Who's At Fault?

Asbestos companies knew as far back as the 1930s that their products were dangerous and harmful to people. However, they concealed this information from the general public. Company memos and letters, since made public, make it clear that medical professionals and insurance firms warned the asbestos companies of the risk involved in processing and selling asbestos products. These companies chose profit over public safety.

It was not until the mid-1970s that warnings were issued to workers about the dangers of asbestos exposure. Those warnings were inadequate, and even today workers are sometimes unaware they are working with asbestos.

A groundbreaking medical report written by Nicholson, Perkel and Selikoff predicted the level of risk to the general population and projected death rates for a 50-year period (1980-2030). That report forecast that thousands of Americans would die every year from mesothelioma and asbestos lung cancer. The death rate, they noted, would peak in the year 2002. Sadly, their predictions have proven to be extremely accurate.

Because of what asbestos companies did decades ago, innocent people are paying a horrible price in suffering, medical costs and premature death.