Asbestos, asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung cancer, interstitial fibrosis, chrysotile, amphibole, asbestos fibers, litigation, B-Reader, amosite, crocidolite, pipe fitters, boiler makers, insulators, pleural plaques, pleural fibrosis, friable asbestos, chest x-ray, CT scan, lung biopsy, litigation, RAND corporation, AMA, ACCP, ATS, ACR, radiology, consensus statement, attorney, lawyer, plaintiff, Chest, junkscience, Lester Brickman, Pepperdine Law Review, Dr. Martin Tobin, Dr. Edward Abraham, Dr. Sharon Rounds, Dr. Peter Wagner, medical ethics, journal ethics

OPEN LETTER to:
Dr. Edward Abraham, editor-in-chief, AJRCCM
Dr. Sharon Rounds, president, ATS
Dr. Peter Wagner, president-elect, ATS

Lawrence Martin, M.D., FACP, FCCP

Click here for December 27, 2004 letter
Links to key references in letter

1. ATS Official Statement. Diagnosis and Initial Management of Nonmalignant Diseases Related to Asbestos. Amer Jour Res Crit Care Med 2004;170:691-715.
2. Runaway Asbestos Litigation -- Why It’s a Medical Problem
3. ATS Official Statement 2004 -- a Flawed & Biased Statement
4. ATS Official Statement 2004 -- Omitted References
5. ATS Bias: Origins of Anti-Science in the 2004 Official Statement on Asbestos Diagnosis
6. Martin L. Letter to the editor, October 25, 2004 (unpublished)
17. AJRCCM Instructions for Contributors The link to the 2004 statement no longer exists, so this rendition is from AJRCCM, March 2010; it includes Disclosure of Financial Interest. Journal policy has not changed since 2004, yet at the time of publication AJRCCM did not disclose any of the conflicts of interest held by some of the authors.
19. Tobin MJ. Assessing the performance of a medical journal. Amer Jour Resp Crit Care Med 2004;169:1268-1272

Posted December 27, 2004
Debugged March 26, 2010

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Lawrence Martin, M.D.,