 A full quarter of the workers were suffering from asbestosis, and those who had worked longer were sicker. The report underlined the seriousness of the disease, and within a year, legislation was passed in the UK to make efforts to reduce asbestos dust and require medical screenings for employees. Merriweather felt that the study meant asbestos workers faced inevitable death. The study was published simultaneously in the United States and became the most prominent study proving the danger of asbestos. The warning signs couldn't slow the industry.