Irving Selikoff
Encyclopedia
Dr. Irving J. Selikoff was a medical researcher who in the 1960s established a link between the inhalation of asbestos particles and lung-related ailments. His work is largely responsible for the regulation of asbestos today. He also co-discovered a cure for tuberculosis
.
-related diseases among industrial workers. He found that workers exposed to asbestos often had scarred lung tissue 30 years after exposure. His research is credited with having pressured the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
to limit workplace exposure to asbestos.
In the 1950s, Selikoff had opened a general-medicine practice called the Paterson Clinic in Paterson, NJ. A few years later, the Asbestos Workers Union asked him to add their membership to his practice. He agreed, and business picked up noticeably. In a few years, however, Selikoff noticed surprising events; several new cases of mesothelioma
were diagnosed in a year—the expected incidence was about 5/100,000. (The new cohort (asbestos workers) were still a small fraction of the clinic's patient list, but this small group faced grave and novel risks.)
This anomaly led Selikoff into an examination of the relation between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma. He became aware of hundreds of articles previously published on this issue. He engaged in additional studies of groups of asbestos workers, in particular shipyard workers including those at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. By 1965, he had conducted various studies, published several articles, conducted special scientific symposia, and been interviewed by the New York Times. Each of these raised public awareness of the issue, which had been known to the occupational health community but which had not yet reached widespread public awareness. One of the most well-known and important was the international conference on the "Biological Effects of Asbestos" under the auspices of the renowned New York Academy of Sciences. The results of these presentations were publiced in Volume 132 of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences published in 1965.
For many years, Selikoff was director of the Environmental and Occupational Health Division of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York
. After his death, it was renamed the "Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine". He has received awards from the American Public Health Association
, the New York Academy of Sciences
, and the American Cancer Society
. He was also awarded the Albert Lasker Award
for Clinical Medical Research in 1955. In 1982 he co-founded the Collegium Ramazzini along with Cesare Maltoni and other scientists.
.
It instituted the Irving J. Selikoff Award and Lecture in 1993. The award is given periodically to a scientist or humanist whose studies and achievements have contributed to the protection of workers' health and the environment.
The award has been bestowed 4 times
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
.
Occupational Safety and Health
In the 1960s Selikoff documented asbestosAsbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
-related diseases among industrial workers. He found that workers exposed to asbestos often had scarred lung tissue 30 years after exposure. His research is credited with having pressured the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by Congress of the United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by President Richard M. Nixon, on December 29, 1970...
to limit workplace exposure to asbestos.
In the 1950s, Selikoff had opened a general-medicine practice called the Paterson Clinic in Paterson, NJ. A few years later, the Asbestos Workers Union asked him to add their membership to his practice. He agreed, and business picked up noticeably. In a few years, however, Selikoff noticed surprising events; several new cases of mesothelioma
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma, more precisely malignant mesothelioma, is a rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining that covers many of the body's internal organs, the mesothelium...
were diagnosed in a year—the expected incidence was about 5/100,000. (The new cohort (asbestos workers) were still a small fraction of the clinic's patient list, but this small group faced grave and novel risks.)
This anomaly led Selikoff into an examination of the relation between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma. He became aware of hundreds of articles previously published on this issue. He engaged in additional studies of groups of asbestos workers, in particular shipyard workers including those at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. By 1965, he had conducted various studies, published several articles, conducted special scientific symposia, and been interviewed by the New York Times. Each of these raised public awareness of the issue, which had been known to the occupational health community but which had not yet reached widespread public awareness. One of the most well-known and important was the international conference on the "Biological Effects of Asbestos" under the auspices of the renowned New York Academy of Sciences. The results of these presentations were publiced in Volume 132 of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences published in 1965.
For many years, Selikoff was director of the Environmental and Occupational Health Division of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. In 2011-2012, Mount Sinai Hospital was ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.S...
. After his death, it was renamed the "Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine". He has received awards from the American Public Health Association
American Public Health Association
The American Public Health Association is Washington, D.C.-based professional organization for public health professionals in the United States. Founded in 1872 by Dr. Stephen Smith, APHA has more than 30,000 members worldwide...
, the New York Academy of Sciences
New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
, and the American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
. He was also awarded the Albert Lasker Award
Lasker Award
The Lasker Awards have been awarded annually since 1946 to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science or who have performed public service on behalf of medicine. They are administered by the Lasker Foundation, founded by advertising pioneer Albert Lasker and his wife Mary...
for Clinical Medical Research in 1955. In 1982 he co-founded the Collegium Ramazzini along with Cesare Maltoni and other scientists.
Collegium Ramazzini
The Collegium Ramazzini has 180 members from more than 30 countries, internationally renowned experts in the fields of occupational and environmental health. It was named after Bernardino RamazziniBernardino Ramazzini
Bernardino Ramazzini was an Italian physician.Ramazzini was an early proponent of the use of cinchona bark in the treatment of Malaria...
.
It instituted the Irving J. Selikoff Award and Lecture in 1993. The award is given periodically to a scientist or humanist whose studies and achievements have contributed to the protection of workers' health and the environment.
The award has been bestowed 4 times
- 1995 - Professor Cesare Maltoni
- 2006 - Professor Yasunosuke Suzuki
- 2007 - Dr. Morando Soffritti
- 2008 - Dr. Philip J. LandriganPhilip J. LandriganPhilip J. Landrigan, M.D., M.Sc., is an American epidemiologist and pediatrician and one of the world's leading advocates of children's health....
- 2009 - Dr. Stephen M. Levin
Death
Selikoff continued to research the effects of asbestos up to the age of 75. He died May 20, 1992, at the age of 77.External links
- Safety and Health Hall of Fame International
- Mount Sinai Medical Center(discusses current activities of an institution renamed in honor of Dr. Selikoff)