Gerald Markowitz

And I think that that very much stimulated

a national concern about chronic disease.

It was really the first time that occupational diseases reached a national consciousness and a recognition that something needed to be done about it.

But it didn't rise to the level of national legislation.

They established certain standards of exposure to literally hundreds of substances.

But, of course, there was no enforcement of that.

It was all voluntary.

There was a recognition that companies should be doing this, but there was no way of knowing how much was actually done by specific companies.

And in part, they're doing it because they don't want federal regulation.

And they recognize that if they can establish standards and inform businesses about what the dangers are, that they can stave off federal regulation.

And really, they're successful at that until 1970.

When given the choice between regulation and non-regulation, companies would always prefer non-regulation.

They would prefer to be able to operate on their own.

But I guess in addition to that, they came to understand that a genie was being let out of the bottle.

In 1968, at the height of the war in Vietnam, 14,000 Americans were killed and 46,000 were wounded.

That same year, another 14,000 Americans were killed.

But those lives were lost right here in the United States.

because those American men and women were killed at work, on the job.

The United States really believes in individualism, the benefits of free enterprise, and it takes a lot to overcome that.

And unfortunately, it seems that that a lot means workers' lives.