be fraught with ethical and practical problems. Screenings have been used by corporations to identify workers with occupational illness in order to terminate their employment and avoid legal liability. Screenings can also be used to motivate workers to stop smoking and implement workplace controls. However, these screenings must be conducted responsibly. CONCLUSIONS: Although this is only one case it illustrates the gravity and potential danger of attorney-directed screening programs.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Exposing the "myth" of ABC, "anything but chrysotile": a critique of the Canadian asbestos mining industry and McGill University chrysotile studies.

BACKGROUND: Beginning in the 1930s, the Canadian asbestos industry created and advanced the idea that chrysotile asbestos is safer than asbestos of other fiber types. METHODS: We critically evaluate published and unpublished studies funded by the Quebec Asbestos Mining Association (QAMA) and performed by researchers at McGill University. RESULTS: QAMA-funded researchers put forth several myths purporting that Quebec-mined chrysotile was harmless, and contended that the contamination of chrysotile with oils, tremolite, or crocidolite was the source of occupational health risk. In addition, QAMA-funded researchers manipulated data and used unsound sampling and analysis techniques to back up their contention that chrysotile was "essentially innocuous." CONCLUSIONS: These studies were used to promote the marketing and sales of asbestos, and have had a substantial effect on policy and occupational health litigation. Asbestos manufacturing companies and the Canadian government continue to use them to promote the use of asbestos in Europe and in developing countries. Am. J. Ind. Med. 44:540-557, 2003.

Asbestos↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Corporate corruption of science--the case of chromium(VI).

Corporate infiltration of a panel convened to set standards for chromium(VI) in California, buttressed by the engineered production of dubious "scientific" literature advancing industry's goal, succeeded in skewing the panel's decision to protect industry profits rather than public health. This situation demonstrates the insidious and effective influence of industry on the regulatory process.

Advisory Committees↗
PubMedDate not supplied

FIOH-sponsored newsletter misrepresents asbestos hazards in Zimbabwe.

The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) has received support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Office (ILO) to publish the African Newsletter on Occupational Health and Safety. The African Newsletter on Occupational Health and Safety should not be a medium for industry propaganda, or the source of misinformation among the workers of Africa. Instead, FIOH should provide the same level of scientific information in Africa that it does in Finland and other developed countries.

Asbestos↗