IOM

Founded in the 1960s to study the health of mineworkers, the IOM carried out landmark research into the health effects of coal mine dust, paving the way for the setting of workplace exposure standards across the globe, and establishing new standards for the conduct of workplace epidemiological studies. In the years that followed, the IOM extended its research efforts to the study of other dusts and fibres, notably quartz, asbestos and man-made mineral fibres.