Industrial disease can refer to many things. However, the best way to view it is as a collection of possible ailments that could arise from life within modern society. If one compares the typical life we think of when we remember the hunting and gathering days of our species with the modern lifestyle, many things contrast. In particular, one of the most distinct things is how different our air quality is.
Industrial disease also has a strong legal quality. And it’s perhaps most striking when you look at the above description of air quality. A classic case is that of air quality within the workplace. While standard workplace air quality cannot be easily improved, many noted that eliminating smoking would suffice so far. This is mainly due to the possible legal consequences of not doing so. It was becoming increasingly apparent that people who worked in a bar could take legal action for compensation if they turned out to develop cancer or heart disease as a result of working there. The current count is thirty-seven US states with some form of smoking ban in several workplaces.
At the moment, California is probably the showcase for the most extreme deployment of real anti-smoking laws. Not only are there blanket bans in some workplaces, but there are actual cities where smoking in public places has become a legal matter.