Ex-Graceofficials on trial in asbestos poisoning

International Herald Tribune ^ | Thursday, February 19, 2009 | By Kirk Johnson

[ninonitti]

LIBBY, Montana: A reckoning in one of American history's worst industrial disasters, which unfolded here over seven decades as an asbestos-tainted mineral was dug from the ground and processed, begins Thursday when five former mine executives go to trial on federal criminal charges. The case is highly unusual in that prosecutors have generally avoided criminal charges in the broad arena of asbestos law, leaving the issue to the civil courts.

[ninonitti]

I say lock'em up in their penthouses - that'll show these corporate criminals that US Justice means Business.

[xcamel]

One of the biggest of the famous “Big Lies”.

Asbestos was **required** by the federal government for 60 years in any product that received a “Class A” fire rating.
Everything from Naval ships and schools to Ceiling tile and linoleum.

The military knew long before the public knew, and the government still pushed it for another 30 years..

[Citizen Tom Paine]

Many of the Naval and other ships that I sailed on for years had their interiors covered with asbestos. All the pipes were covered with it. I seemed to have escaped any ill effects. Of course, I didn’t smoke cigarettes.

[IYAS9YAS]

Asbestos. Never before have so many sued so much for so long, with no real science behind the lawsuits.

Interesting that a rather large study showed that, out of more than 17,000 people who installed asbestos, and had mixed fiber exposure, only 471 were affected with lung tumors. The majority of those affected (467) were also smokers.

Article Here

[BallyBill]

As someone who has a TV on almost my entire waking hours, I can tell you that almost every Ambulance Chasing Lawyer on TV is "Into the Asbestos Thing".

Right or wrong, that really hurts the issue.

[CaptainAmiigaf]

Almost every bulkhead in the ship I served on was covered by asbestos. Required by GOVERNMENT as a stop-gap against ship board fire. Painted white or “barf green” it was everywhere, and no one will ever know how many lives were saved in horrible conditions by its presence.
Now ASBESTOS , a LEGAL and REQUIRED product is the latest crusade for the Tort industry, yes, I said industry.
Asbestos executives will now be tried and vilified for the criminal act of obeying the law.
It is truly a brave new world.

[ninonitti]

Asbestos executives will now be tried and vilified for the criminal act of obeying the law

Knowingly releasing it into the atmosphere as a byproduct of vermiculite mining doesn't seem too legal to me.

I'm in the remodeling industry and have worked around this stuff and lots of asbestos but never was told it contained asbestos before this.

I share the opinion that the ambulance chasers have been over the top on this and that the science is sketchy but this case seemingly indicates direct knowledge of the harmfull effects of the stuff by these suits and their deciding to proceed in spite of it.