The Asbestos Blob, Cont.

Wall Street Journal ^ | April 6, 2004 | Editorial

[OESY]

Word is that Senate Republicans will soon attempt to revive their bid to solve the asbestos litigation mess. But before they agree to create a new asbestos trust fund, we think someone should remind them of the other times the government has gotten into this fool's game.

[OESY]

"Yes, it's awful, but putting taxpayers on the hook would make it worse."

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[go-ken-go]

Ask any one who was in the Navy and worked on boilers, whether or not years and years later, if they don't have asbestosis now. Just ask my husband.
What would you have him do? It doesn't get better, it just gets worse. Never thought we'd be the type to go for litigation of the asbestos companys, but......

[coloradan]

Did or does he smoke?

[go-ken-go]

He quit in the 1970's, while still in Navy.

[coloradan]

Thanks for your reply. I have read that, statistically speaking, asbestos greatly increases the cancer risk to smokers, and hardly affects nonsmokers at all.

[Arthalion]

I think that 90% of asbestos claims are just opportunists cashing in. My wifes grandfather died years ago of lung cancer. He was a pipefitter in a shipyard in his prime and worked around asbestos laden piping for over 40 years. When he finally died of lung cancer at 85, and after smoking hand rolled cigs for over 60 years, my mother-in-law and her sisters joined into these suits and made a dandy pile of change.

The lawyers in these suits are like sharks...they can smell a drop of blood a mile off, and will swarm the victim until there's nothing left to tear apart.

My neighbor at my vacation home was sued a couple of years ago over asbestos as well. Some teenagers ILLEGALLY riding their dirt bikes on his property came across a natural asbestos outcropping, couldn't figure out what this "hairy" rock was, and broke off a chunk to take home. When the kids showed the rocks to their parents, they immediately relized what it was and rushed the kids to the hospital. The doctors said that it was very likely that the kids has inhaled some of it and, predicably, the parents next calls were to their lawyers.

The suit was eventually dropped when it became clear that the judge wasn't buying the argument that my neighbor was responsible for their illegal exposure to a naturally occuring outcropping, but part of the agreement to drop the suit was the requirement that he coat the entire rock formation (more than 2000 square feet of exposed surface) with plastic to "protect" those downwind from loose fibers. He did it, spending nearly $1000 out of pocket to have the plastic put in place, but it's one of the most gawdawful ugly things you'll ever see in a forest...they used DayGlo orange plastic :\