Mesothelioma
History of mesothelioma The first studies on the association between asbestos and malignant mesothelioma appeared in the 1950s. Weiss' case report of asbestosis and pleural malignancy and Van der Schoot's paper describing three insulation workers with malignant disease were the first of many to be published (13, 14). Wagner confirmed the association between asbestos and malignant mesothelioma through his work in the 1950s in South Africa, a country that mined all three commercial types of asbestos (15).