The Origin and Development of the Asbestos Threshold Limit Value: Scientific Indifference and Corporate Influence

Authors

David S. Egilman
Alexander A. Reinert, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of LawFollow

Publication Date

10-1995

Journal

International Journal of Health Services

Abstract

Several recent articles have critiqued the process employed by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists in determining Threshold Limit Values. Criticisms have included inadequate data collection, inadequate research, excessive corporate influence, and slow response to informational changes. In this article, the authors address the historical development of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists' asbestos exposure guideline. They demonstrate that the proposed guideline was known to be inadequate when it was first proposed, was severely criticized between 1946 and 1968, but nonetheless was promulgated annually and remained unchanged until 1971.

Volume

25

First Page

667

Publisher

Sage

DOI

https://doi.org/10.2190/EXVJ-RR1P-AYCG-1WH6

Disciplines

Health Services Administration | Health Services Research | Public Health

Recommended Citation

David S. Egilman & Alexander A. Reinert, The Origin and Development of the Asbestos Threshold Limit Value: Scientific Indifference and Corporate Influence, 25 Int. J. Health Serv. 667 (1995).
https://doi.org/10.2190/EXVJ-RR1P-AYCG-1WH6