'Secret' Was Deadly For A Town Saturated In Asbestos, Prosecutors Say

Here's an interesting case starting in Montana that I think I will keep my eye on. It involves a criminal trial against executives from W.R. Grace for allegedly knowingly exposing Libby, Montana, residents to asbestos. About 1,200 of the residents have become sick or have died. The thing that got my attention is the fact that the company executives are not being asked to open their checkbooks and pay civil damages, they are being asked to spend up to 15 years in prison as well as pay significant criminal fines.

Many environmental law experts have describes this case as the most significant criminal prosecution the U.S. has ever filed against an alleged corporate polluter. They say there has never been a case in which so many people have been sickened or  killed as a result of an environmental crime. You would have to think this type of case would get the attention of anyone who may think about ignoring the ramifications to the public for corporate polluting. Here's what happened.

For 27 years G.R. Grace operated a vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana. They produced bags of the puffy white granules that were sent all over the U.S. for use insulating attics and aerating gardens and potting soil. The problem was the vermiculite contained small quantities of asbestos. For those who don't know asbestos is a cancer causing fiber that can fatally lodge itself into a persons lungs.

The material posed a risk not only to the mine workers, but also to those who touched the workers clothing or used the high school running track and community ice-skating rink, both of which were built with asbestos laden mine tailings donated by the company.  An estimated 1,200 residents died or developed asbestos related diseases from the fibers that permeated nearly ever corner of the small town according to Justice Department attorneys.

Although corporate polluting that kills is a huge issue, the real issue in this case is the alleged withholding of information concerning this problem. The indictment claims that by 1976 the company had data that showed that 63% of all employees who had worked 10 years or more in Libby had lung abnormalities. Six years later, a Harvard University researcher concluded that an "excessive number" of former W.R. Grace employees had died of lung disease. These findings were kept secret from the public according to the Governments case.

If you are interested in this case here is a link to a blog from the University of Montana that is following and analyzing the trial. http://blog.umt.edu/gracecase/. I think I am going to follow what happens in the case. You may also find it worth reading.

Art Kosieradzki