On 19th August 2021, the campaign for a world free of asbestos lost one of it’s biggest champions as Dr Morris Greenberg passed away peacefully.
In 1967 Dr Greenberg began a long and difficult fight against the asbestos industry. He was a Medical Inspector of Factories here in the UK and throughout his career he battled against industry giants, fighting for the rights and the health of workers.
Battling big industry opponents
He came up against formidable opponents who were intent on putting profits above people. Sir Ralph Bateman, former president of the Confederation of British Industry and chairman of Turner & Newall believed that asbestos could safely be sold to developing countries. His justification was that they had lower life expectancies and so people would die of other causes before any asbestos-related conditions could develop, thanks to the latency period of between 10 and 50 years.
Notable papers
Dr Greenberg published paper after paper in an attempt to educate the world on the dangers of asbestos. One of his most notable papers was a report of cases in the UK Mesothelioma Registry, published in 1974. He noted that there were people diagnosed with mesothelioma who had only been exposed to asbestos for a short period of time, sometimes as few as three weeks and in one case, a gentleman who could only identify one day of work where he was sawing up asbestos sheets.
Dr Greenberg was committed to making the world a safer place and his passion for his work extended beyond his career as he continued to assist and advise, well into his retirement.
Legacy lives on
Whilst no one here at Asbestos Justice had the pleasure of meeting Dr Greenberg, his legacy speaks for itself and his work will live on, not only in the untold number of lives he will have saved, but also his vast library of publications that will continue to educate the world on the dangers of asbestos.
If you require assistance in pursuing an asbestos compensation claim for mesothelioma or any other asbestos disease then please contact us today on our freephone number 0800 038 6767. Alternatively, head over to the ‘Contact Us’ page, complete the form and we will be in touch.