Alan Dalton correspondence and papers

Reference:GB 249 OEDA/F/4/6
Dates of Creation:1981-2002
Name of Creator:
Language of Material:English
Physical Description:

Scope and Content
Correspondence with and about safety and environment campaigner Alan Dalton.
Includes:
-Papers about the TUC Safety Convention 1997
-Correspondence about the death of Alan Dalton, on 11 Dec 2003, and his funeral
-A document: 'A Tribute to Alan Dalton'
-Minutes of a meeting of the National Hazards Campaign, 15 July 2002
-Papers and correspondence about a joint Hazards Campaign/TUC conference, 23 April 2001, at which Nancy Tait spoke
-Invitation to Alan Dalton's 50th Birthday Party
-Press Releases
-Some copies of Dalton articles
-Correspondence about Alan's involvement in and his leaving the 'Transport and General Workers' Union' (T&G)
-Correspondence about the OEDA 'balloon release', 1998
-Dalton's comments on the 'Peto Report', 1997
-Correspondence about fibre levels
-Copy of booklet 'Fighting Asbestos at work & at home'
-Copies of various articles about asbestos
-Copy of an article about John McPherson's story: 'Gleswegians fight asbestos'
Administrative / Biographical History
Alan Dalton was a campaigner on workplace safety, health and environmental hazards for nearly thirty years and has been described as ‘an under-their-skin irritant to dangerous industries and their friends’ [obituary by Rory O’Neil in the Guardian, 16 December 2003].
He was born in May 1946 in West Ham, London, where his parents worked at the Silvertown Tate and Lyle sugar factory. After gaining a BSc in Chemistry at the University of Bath, he worked for several years as a research and development chemist in the pharmaceutical industry. In 1974, his career changed direction with his appointment as Research Fellow in Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety at the British Society for Social Responsibility in Science, where he led the Society’s campaign on asbestos and helped found 'Hazards Bulletin', a grassroots safety magazine. In 1978, he was appointed Lecturer in Health and Safety at South West London College. In 1979, he published 'Asbestos: Killer Dust' and was subsequently sued for libel by a doctor whom he criticised in the book for his pro-industry views and advocacy of the safe use of asbestos. Dalton lost the case and was bankrupted by the legal bill. He continued, however, to champion grassroots workplace and environmental activism, holding a succession of different roles: from 1981 to 1989, he was Researcher in Health and Safety at the Labour Research Department; from 1990 to 1992, he was Consultant, Lecturer and part-time Fellow at Camden Occupational Health Project; from 1992 to 1994, he was Senior Lecturer in Safety, Health and Environment at South Bank University; from 1995 to 1998, he was Health and Safety Co-ordinator at the Transport and General Workers’ Union, where he nurtured a new network of union safety representatives and forced environmental issues to the centre of the union safety agenda; from 1999 to 2001, he was a community representative on the board of the Environment Agency; and in 2000, he became part-time Senior Environmental Adviser at the Centre for Environmental Quality at the University of East London. In 2000, he published 'Consensus kills'.He died in December 2003.
Arrangement
Arranged as found within the original lever arch files.
Access Information
Note: folder 3 of 3 contains some restricted material that will be removed before being made available to researchers.
Acquisition Information
These files were received in a later accession to the papers of OEDA: ACC1628
Note
Alan Dalton was a campaigner on workplace safety, health and environmental hazards for nearly thirty years and has been described as ‘an under-their-skin irritant to dangerous industries and their friends’ [obituary by Rory O’Neil in the Guardian, 16 December 2003].
He was born in May 1946 in West Ham, London, where his parents worked at the Silvertown Tate and Lyle sugar factory. After gaining a BSc in Chemistry at the University of Bath, he worked for several years as a research and development chemist in the pharmaceutical industry. In 1974, his career changed direction with his appointment as Research Fellow in Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety at the British Society for Social Responsibility in Science, where he led the Society’s campaign on asbestos and helped found 'Hazards Bulletin', a grassroots safety magazine. In 1978, he was appointed Lecturer in Health and Safety at South West London College. In 1979, he published 'Asbestos: Killer Dust' and was subsequently sued for libel by a doctor whom he criticised in the book for his pro-industry views and advocacy of the safe use of asbestos. Dalton lost the case and was bankrupted by the legal bill. He continued, however, to champion grassroots workplace and environmental activism, holding a succession of different roles: from 1981 to 1989, he was Researcher in Health and Safety at the Labour Research Department; from 1990 to 1992, he was Consultant, Lecturer and part-time Fellow at Camden Occupational Health Project; from 1992 to 1994, he was Senior Lecturer in Safety, Health and Environment at South Bank University; from 1995 to 1998, he was Health and Safety Co-ordinator at the Transport and General Workers’ Union, where he nurtured a new network of union safety representatives and forced environmental issues to the centre of the union safety agenda; from 1999 to 2001, he was a community representative on the board of the Environment Agency; and in 2000, he became part-time Senior Environmental Adviser at the Centre for Environmental Quality at the University of East London. In 2000, he published 'Consensus kills'.He died in December 2003.
Archivist's Note
Description created by Rachael Jones, Jan 2019
Appraisal Information
Duplicate papers have been removed.
Custodial History
Papers from two level arch files labelled 'Alan Dalton' and 'South Bank University | From: Alan Dalton | Russ Lindsay | Now with TGWU Aug '95'
Related Material
The papers of Alan Dalton: GB 249 DAL.
Additional Information
published