Changes

Even though asbestos as has been perceived as dangerous since antiquity, it was not until the 1960s that physicians were able to confirm a link between asbestos and mesothelioma tumors. The tragedy is that there were numerous signs that working with asbestos was extremely dangerous before the Wagner paper was published in 1960. The dangers of asbestos could have been mitigated, but asbestos's so-called "magical properties" were still valued by modern society. Therefore, the discovery was hampered because some physicians argued that malignant pleura tumors did not exist and despite strong suspicions that asbestos dangerous. Additionally, the asbestos industry had little interest in tracking down why their miners and mill workers became ill. Eventually, a group of physicians in South Africa were finally able to put the pieces together and establish a firm link between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma.