Rosner's work has been influential in a number of international legislative and legal decisions regarding industrial safety and health, health policy and race relations. The 2005 edition of his book,
Deadly Dust, co-authored with
Gerald Markowitz, was one of the major stimuli of a five-year, international study of mining and health standards through collaboration with the
Agence National Francais, the French equivalent of the
National Science Foundation. This collaboration brings together experts from countries around the world to discuss the variety of historical factors that have shaped international policies regarding
silicosis, a deadly lung disease affecting workers in a host of industries. In its earlier 1991 edition, this book led to the bringing together of over 600 public health, industry and governmental experts from the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the
Mining Safety and Health Administration and elsewhere in a National Conference on Silicosis in
Washington. This conference led the
Robert Reich, the US Secretary of Labor, to identify silicosis as a disease that should be eliminated in the coming years and the banning of certain dangerous practices in a variety of industries. In addition, he has been a consultant and expert witness in
lead poisoning cases, on behalf of the
State of Rhode Island in its landmark suit against the lead pigment industry and individual plaintiffs injured by lead from paint on the walls of the nation's housing. Later again he also appeared in the
California lead paint trial. With Gerald Markowitz, Distinguished Professor of History at the
City University of New York, and support from the National Science Foundation, he authored the book: ''Lead Wars: The Politics of Science and the Fate of America's Children'', (Berkeley: University of California Press/Milbank Fund, 2013) which includes tracing the implications of lowered blood lead levels on public health research and practice.
Toxic Docs Toxic Docs which reveals documents which support the story of the ongoing effort of the
Lead Industries Association, the
Tobacco industry and other propaganda organizations of industry to discredit public health concerns so they can continue to pollute and profit from dangerous products was also produced with Markowitz and also
Merlin Chowkwanyun. Toxic Docs originated when Merlin Chowkwanyun assisted Rosner with creating a response to a criticism of two chapters in book
Deceit and Denial: The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution by publishing the chapters online along with the original source documents as citations and later expanded that technique into Toxic Docs. ==Published works==