Origins of An American Science of Occuptional Chemical Hazards

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Dr. Sellers is exploring the growing concern about occupational chemical hazards in the United States. His study concentrates on the origins of this concern in the period from 1900-1930 when a new community of experts arose to address this problem. Dr. Sellers is examining the technological, economic and social changes influencing the rise of this new community of experts and role they came to play. He is focusing on: the changing rates of occupational poisonings in this period and their roots in technological change; the evolving attitude of corporate representatives toward this problem and their responsibility for fostering the new expertise; and the new experts' shifting relations with workers, the emerging compensation system for occupational disease, and the more established profession of engineering. As part of his professional development fellowship, Dr. Sellers is working at Johns Hopkins University with the economic historian, Professor Louis Galambos, and the historian of technology, Dr. Stuart Leslie who are providing training in their specialties and are helping to guide his research. Dr. Sellers goal is to analyze the origins of the new science in workplace change and in scientific professionals' efforts to establish an autonomous role for themselves with a corporate and technology- driven economy. This work will elucidate the importance of this science in environmental history and in the emergence of modern "organizational society."