Evidence proves that the asbestos industry knew from about the 1920s on that asbestos killed and sickened workers who were exposed to it. Because its use was so widespread for so long, hundreds of US companies used the fibrous mineral to make many thousands of products until the dangers of asbestos became widely known in the 1970s. When inhaled, asbestos can lead to a range of deadly and debilitating diseases such as mesothelioma cancer.

As early as the 1930s, executives at asbestos companies were covering up the fact that employees were getting sick and dying in large numbers from asbestos-related diseases. These executives concealed or destroyed memos about the dangers of asbestos, paid off doctors to suppress results or ignored reports altogether, and quietly offered compensation to individuals affected by their daily work with the hazardous mineral, making them promise never to tell their co-workers about their disease. This malfeasance became known as the “conspiracy of silence.”

1. W.R. Grace and Company

W.R. Grace is perhaps most famous for being the villain in the 1996 book “A Civil Action” (later made into a movie starring John Travolta), which detailed the company’s negligence in poisoning the drinking water in Woburn, Massachusetts.

But Grace’s malfeasance in Woburn could not match the devastation it wrought on tiny Libby, Montana. Grace bought the Zonolite mine near Libby in 1963, which produced a very profitable but hazardous vermiculite mineral that was used widely for insulation, gardening, and fireproofing.

Grace knew that the vermiculite was contaminated with tremolite asbestos, a particularly dangerous form of the mineral that causes asbestosis and mesothelioma, but never warned their workers or the public. Grace vermiculite has killed and injured thousands, including children who played on piles of contaminated waste rock that lay outside of its processing plants and played on the town baseball field that was covered in mine waste rock. Until 1990 when the mine was finally closed down, 80 percent of the world’s vermiculite came from Grace.

Grace has never admitted to wrongdoing in Libby, and continues to be a profitable company located in Cambridge Massachusetts to this day, despite having filed for bankruptcy protection in the 1990s. Their new company slogan is “Enriching lives everywhere.”

2. Johns-Manville

Johns-Manville was for decades the largest and most powerful asbestos company in the world. J-M produced countless tons of asbestos insulation, cement, plasters and other products during its 100 plus years as leading asbestos manufacturer before it filed bankruptcy 1982 to avoid paying the avalanche of lawsuits from its victims.
There is overwhelming evidence that J-M executives knew as early as the 1930s that its products were killing its workers, but hid the findings in the face of enormous profits.

J-M, like other asbestos companies denied right up to the end that asbestos is dangerous.

One famous 1966 internal corporate J-M letter states:

“My answer to the [asbestos] problem is: if you have enjoyed a good life while working with asbestos products why not die from it. There’s got to be some cause.”

Johns Manville (sans hyphen) was bought by Berkshire Hathaway in 2001 and continues to be a highly profitable company.

3. Owens Corning

In the 1940s Owens Corning was a fiberglass insulation manufacturer struggling to complete with the rising dominance of asbestos as an insulation product. Drawing from the volumes of published medical literature showing that asbestos was a health hazard, Owens Corning attempted to discredit asbestos and gain approval from the labor unions.

When the strategy failed, Owens Corning joined the fray and became a major asbestos producer itself, adopting the new strategy of the conspiracy of silence.

4. Bendix Corporation

Bendix manufactures brakes and brake linings for the automotive and aerospace industries. Although asbestos-free today, Bendix products were once made from asbestos. Like the rest of the asbestos industry, Bendix knew for decades that asbestos exposure caused deadly and painful diseases such as asbestosis and lung cancer, but did nothing to protect their workers or the public.

In 1970 Bendix sponsored a contest for employees to figure out what to do with the 15 tons of asbestos-filled brake dust that poured out of the factory every day. Despite knowing that asbestos causes mesothelioma cancer even in small amounts, some of the ideas floated by the company were filler for asphalt products, undercoating for automobiles, and filler for bowling balls.

5. John Crane

John Crane has the dubious distinction of being the most popular defendant in the asbestos mass tort. This is because for several decades, almost all of Crane’s gasket material, rope, valve packing, and tape contained asbestos. Not only did Crane knowingly expose its workers to dangerous levels of exposure to asbestos and put them at risk of developing mesothelioma, it also exposed anyone who came into contact with these products.

Unlike many of its fellow asbestos manufacturing friends, John Crane was never forced into bankruptcy and remains a solvent company today.

Thanks to a long paper trail left behind by asbestos industry executives, asbestos attorneys were able to prove that many of these companies knew their products were dangerous yet failed to warn their workers and the public. Asbestos law has emerged as a viable path for victims to receive compensation for their suffering.

A debate has been raging since June when Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles) introduced Bill SB 624, which would strip the California state rock designation from serpentine, a rock that can contain naturally-occurring chrysotile asbestos.
Does serpentine, or more specifically the asbestos it contains, cause cancers such as mesothelioma as the bill’s sponsor argues? Or is serpentine a fascinating but misunderstood symbol for California’s unique landscape, with no ties to cancer, as the rock’s defenders argue? The debate is playing out across Twitter (where the discussion is tracked under the hashtag #CAserpentine) and in newspapers, blogs, and no doubt gem shows across the country.

No matter who wins the debate, there’s no denying that the story has brought a new level of awareness to asbestos exposure and the very real problem of mesothelioma. And it was a very real case of mesothelioma that started the ball rolling on Bill SB 624.

Alan Reinstein died in 2006 from mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer whose only known cause is exposure to asbestos. Now his widow Linda wants to prevent more needless mesothelioma deaths by making people aware of the dangers of asbestos. Linda Reinstein founded the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) after her husband’s passing to help ban the use of asbestos and promote awareness. Sen. Romero sponsored the “symbolic” bill SB 624 as a way to continue to expand the debate. The bill is still being considered in the California legislature.

On June 9, three New York men, a father and two sons, were sentenced in a Syracuse federal court for violating asbestos environmental regulations. On October 28, 2009, the two brothers, Paul and Steven, received a guilty verdict for defrauding the United States, violating the Clean Air Act, and illegally dumping asbestos. Lester, the father, had previously entered a guilty plea before the start of the trial. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that releases tiny fibers that can be inhaled, and ultimately cause a number of adverse health effects including malignant mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer caused solely by asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma can take anywhere from 15-40 years to manifest and victims usually average around a year of life post-diagnosis.

Paul Mancuso, who had been previously convicted of similar asbestos crimes in 2003 and 2004, was running his asbestos abatement company out of his brother Steven’s law office.  This was in clear violation of the 2004 sentence that forbade him from any connection with the asbestos abatement field. The brothers, along with their father, presented false documents to both clients and the government to conceal their infractions concerning the disposal of asbestos. On several of the projects, asbestos was removed in violation of the EPA and OSHA guidelines and then dumped on the properties of unsuspecting owners in Portland, N.Y.

Paul Mancuso received 78 months in prison, 3 years probation and a $20,000 fine. Steven Mancuso was sentenced to 44 months in prison and 3 years probation. Lester Mancuso was sentenced to 36 months in prison and 3 years of probation.

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The use of asbestos products has waned in the developed world over the past thirty years, largely due to stricter regulation. In the developing world, though, it is a different story, and companies still trying to profit from mining the toxic mineral are betting that the developed world will remain a customer.

It seems that the Canadian government and, specifically, Prime Minister Stephen Harper also support this vision, and recent accusations assure Harper and Premier Jean Charest are actually trying to save Canada’s struggling asbestos mines.

Quebec has two big asbestos mines and some analysts (including the one in this article) say this support from the Prime Minister is a shameless push to win seats in the asbestos mining regions of Quebec for fellow conservatives in the Canadian Parliament.

The mines are on the brink of closure after failing to obtain financing from private investors. Public funding is now in negotiations, which if successful, would open a new mine and export 200,000 tons of asbestos per year to Asia and Africa.

Many in Canada have been trying to end asbestos mining and exports, including the Canadian Cancer Society, health experts and the Canadian Public Health Association, which called the “exporting [of] death made in Quebec … wrong, unethical, [and] indecent.”

In fact, the government is even funding a pro-asbestos lobby group – the Chrysotile Institute – giving the group $250,000 annually. The group has published literature assuring countries in the developing world that the use of asbestos products is handled with a 99.8 percent success rate, when CBC documentaries and Quebec’s own government have found a near 100 percent failure rate.

Canada simply needs to ask itself what is more important: Keeping a dying industry afloat with taxpayer money, or the health and safety of not only those in the mine, but those countries and people who will be importing these asbestos products.

The answer should be simple.

As far as state symbols go, California has chosen ones that reflect the rugged beauty of its wilderness, according to this article in SF Gate. But now some activists are calling into question why serpentine, a rock that can contain asbestos, is still the state rock in the state with the  highest mesothelioma death rate in the US, according to this story in KALW news.

Mesothelioma is a devastation cancer whose only known cause is exposure to asbestos.

Although mesothelioma is relatively rare, asbestos-related diseases such as asbestosis kill about 10,000 Americans each year. This makes the rock problematic according to mesothelioma widow and asbestos advocate Linda Reinstein. “This became more than a laughing matter,” said Reinstein. “This is really a health issue.”

Serpentine was chosen for the state rock in 1965, when asbestos was still considered the “miracle mineral” and the veins of asbestos-laden serpentine running through the California were considered a source of pride, not derision.

Mesothelioma attorneys

Mesothelioma and asbestos are both deadly illnesses that are caused primarily by prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers. If you or a loved one were exposed to asbestos while working for a company and have developed a disease as a result, you may want to consider pursuing a mesothelioma lawsuit that could potentially result in a substantial asbestos settlement. If you think that a mesothelioma attorney could help prove your illness was caused by a specific entity’s negligence, please contact Sokolove Law for a free legal consultation.

The family of a Tyler, Texas woman that passed from mesothelioma have recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit to obtain a mesothelioma settlement.  Claudia Headley lost her battle with the disease on May 30, 2008.  Robert Headly, her husband, and sons Scott and Steven filed the suit against Shell Energy North America (US) LP, Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Exxon Mobile Corp. and Alon USA, as successor in interest to Cosden Petroleum, on May 28, 2010 in the Tyler Division of the Eastern District of Texas.  Exposure to asbestos is almost exclusively the cause of the rare and aggressive cancer mesothelioma.  It is a disease that can take 15-40 years to develop, often starting in the lungs (pleural mesothelioma) or the abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma).  Victims of the disease typically have an average life expectancy of a year following a diagnosis.

The case of Mrs. Headley is commonly referred to as secondary asbestos exposure because it is believed that her disease was caused from the asbestos fibers brought home on her family’s work clothing.  Much of her family including her father, husband, and son were employed at various oil refineries in Texas.   The case contends that Claudia Headley was exposed because she would check the pockets and wash her family’s work clothing often coated with asbestos dust from work.

Instances of secondary exposure illustrate the dangers associated with asbestos.  Unfortunately, despite never working directly with asbestos products, Mrs. Headley died from this deadly cancer.  Because many of the asbestos manufacturers were aware of the potential hazards of their product, yet hid the information from the public, the area of mesothelioma law has evolved to help compensate victims and their families. The Headleys are seeking wrongful death damages for pecuniary loss, termination of the husband-wife relationship, mental anguish, loss of household services, termination of the parent-child relationship, necessary medical, funeral and burial expenses, exemplary damages, interest and court costs.

Read the full article here.

A former employee of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and his wife were just awarded $208 million in damages as part of a mesothelioma settlement.  Rhoda Evans, and her husband, Bobby Evans, were awarded the sum from the CertainTeed Corporation and the LA Dept. of Water and Power after Rhoda developed mesothelioma.  Mesothelioma is a very rare and aggressive cancer that is caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos.  The disease can take 15-40 years to develop, often starting in the lungs (pleural mesothelioma) or the abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma).  The average life expectancy following a diagnosis averages around one year.

Mrs. Evans is a victim of what is commonly referred to as secondary asbestos exposure resulting from asbestos fibers from her husband’s work clothing.  Mr. Evans was employed by the Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power and his job included cutting CertainTeed water pipes composed of asbestos cement.  The cutting process released microscopic asbestos particles into the air which then settled on Mr. Evans clothing.  It is believed that Rhoda Evans was exposed because she often washed her husband’s clothes which again released the fibers into the air where she could inhale them.

The nature of secondary exposure illustrates the dangers associated with asbestos.  Mrs. Evans never worked with asbestos products yet is now dying from the toxic fibers her husband unknowingly transported home.  Because many of the asbestos manufacturers were aware of the potential hazards of their product yet hid the information from the public, the area of mesothelioma law has evolved to help compensate victims.  In this case, the jury awarded $200 million in punitive damages and $8 million in compensatory damages.  CertainTeed has been assigned 70% and the L.A. Dept. of Water and Power 30% of the liability.  The large sum awarded is still subject to change as the judge will review arguments from both sides regarding the validity of the verdict, but it should remain a substantial sum.

Two Middleboro, Massachusetts men have pled guilty in New Bedford Superior Court to charges that they violated the Massachusetts Clean Air Act.  Arthur Amaral, 50, and Shawn Amaral, 38, of Northeast Demolition and Removal have pled guilty for failing to comply with asbestos disposal regulations and have been sentenced to 2 years probation and ordered to pay fines.  Asbestos fibers can be inhaled and then cause a number of adverse health effects including malignant mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer caused solely by asbestos exposure.  Mesothelioma often takes from 15-40 years to develop and victims usually average around a year of life post-diagnosis.

The two defendants ordered workers to demolish parts of buildings in Attleboro and North Attleboro before the asbestos, which had been previously identified, was removed.  An asbestos consultant had surveyed the building and identified the asbestos, but the Amarals failed to follow the required protocol of properly disposing of the known carcinogen before beginning any demolition or renovation work.  In September 2007, Inspectors from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection discovered that each of the above mentioned properties had debris including floor tiles and piping that were covered in asbestos.  Through their investigation it was learned that the Amarals owned a storage unit in Middleboro that contained 76 cardboard drums filled with tiles and pipe insulation that tested positive for asbestos.

Arthur Amaral was required to pay a $1,000 fine and Shawn was required to pay a $500 fine.  In addition, the conditions of their two year probation require them to report any future asbestos removals to their probation officer.

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Worker's Memorial Day poster from the Dept. of Labor

Yesterday’s observance of Workers Memorial Day comes as a solemn reminder to those who have spent their lives working in dangerous and hazardous conditions to provide for themselves and their families – especially those who sacrificed their life in doing so.

The reminder is especially poignant for the many that have been exposed to asbestos or living with Mesothelioma, as this exposure largely occurred in the workplace. With 2,000 to 3,000 newly diagnosed cases of Mesothelioma each year and thousands of lives already claimed by the disease, today should prompt all of us to reflect on how Asbestos has become one of the biggest threats to workplace safety, and what we can do ourselves to ban the use of Asbestos once and for all in the U.S.

The observance began in Canada in 1984, with the date of April 28 significant as it was the date of the first Workers Compensation Act in Canada. It was observed in the U.S. for the first time in 1989.

The motto – “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living” – is a quote from prominent Gilded Age labor advocate and community organizer Mary Harris Jones (a.k.a. “Mother Jones”), and is especially applicable to the fight to ban asbestos and advocating litigation for those suffering from Mesothelioma. Asbestos companies knew the danger their product posed for decades, yet chose to hide these findings because they deemed profits to be more important than the health and safety of thousands of workers.

According to statistics from the International Labor Organization (ILO), more than 160 million fall victim to work-related illnesses around the world each year, with Asbestos claiming and estimated 100,000 lives.

Mike Dubron, founder of the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, recently answered some questions concerning the job of a firefighter and its connection to cancer.  Dubron, himself a cancer survivor, said the experience opened his eyes to the ways in which firefighters are vulnerable to certain carcinogens in the workplace including hazardous chemicals and building materials.  His exploration led him to numerous studies, including Grace Lemasters’ report from the University of Cincinnati, showing a direct correlation between different types of cancer and firefighting.

Firefighters are constantly at risk during the course of a day, even during downtime at the station.  Fire engines run on diesel fuel and benzene exposure from the exhaust is very common.  Structural fire fighting in its various forms brings the added danger of emissions from both known and unknown dangerous materials.  One concern within the industry is the potential for asbestos exposure while fighting fire in older buildings.  Exposure to asbestos, a hazardous mineral common in construction products, can lead to mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other health problems.  Mesothelioma is a cancer caused almost always by asbestos exposure and is usually fatal within two years of a diagnosis.  Mesothelioma lawsuits are prevalent because many asbestos manufacturers continued to supply their products despite knowledge of its harmful effects on the lung.

With the evidence that firefighters have an increased risk of cancer, comes an increased importance to determine and follow the best safety measures.  Wearing a breathing apparatus at all times and continually maintaining the proper equipment are recommendations from Dubron.  Other suggestions from him include diesel exhaust removal systems and annual wellness exams for firefighters.  For additional information on Firefighter safety training, check out FullyInvolvedFire.com.

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