The Australian contribution to the history of the pneumoconioses

Occupational exposure to cement dust: changing opinions of a respiratory hazard

In the twentieth century medical experts reversed their opinion on whether exposure to cement dust was hazardous. Today it is associated with bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, silicosis, and lung cancer. Yet, up to the 1970s experts maintained that the dust was harmless. Being exposed on a daily basis, workers and their unions were in a unique position see the effects of cement dust and frequently raised concerns. However, lay knowledge, no matter how accurate it later proved to be, was ignored by those in authority. This paper examines the origins of the theory that cement dust was harmless, the social context in which the theory became popular, the consequences for workers' health, and the theory's ultimate rejection.

Perceiving a dust hazard in ordinary conditions of work

Twenty years before the ill-effects of exposure to asbestos dust became an issue of public concern in Victoria, medical knowledge about this occupational hazard and its management were readily available in the Industrial Hygiene Division of the Victorian Department of Health. The failure of the State Electricity Commission to incorporate this body of knowledge into the management of its power stations cannot be attributed to a callous disregard for workers' health. It was rather that the organisational structure and ethos of this semi-autonomous government agency, dominated by engineering expertise, fostered an intolerance of the expertise of other professionals-in this case, that of medical practitioners specialising in industrial hygiene. The events recounted in this paper illustrate the extent to which the perception of an occupational hazard in 'ordinary conditions' of work can be obstructed by the everyday circumstances of an organisation's operation.