Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

Prosecutors in the asbestos trial against W.R. Grace and five former executives continue to try to prove that the company violated the Clean Air Act, conspired against EPA investigative and clean up efforts, and obstructed justice by withholding information that showed that asbestos causes deadly diseases. W.R. Grace mined asbestos contaminated ore for decades, and produced many insulation and gardening products which had widespread distribution. They are charged with knowingly exposing workers and the community of Libby to deadly asbestos fibers, and doing so in violation of federal law. 

 

This week the defense tried to prove that Grace did all it could to protect others from exposure to asbestos:  conducting research, testing products, and meet ing continually changing regulations to increase safety. Federal prosecutors counter that Grace Executives, through their own research, knew that the vermiculite ore mined released levels of asbestos that were unhealthy.

 

One government witness, Dr. Alan Whitehouse, discussed results from a study that show there are currently more than 1,800 cases of asbestos-related disease in Libby, and over 200 deaths have been attributed to exposure to asbestos. 

 

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral that is incredibly heat, fire and corrosion resistant. Because of these properties it was widely used in many products until its use was banned in the mid 1980’s. Asbestos is a known carcinogen that, when inhaled, leads to several serious diseases, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis and asbestos-related lung cancer. 

 

Mesothelioma is primarily caused by inhalation of asbestos fibers, which then become lodged in the lung and cause serious damage over time. It is the most serious disease caused by asbestos and has no known cure. Mesothelioma affects the lining of the lungs or the lining of the abdominal cavity, and symptoms of the disease do not begin to show until decades after exposure. 

 

In the Libby community, exposure is believed to have been caused through place of employment where asbestos was inhaled, living with someone who worked with the deadly material, or by living in a community highly contaminated with asbestos.