Worked to Death

This post lists common ways that people used to die from their jobs. They’re mostly due to inhaling toxic chemicals. One of them, Soot Wart, is a type of cancer that was commonly found among chimney sweeps. The discovery of this link between job and disease, in the late 18th century, was pretty vital in our early understanding of cancer.

Anyway, the post reminded me of a piece of family history. This newspaper article is about my great-great-great grandfather.

Of course, this may seem like ancient history to us but there are plenty of people who still suffer from inhumane working conditions. The efforts of the US labor movement might protect the middle class in America but people (children as well as adults) die every day around the world because their employers - and their employers’ customers - value money over their health and their lives. If you’re interested in making sure your money is going to ethical companies, try using this website.