Emeritus Professor Michael Hobbs was one of the pioneers of epidemiological research in Western Australia, the area of study concerned with the pattern of disease in the community.

In the mid-1970s Dr Jim McNulty, then WA Commissioner of Public Health, asked whether he would be interested in doing a study on the Wittenoom miners.  His team was actually given access to CSR’s medical records by the company itself to examine the health history of its employees.

For the company it was a pre-emptive measure to counter negative publicity – for Professor Hobbs and his researchers it was a data goldmine.

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