The Environmental Protection Agency took an unusual step last week: It opened a new period in which the public can comment on its proposed asbestos ban. The agency had gotten new information, officials said, including a series of ProPublica reports on dangerous working conditions in factories that use asbestos to make chlorine. Asbestos has been … [Read more...]
Montana Supreme Court: BNSF Not Shielded from Liability in Libby Asbestos Cases
In a unanimous decision, the Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday determined that BNSF Railway Company is not shielded from liability for its role in spreading [ asbestos dust ] in the Northwest Montana town of Libby, where hundreds of people have died and thousands more are sick due to exposure. Facing hundreds of asbestos-related damage claims … [Read more...]
Statute of Repose Bars Asbestos-related Claim by Former Power Plant Worker
The estate of a career pipefitter who died from mesothelioma recently lost an appeal on claims that asbestos exposure caused his cancer and the exposure, in the course of his employment, violated the state’s safe place statute. [ This was an appeal of the trial court’s ruling that plaintiff’s complaint was barred by the Wisconsin construction … [Read more...]
U.S. states sue EPA for stricter asbestos rules
Ten U.S. states and Washington, D.C. sued the Environmental Protection Agency to begin working on rules to tighten oversight of asbestos, and reduce the health risks that the substance poses to the public. The attorneys general from California and Massachusetts, Xavier Becerra and Maura Healey, said on Monday they are leading the case, after the … [Read more...]