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White Lung Association Records

 Collection
Identifier: R0156-WLA

  • Staff Only
  • Place requests at folder level.

Scope and Contents

The White Lung Association Records document the history and work of the non-profit Baltimore-based organization between 1979 and 2005. Materials in the collection include organizational correspondence, WLA Newsletters, WLA training manuals and 8x10” transparencies, legal case files and related documents, project file notebooks, subject file/clipping notebooks, and audiovisual materials, including photos, VHS tapes, and DVD discs. Topics of note documented in the collection include labor history, workers' rights, steel and shipyard workers and trade, asbestos health risks, and more.

Dates

  • Creation: 1979-2005

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

To the extent that they own copyright, the donor has assigned the copyright of this collection to the University Foundation. However, copyright for some items in this collection are held by their respective creators.

Historical Note

Founded in 1979, White Lung Association (WLA) was a worker-led nonprofit based in Baltimore devoted to occupational health and safety. It operated as an advocacy group for shipyard workers, steelworkers, and autoworkers that sought reform in the way asbestos exposure was handled by industry, labor unions, and medical providers. The WLA was also active in helping government agencies write regulations for the protection of the public from asbestos exposure, particularly in public schools. The group’s efforts helped change national, state, and local laws concerning asbestos inspection, training, safe disposal.

Extent

106.71 Linear Feet (112 containers)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Collection arranged as a folder inventory.

Custodial History

The collection was donated by Jim Fite to the University of Baltimore Foundation on December 23, 2015. Records received by Ben Blake and Aiden Faust on January 16, 2016.

Related Materials

Related materials include the James (Jim) Fite Oral History (R0171-JFI) at Special Collections and Archives.

Processing Information

The collection was inventoried by Jim Fite, 2017-2018.

Title
Finding aid for the White Lung Association Records
Author
Finding aid prepared by Jim Fite and Aiden Faust (2017-2019). Finding aid revised by Laura Bell (2020).
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Baltimore Studies Archives Repository

Contact:
H. Mebane Turner Learning Commons, Room 104
1415 Maryland Avenue
Baltimore Maryland 21201 USA
410-837-4253