Most people in North Carolina are aware that exposure to airborne asbestos fibers can cause a variety of serious illnesses, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. These same people also realize that asbestos was identified as a health hazard in the 1950s and that efforts to eliminate it from the environment started in the 1970s. People now ask why, after more than half a century of asbestos litigation and clean-up efforts, does asbestos still pose a health hazard.
Study shows how asbestos defendants pay for "scientific" research
This blog has often written about the use of medical and scientific testimony to prove that exposure to airborne asbestos fibers causes many serious illnesses, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. If an asbestos case in North Carolina or elsewhere goes to trial, both the plaintiff and the defendants can be expected to present scientific evidence to support their respective cases. Virtually all of this evidence is provided in the form of oral and written testimony by supposedly qualified scientists whose conclusions are the result of pure scientific research. Many people wonder how can both sides be right? Shouldn't science be able to provide a single answer?
Asbestos victims need experienced lawyers to assert damages claim
Many people in North Carolina think that asbestos claims are a thing of the past, but they are wrong. In the past several weeks, this blog has cited a number of cases in which exposure to asbestos-containing products has been cited as a present and serious public health risk. We also mentioned congressional efforts to pass the Further Asbestos Claims Transparency Act ("FACT Act"), which is viewed by many observers as an effort by the asbestos industry and its defenders to raise the barriers to successful pursuit of claims for damages caused by asbestos exposure. Plainly, asbestos has not "gone away" - it is still viewed as a significant health hazard and it still makes people sick.
Gateway Arch renovation stalled by asbestos
This blog has written repeatedly on two themes: the continuing presence of asbestos in the environment and the hazards associated with renovating older buildings in which use of asbestos was common. The latter theme is especially important in North Carolina and other states with large stocks of buildings constructed prior to WWII. Now these two themes have come together in surprising fashion connection with the renovation of one of America's most modernistic and iconic structures: the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
