{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T00:45:02Z","timestamp":1777855502007,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,11,4]],"date-time":"2019-11-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1572825600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["J Med Biogr"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,11]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>After a succession of posts and studying for the Bar, Edward Merewether joined the Medical Inspectorate of Factories in 1927. Not long thereafter he was asked to undertake a study of the effects of asbestos exposure on the lungs. His results showed that asbestos workers had a significant risk of developing pulmonary fibrosis and this resulted in the promulgation of regulations to limit exposure. Some years later, Merewether showed that asbestos workers also had a higher than expected risk of developing lung cancer, but on this occasion there was no further protective legislation, and the association was not generally accepted until some years later. Merewether\u2019s name is inextricably linked with the risks of asbestos exposure but after his death the importance of his efforts was often played down by those who wished to show that the government had not acted quickly enough, or vigorously enough to control the hazard. The contention of this paper is that these criticisms are not justified and that Merewether acted to the best of his ability, given the conditions and knowledge current at the time he was working.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/0967772019883550","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,11,5]],"date-time":"2019-11-05T02:35:26Z","timestamp":1572921326000},"page":"189-195","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["ERA Merewether \u2013 And asbestos"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"29","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5245-8799","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tony","family":"Waldron","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University College London, London, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,11,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-0967772019883550","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"58","DOI":"10.1136\/jrnms-2-58","volume":"2","author":"Merewether ERA","year":"1916","journal-title":"Journal of the Royal Naval Medical Service"},{"key":"bibr2-0967772019883550","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/003591572001301502"},{"key":"bibr3-0967772019883550","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.2.3543.982"},{"key":"bibr4-0967772019883550","volume-title":"Report on the effects of asbestos dust on the lungs and dust suppression in the asbestos industry","author":"Merewether ERA","year":"1930"},{"key":"bibr5-0967772019883550","unstructured":"Annual report of the chief inspector of factories and workshops for the year 1929\n                      . 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