Document xj0QEpxB4zRR6Vo5M7xmkzx7m
FILE NAME: Newspaper & Magazine Articles (NMA) DATE: 1947 Mar 15 DOC#: NMA026 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Newspaper Article - The Tragic Toll of Asbestosis
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t^HRAMT'S PRESS CUTTINGS
SI. Andrew Ho**, 11 I* 3 Holborn VIdo*l, E.C.1.
T.I.F.V. CENTAL * (Two Lnn)
Barking Advertiser
s , yU'MARw,i 47
C a tl i n g fr o m isrmo d a t e d .. ; .......... ....................*...............................
THE TRAGIC TOLL
OF ASBESTOSIS
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. \ MEMORIES REFRESHED 15Y THE M.O.H.
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.\V j ^ F A L T N C . < Jerking
wif.h aerial condi t i ons in his annual report,
in for
f WS, jn-d issued. Dr. C, Leonard
Villinms, medical officer of Health
pr the borough, m a k e 1 the following
Hiperv.iiioas ; --
I Those who in this way or in that
invp. been forced to take an interest j
l the lragic i nci dence of asbestosis i Barking may wish to refresh their
i cmories of what was done in the
.own dur i ng the years 1928-1930 bvj
if'TPnce to mv ear l i er a n n u a l re p m i j
For the purposes of this annual ;
eport. f would wish fo quote o n h i i
rnm mv annual report for injq. (>,,j
>nge 19 of this report 1 wrote a-d
oliows: " I t is not unr eas ona bl e tr;|
oppose t hat for (he next 15 ye.n* we
dudl he getting death from asbestosis}^
vrnonst tho^e people ire already affected."
whose
lungs J'
The 15 years which in 1930 1 t h o u g h t ,
would see the tragic end of so rmim
of these then affected people have
come and gone and we still have
deaths in Barking from Ashestosis. I
i can well believe that some of tin* `
df i t h* occurring to-day are due to tit-'
inhal at i on of asbestos dust more tha t .
15 years ago, but my records are r ut '
suflmipnl for me to say whet her sorrej*
id the deat hs occurring to-day arc rmf
due to or aggravated by the iuhai \ |
lion of dusl dur i ng t he pas t 15 years. *
In this connection, I am t empl ed if'
quote from another annual report, in ;
wit n>y Teport for 1929, where on png- i
6. I wrote a follows; " The fact t ha' j
Hie heal t h of woil.'eis in fRCfmie* ja `
under one Ministry and t he heal t h of
these arm? workers oul si de the
factories is u n d e r unot ner Ministry is essentially bad.*'
To day, J *m afraid that such a s t at ement , i pl ght !>** held to be version *etv d * (l^4rovisly,bn policy. .IVrbftpe >
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more Courageous when I was 1
young, perhaps the lime* nave j
changed, but there can be no doubt j
t hat whnf I said in 1929 is Mid as f
{me t o d a y ne it was t hen.
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1 Afn not In ti position to aase** the; J
essential necessity of aabestos and it f
products to our national economy, ^
but I am (irmly of the opi ni on t hat it ?
is a deadly and dangerous commodity 9
and that unless those who are charged {
with the r esponsibility of safeguard *f,
ing tiie health of the people in the .
industry can give positive assurances {
t hat t hey have now after aIj thc^c p
years removed every pos^ibU danger, i
the processing of asbestos, except in i
so far as its prodticts ire essential to *
our national f r mi nmv, shoul d hr ;
barred.
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