Mesothelioma Victims in Libby Hear More from W.R. Grace Trial

According to court proceedings recently posted on the Missoulian newspaper’s Web site, top government officials have been aware of the dangers associated with asbestos-tainted vermiculite for decades.

Just last week, a defense attorney in the W.R. Grace trial revealed studies conducted years ago by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that concerned the hazards of asbestos-laden vermiculite.

Defense attorney for Robert Bettacchi said, “It was not a secret that the defendant’s product contained asbestos.” Bettacchi, who headed the division that ran the asbestos-contaminated vermiculite mine in Libby, is one of five co-defendants in the trial.

Federal prosecutors in the case are stating the five retired executives of W.R. Grace knowingly exposed residents to asbestos and chose to hide the risks from workers and government regulators.

W.R. Grace and the five executives have since been charged with violating the federal Clean Air Act and obstructing an Environmental Agency investigation into asbestos contamination. The executives are facing as much as 15 years in prison in addition to fines that could amount to millions of dollars if convicted.

Evidence has proven that exposure to asbestos-tainted vermiculite has caused residents of Libby to be diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer developing in the lining of the lungs. Other illnesses that have been recorded include lung cancer and asbestosis.

Dr. Aubrey Miller, who visited Libby in 1999 as part of EPA’s emergency response team, testified Tuesday, March 10, stating the health hazards associated with Libby’s contaminated environment have posed an “imminent” danger to the community.

The defense attorney showed reports revealing that the government began investigating asbestos-laden vermiculite as early as 1980 and realized the effects of exposure to workers soon after. He said additional studies were conducted in 1982, 1985 and 1991, but the government chose to do nothing.

Miller responded by saying, “If we had known what Grace knew from their studies we could have done more.”

As of today, asbestos exposure from Grace’s vermiculite mine has affected nearly 2,000 Libby residents and has been responsible for more than 200 deaths.

Additional information about mesothelioma and Libby, Montana can be found through the Mesothelioma Cancer Center.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 at 2:20 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos Litigation, Mesothelioma, Montana. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.