Upon hearing that Greta Thunberg had called for divestment of fossil fuel companies, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin retorted, “It’s a joke. After she goes and studies economics in college she can go back and explain that to us.” This comment brought to mind my old mentor, Dr. Irving Selikoff and the wars against asbestos.
Asbestos, a silicate mineral, is an economist’s dream. It has incredible structural properties. It’s flexible. It’s fireproof. (In fact, in ancient times, cloth made of asbestos was cleaned by simply throwing it into a fire) It’s the perfect insulating material. And most important of all - it’s plentiful and cheap.
While many of the hazards associated with asbestos have been known for well over a hundred years, it was Dr. Selikoff, who, through his research and outspoken advocacy, brought attention to the relationship between asbestos and mesothelioma in the 1960’s. Not surprisingly, Dr. Selikoff was attacked and vilified by those with vested interests in the asbestos industry, including politicians and industrialists alike. He was accused of falsifying his medical credentials and being a tool of labor unions as part of an active smear campaign to impugn the messenger.
Today, Dr. Selikoff is revered as one of the greats in the history of occupational and environmental medicine. Asbestos is now banned for new construction in every industrialized country, except the United States. (Some things never seem to change.)
Which leaves one to wonder, if Steve Mnuchin was a cabinet secretary in the 1960’s or 1970’s would he have dismissed Dr. Irving Selikoff and advised him to “go back and study economics?”