Posted by IsoM on November 13, 2002, at 15:07:54
In reply to Re: Disagree but don't want to cause a rift, posted by Miller on November 13, 2002, at 11:29:15
I'm glad you disagreed as that's how discussions progress. I just want to bring something to your attention...
You wrote "If an employee has cancer... very few people would blame poor working conditions for that." But that's because the dangers of many working conditions were spoken about & brought to the public’s attention & laws were enacted changing the dangers in the workplace. Asbestos used in building construction, not to mention mining it, caused a form of lung cancer called mesothelioma.
In the early 80s, it was estimated that 4% of all cancers in the US were caused by exposure to carcinogenics in the workplace (from the American Cancer Society). It’s declined since then due to laws forcing changes in workplace safety. But decades ago, that number was much greater. It’s now realized that certain chemicals (e.g., benzene, nickel compounds, vinyl chloride), dusts (e.g., leather or wood dusts, silica, asbestos), pesticides (e.g., ethylene oxide, chlorophenoxyl herbicides), radiation (e.g., sunlight, radon gas, industrial, medical, or other exposure to ionizing radiation), and industrial processes (e.g., aluminum production, iron and steel founding, underground mining with exposure to uranium or radon) can be causes of cancer.
When the notion that the workplace can also contribute to depression in those more susceptible (like cancer in those more genetically susceptible), then needed changes can be made & laws enacted. If it wasn't a problem, then there wouldn't be the governmental agencies that deal with it, but there's many.
poster:IsoM
thread:32168
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20021106/msgs/32213.html