Deadly Dust

Charting the history of an occupational disease - the spread of silicosis in the USA during the Depression - this study examines how a culture defines disease and how disease itself is understood at different points of history. It also considers who should assume responsibility for the disease.

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During the Depression, silicosis, an industrial lung disease, emerged as a national social crisis. Experts estimated that hundreds of thousands of workers were at risk of disease, disability, and death by inhaling silica in mines, foundries, and quarries. By the 1950s, however, silicosis was nearly forgotten by the media and health professionals. Asking what makes a health threat a public issue, David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz examine how a culture defines disease and how disease itself is understood at different moments in history. They also consider who should assume responsibility for occupational disease.