January 9th, 2008

An appeals court overturned a ruling for W.R. Grace in an asbestos trial. The ruling overturned a lower court’s ruling that would have prohibited using several witnesses and study reports in the trial against Grace.

Evidence that was kept out of an asbestos trial against W.R. Grace will now be allowed in the proceedings. An appeals court overturned a lower court decision to exclude several witnesses and health studies at the trial, citing that the judge that made the ruling was overstepping his boundaries. The evidence points out that W.R. Grace knowingly exposed workers and the public to dangerous asbestos over a period of twenty years. The suit started over asbestos mines that were controlled by Grace in Libby, Montana.

While mining asbestos, workers and the public can be exposed to the dangerous material when it becomes airborne. Asbestos can be deadly if inhaled in particle form, since the fibers can become stuck in the body. Asbestos exposure has been known to lead to many types of diseases, including emphysema and mesothelioma, a type of aggressive lung cancer. Many residents and workers near the mines have developed respiratory illnesses including mesothelioma, which results from asbestos fibers being stuck in the lungs and keeping them from absorbing oxygen.