The history of protecting workers’ respiratory health pre-dates the creation of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). In 1967 the Appalachian Laboratory for Occupational Respiratory Disease (ALFORD) was established within the U.S. Public Health Service (see related blog). ALFORD subsequently joined NIOSH in 1971, became the Division of Respiratory Disease Studies in 1977, and then the Respiratory Health Division (RHD) in 2015. A comprehensive history of respiratory health at NIOSH can be found in the article NIOSH’s Respiratory Health Division: 50 Years of Science and Service in the Archives of Environmental & Occupational Health. Select highlights
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