Volume 132 of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, published in 1965, remains a seminal document for modern occupational health. It detailed findings on the biological effects of asbestos, a project led by Irving J. Selikoff that shifted international understanding of industrial lung disease and prompted significant regulatory changes regarding workplace safety in the United States.
Medical Education and Early Clinical Work
Born in Brooklyn in 1915 to a Jewish family, Selikoff completed his undergraduate degree at Columbia University in 1935. He subsequently earned his medical degree from the Royal Colleges Scotland in 1941. Following an internship in Newark, New Jersey, he served as an assistant in anatomy and physiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center. In the 1950s, he established a general practice in Paterson, New Jersey, known as the Paterson Clinic.
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When the Asbestos Workers Union joined his clinic, Selikoff observed a statistical anomaly regarding pleural mesothelioma. While the expected incidence was roughly 5 in 100,000, his patient cohort exhibited significantly higher rates of disease. This prompted a detailed study of industrial workers, including those at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. He discovered that workers exposed to asbestos frequently suffered from scarred lung tissue three decades after their initial contact. This research became a catalyst for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to implement stricter workplace exposure limits.
Institutional Leadership and Advocacy
In 1966, Selikoff founded the Environmental and Occupational Health Division at Mount Sinai Hospital, the first hospital division in the nation focused on this specialty. He retired from this directorship in 1985 but continued his research until age 75. Throughout his career, he authored over 350 scientific papers, edited 11 books, and founded two journals. He also co-founded the Collegium Ramazzini in 1982 alongside Cesare Maltoni and served as an advisor to the World Health Organization and the National Cancer Institute.
Professional Recognition and Controversy
Selikoff’s career was marked by both prestige and industry-led opposition. He received the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research in 1955 and honors from the American Cancer Society and the American Public Health Association. Despite this, he faced sustained efforts by industry sympathizers to discredit his findings and characterize his work as fraudulent. In 2015, U.S. Representative Carolyn B. Maloney presented a Congressional Record tribute to his legacy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Fast facts
- Born: 1915, Brooklyn, New York
- Died: May 20, 1992, Ridgewood, New Jersey
- Education: Columbia University, Royal Colleges Scotland
- Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award: 1955
- Professional roles: Physician, Medical Researcher
- Institutional founding: Environmental and Occupational Health Division, Mount Sinai
Questions readers ask
What was the primary focus of Selikoff’s research?
He established the causal link between the inhalation of asbestos particles and serious lung-related ailments, including mesothelioma.
What happened to the research division he founded at Mount Sinai?
Following his death, it was renamed the Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, eventually becoming the Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health.
Achievements
- Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award — 1955
