Beginning in the early 1920’s various evidences of the hazards that asbestos fibers pose to human health began to be amassed by the international medical community. The Merewether report, an investigation into public health conducted in Britain in the beginning of the 20th century, found that an entire quarter of the 360 asbestos textile mill workers it examined were suffering from pulmonary fibrosis, a scarring of the lung tissue indicated by debilitating shortness of breath.

By 1930 the first autopsies that indicated asbestos related deaths were being performed in the United States, and the first known worker’s compensation claims related to asbestos exposure were being filed. At the same time, a concerted effort to downplay the negative effects of asbestos was embarked upon by asbestos manufacturing and milling companies to prevent the collapse of the industry. The tension created by the increased diagnoses of occupational, asbestos related diseases, and the subsequent increased efforts to protect the interests of asbestos mining and fabricating companies finally broke nearly half a century later as many developed countries began regulating asbestos manufacture and use.

Today, a vast majority of asbestos mining and processing facilities in developed nations have been closed, and strict regulations have been imposed on employers which limit the permissible amount of asbestos fiber contamination in air and drinking water to what are believed to be safe levels. Some estimates show that mesothelioma, an aggressive and terminal cancer caused by asbestos exposure, is diagnosed more than 3,000 times each year in the United States alone. With the casualties of negligent asbestos exposure being so high, you would assume that governments world wide would do everything in their power to discontinue the production and implementation of asbestos materials. Surprisingly, that’s not the case.

Ottowa, Canada has spent some $20 million dollars since the 1980’s in campaigns whose aim are to engender a more receptive attitude towards the asbestos industry. Canada remains the worlds second largest producer of the dangerous substance, with Thetford Mines, Quebec, a town of 26,000, as the home of a fully operational asbestos mining facility. Canada itself doesn’t use the vast majority of the asbestos that it produces; after mining and fabricating the substance into various products it exports them to developing nations.

Yesterday was the second day of a trial in which two former executives of a Swiss building firm are accused of negligence resulting in more than 2000 asbestos related deaths. The executives allegedly failed to take the proper precautions in regards to minimizing asbestos contamination in the workplace during their terms with Eternit, a European cement giant. Prosecutor Raffaele Guariniello stated that asbestos dust in the air near the factories has caused tumors to develop in Eternit employees, their families and others living nearby.

Asbestos is a fibrous substance which was used fervently throughout the 20th century as a fire retardant and insulator in a wide variety of industries. When the material is disturbed or aggravated during manufacture or installation, tiny fibers of the substance break free and are suspended in the air for some time before coming to rest in the workplace. If these fibers are inhaled or ingested they can become lodged in the mesothelium, a protective tissue that encases our chest and abdominal cavities among others, and can eventually cause substantial internal scarring. This scarring can lead to mesothelioma, a fatal cancer, as well as other deadly diseases. The latency of asbestos related disease, that is, the time it takes to develop after exposure to asbestos, is anywhere from a few years to more than half a century. While the dangers of asbestos have been vaguely understood since the 1930’s, the material’s incredible industrial utility combined with the disease’s curiously long latency have delayed the blossom of asbestos litigation until recent years.

The trial in Turin, Italy is seeking damages for almost 3,000 individuals. The owner of Eternit, Stephan Schmidheiny, and the former managing director, Jean-Louis de Cartier de Machienne, have assembled a defense team of 26 lawyers. They deny responsibility for the health problems of Eternit’s employees, their families, and other affected individuals. If convicted, Stephen and Jean-Louis could face as many as 12 years in prison.

Three entire court rooms were made available which cover the hearing via closed circuit television for spectators, journalists, and the friends and families of those involved in the case. On the day of the opening session of the trial, Thursday, demonstrators crowded around the court bearing picket signs and banners that demand justice for the victims.

Prosecutors claim that it’s the largest trial of its kind to date, while ANSA, a well respected Italian news cooperative, is calling it “The Trial of the Century.”

The Potsdam Civic Center in Potsdam, New York has undergone several asbestos removal, cleanup and remediation efforts after Sharon LaDuke, a former employee, died of an asbestos related cancer called mesothelioma that is incurable and incredibly aggressive. Most of the Civic Center’s upstairs courtroom, basement and front office were cleared of the dangerous substance last week, with some work remaining to be done on the upstairs courtroom’s ceiling, according to Michael D. Weil’s, the Village Administrator.

Mesothelioma is a dangerous disease whose importance has been waxing in the public’s eye in recent years. The disease effects the mesothelium, a special lining that protects our body’s organs, causing internal tissue scarring and eventually the development of malignant tumors. The cancer is caused by asbestos, a material used abundantly throughout the twentieth century in the construction, mechanical, and manufacturing industries. Asbestos is a natural material that is incredibly heat resistant, has amazing insulating properties, and can be easily pressed into boards or woven into fabrics. Its potential health hazards have been noted since the 1930’s, but its actual effect on the health of industrialized nations has just become apparent in last few decades. Lawsuits demanding retribution for the contraction of mesothelioma in the workplace are becoming more and more commonplace, which is contributing to more actions being taken to prevent further exposures.

LaDuke was an employee at the Civic Center for a very long time before developing the fatal cancer. While asbestos containment and removal projects were undertaken before LaDuke’s contraction of the disease as early as the 1980’s, her untimely death and the complaints of other employees have created a renewed focus on asbestos remediation.

The Civic Center has been tested for the presence of asbestos fibers since the removal process was completed. More than one hundred tests were conducted, all of which uncovered no signs of asbestos contamination. The Civic Center, however, is not completely rid of asbestos construction materials. According to Michael Weil, asbestos materials still exist in the building’s basement.

The existence of asbestos in a building does not in and of itself constitute a danger, though. Asbestos becomes dangerous once it is inhaled or ingested into the body, which requires there to be airborne asbestos fibers in areas where employees could be exposed to them. Asbestos used inside of sealed, solid walls or between floors and ceilings is far less dangerous than asbestos insulation in say, air ducts or ventilation systems. Asbestos can become more dangerous with age, though, as the material becomes less stable in its woven or pressed forms and is more likely to release breathable fibers into the air.

Sharon LaDuke’s family has claimed that LaDuke was exposed to an unsafe work environment that resulted in her death, and has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the village. Another former employee, Shelley A. Warner, is suing the village as well, alleging that the termination of her employment was due to her expressed concerns in regards to asbestos contamination of the workplace. Officials claim that she was terminated for unrelated reasons.