In Memoriam
Professor Cesare Maltoni
(1930-2001)

Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 109, Number 5, May 2001

In Memoriam Professor Cesare Maltoni (1930-2001)Cesare Maltoni, a world-renowned leader in the research of the hazards of industrial carcinogens in the workplace, died on 22 January 2001 at the age of 70. Maltoni's contributions to research and the causation of cancers dealt with the carcinogenesis of many compounds such as vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, methylene chloride, trichloroethylene, acrylonitrile, benzene, gasoline, alkylbenzenes, oxygenated additives of gasoline such as methyl tert-butyl ether and ethyl tert-butyl ether, pesticides, asbestos, man-made mineral fibers, zeolites (natural and man-made), gamma radiation, and electromagnetic fields. He published results of over 198 long-term carcinogenic studies, and he was the first to demonstrate that vinyl chloride is a carcinogenic agent that produces tumors of the liver and angiosarcomas. He was the first to demonstrate that benzene is a powerful, multipotential carcinogenic chemical. Maltoni's studies led to governmental regulations that resulted in saving workers' lives.

Maltoni was born in Faenza (Ravenna), Italy, on 17 November 1930. In 1954-1955, he received his M.D. degree from the University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. The title of his experimental thesis was "Changes in the Dermis during Experimental Skin Carcinogenesis." Maltoni had a long and distinguished career. From 1957 to 1958, he was a fellow at the Curie Foundation in Paris. From 1959 to 1961, Maltoni was a research associate at the Department of Cancer Research, Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, in Chicago, Illinois. In 1962, he was a professor of general pathology, and from 1966, he was a professor of experimental oncology.

Maltoni worked with Enrico C. Vigliani from 1961 to 1964 as a consultant at the Clinic for Occupational Disease of the University of Milan. From 1964 to 1967, he was the director of the Institute of Oncology of Bologna. From 1966 to 1989, Maltoni was the director of the Bologna Centre for the Prevention and Detection of Tumours and Oncological Research. He was also scientific director of the European Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences "B. Ramazzini." His scientific appointments and positions were numerous. Among his honored positions were:

Secretary general of the Collegium Ramazzini, an international academy consisting of 180 members who are experts on the relationship between cancer development, environment, work, and health

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