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Apr 6, 2022/ 0 Comments / in Uncategorized / by

As you might know, I studied neurotoxicology under Dr. Irving Selikoff at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Selikoff was the leading researcher documenting the harmful effects of asbestos. According to Wikipedia, “Irving J. Selikoff was a medical researcher who in the 1960s established a link between the inhalation of asbestos particles and lung-related ailments. His work is largely responsible for the regulation of asbestos today.” Dr. Selikoff also spearheaded the litigation that helped compensate many asbestos victims for their injuries.

The Associated Press published on April 6, 2022: “The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed a rule to finally ban asbestos, a carcinogen that is still used in some chlorine bleach, brake pads, and other products and kills thousands of Americans every year… EPA Administrator Michael Regan called the rule an important step to protect public health and “finally put an end to the use of dangerous asbestos in the United States″.”

This rule was decided by Federal regulators about 60 years after the toxic risks of asbestos had already been demonstrated by early researchers. Can we really rely upon EPA regulations to keep us safe from toxic substances?

Dr. Selikoff also pioneered the concept that chronic exposure to low-levels of neurotoxic substances can damage neuropsychological function. I have devoted quite a bit of my professional career since 1979, researching, documenting, and testifying regarding this aspect of neurotoxicity. I give thanks to Dr. Selikoff and other pioneers of this field who have paved the way and enabled today’s courts to recognize the adverse effect of chronic, low-level exposure to toxic substances, particularly the more subtle effects on neuropsychological function.

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