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Pathology of Asbestos-Associated Diseases pp 293–318Cite as

Medicolegal Aspects of Asbestos-Related Diseases: A Plaintiff’s Attorney’s Perspective

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Abstract

The widespread production and use of asbestos, combined with the ambient nature of asbestos fibers and the debilitating effects of asbestos-related diseases, have caused unprecedented human suffering. This is not simply an American tragedy and it is not going away. The use of asbestos and asbestos-containing products continues throughout the world, including in the USA, and while the deadly consequences may be latent, they are no less inevitable.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    36 Fed. Reg. 3031 (March 1971).

  2. 2.

    38 Fed. Reg. 8820 (April 1973).

  3. 3.

    40 Fed. Reg. 48299 (1975).

  4. 4.

    In October 1979, the EPA issued its Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making outlining EPA’s intent to use section 6 of the TSCA to reduce the human health risk posed by asbestos. 44 Fed. Reg. 60061. In July 1982, EPA issued its reporting rule promulgated to collect information on industrial and commercial uses of asbestos. 47 Fed. Reg. 33207. In January 1986, EPA issued its Proposed Final Rule stating EPA’s finding that asbestos exposure poses an unreasonable risk to human health. 51 Fed. Reg. 3738. In July 1989, EPA issued a Final Rule entitled Asbestos, Manufacture, Importation, Processing and Distribution in Commerce Prohibitions. 54 Fed. Reg. 29460. The EPA July 1989 TSCA regulations contain specific effective dates for various bans including the manufacture, import and processing ban, distribution in commerce ban, and the ban of different asbestos products banned in various stages.

  5. 5.

    36 Fed. Reg. 10466 (May 1971).

  6. 6.

    December 1971, OSHA issued an emergency temporary standard of 5 f/cc as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) and a peak exposure level of 10 f/cc, 36 Fed. Reg. 23207. In June 1972, OSHA issued its final TWA standard of 5 f/cc and a ceiling limit of 10 f/cc. The TWA automatically reduced to 2 f/cc effective July 1976, 44 Fed. Reg. 11504. In June 1986, OSHA issued its reduced final standard of 0.2 f/cc as a TWA. A short-term exposure limit (STEL) of 1.0 f/cc was promulgated in September of 1988, 51 Fed. Reg. 22612. In July 1990, OSHA proposed a reduction of the TWA to 0.1 f/cc, 55 Fed. Reg. 29712.

  7. 7.

    51 Fed. Reg. at 22615 (June 20, 1986).

  8. 8.

    Ortiz v. Fibreboard Corp., 527 U.S. 815, 821, 119 S.Ct. 2295 (1999) (stating that asbestos litigation “defies customary judicial administration” and “calls for national legislation.” It is important to note, however, that all proposed national legislative solutions to date have been sponsored by manufacturing defendants and have been woefully inadequate in their terms in compensation to diseased individuals.)

  9. 9.

    Borel v. Fiberboard Corp., 493 F.2d 1075 (5th Cir. 1973), cert. denied, 419 U.S. 869 (1974).

  10. 10.

    Jackson v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp., 750 F.2d 1314, 1335-36 (5th Cir. 1985).

  11. 11.

    In 1995, a study concluded that the disposition of all then pending asbestos cases for both personal injury and property damages, if treated in the traditional course of litigation, would require approximately 150 judge years. See Jack B. Weinstein, Individual Justice in Mass Tort Litigation 140 (1995), citing Thomas Wiliging, History of Asbestos Case Management (Federal Judicial Center staff paper for June 25, 1990, National Asbestos Conference.).

  12. 12.

    Georgine v. Amchem Products, Inc., 157 F.R.D. 246 (E.D.Pa. 1994).

  13. 13.

    Amchem Products v. Windsor, 521 U.S. 591 (1997).

  14. 14.

    Texas statute: Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 90.001-12; Florida statute: Fla. Stat. § 774.001-209; Ohio statute: ORC Ann. 2307.91-98.

  15. 15.

    Kurns v. R.R. Friction Prods. Corp., 132 S. Ct. 1261 (2012).

  16. 16.

    Norfolk & Western Ry. v. Ayers, 538 U.S. 135 (2003).

  17. 17.

    In re Asbestos Products Liability Litigation, 771 F. Supp. 415, 423 (D.D.C. 1991).

  18. 18.

    See footnote 17.

  19. 19.

    See footnote 17.

  20. 20.

    See, e.g., Brewster v. A.W. Chesterton Co., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29420 (N.D. Cal. Apr. 6, 2007); In re United States Lines, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10135 (S.D.N.Y. July 8, 1998).

  21. 21.

    Jack B. Weinstein, Individual Justice in Mass Tort Litigation 140 (1995), citing Thomas Wiliging, History of Asbestos Case Management (Federal Judicial Center staff paper for June 25, 1990, National Asbestos Conference.)

  22. 22.

    MDL-875 Asbestos Products Liability Litigation, Caseload Statistics, http://www.paed.uscourts.gov/documents/MDL/MDL875/statistics%20MDL-875.jan2012.pdf.

  23. 23.

    U.S. Const., Art. I, § 8, cl. 17.

  24. 24.

    See 28 U.S.C. § 1331.

  25. 25.

    Anderson v. Crown Cork & Seal, 93 F. Supp. 2d 697 (E.D. Va. 2000).

  26. 26.

    See footnote 25.

  27. 27.

    See footnote 25.. (noting that the stay is subject to a number of exceptions specified in the statute itself, such as regulatory actions by the government. See 11 U.S.C. § 3 62(b). The bankruptcy court can also terminate the stay, or modify its coverage, upon motion of a party in interest in the bankruptcy case. See 11 U.S. C. § 362(d).)

  28. 28.

    Insurance Day (September 13, 2001).

  29. 29.

    Testimony has been repeatedly taken from such industry consultants as Dr. Gerrit W.H. Schepers, former director of the Saranac laboratory, and Dr. Thomas F. Mancuso, the consultant to the Philip Carey Corp., the predecessor of Celotex.

  30. 30.

    Letter from Frank H. Zimmerman, Director of Safety, National Gypsum Co., to Clifford L. Sheckler, Manager, Occupational Environmental Control, Johns-Manville Corp. (Apr. 17, 1968).

  31. 31.

    Motley, R., Kearse, A.M., Decades of Deception: Secrets of Lead, Asbestos, and Tobacco, Trial Magazine (October, 1999) (citing Asbestos Textile Institute, Minutes of the Air Hygiene and Manufacturing Committee Meeting (Mar. 7, 1957)).

  32. 32.

    For example, in 1950, the Quebec Asbestos Mining Association, whose members included Canadian asbestos mining companies, contracted with Saranac to determine whether asbestos caused cancer. A 1952 report, which was never published, showed increased cancer in mice and suggested further study. In 1957, the Canadian association contracted with the Industrial Hygiene Foundation of American to study asbestos and cancer. The resulting report concluded that those with asbestosis had an increased occurrence of lung cancer. Nevertheless, attorneys and doctors hired by the Canadian association recommended those conclusions be omitted from the final report. The 1958 published report concluded that asbestos exposure did not lead to an increased statistical occurrence of lung cancer.

  33. 33.

    Letter from Frank Zimmerman, Director of Safety, National Gypsum Co., to Clifford L. Sheckler, Manager, Occupational Environmental Control, Johns-Manville Corp. (Apr. 17, 1968).

  34. 34.

    Swentonic, M.M., Presentation by the Asbestos Information Association/North America to the Asbestos Textile Institute (June 7, 1973).

  35. 35.

    Ozonoff, D., Report concerning Medical Literature Review (1981).

  36. 36.

    Hemeon, W.C.L., Report of Preliminary Dust Investigation for Asbestos Textile Institute, Industrial Hygiene Foundation (1947) (unpublished).

  37. 37.

    Deposition of K. Smith in Louisville Trust Co. v. Johns-Manville Corp., No. 174-922, Jefferson Cir. Ct., 7th Div. Ky., April 21, 1976.

  38. 38.

    Memorandum from W.B. Hofferth to J.E. Zeller, Jan. 17, 1962.

  39. 39.

    Bonsib, RS, Dust Producing Operations in the Production of Petroleum Products and Associated Activities, A Medico-Safety Survey, Standard Oil Company (N.J.) (1937).

  40. 40.

    See footnote 39. at pp. 81 (citing Dan Harrington, Chief, Health and Safety Branch, United States Bureau of Mines, (Eng. & Min Jour. March 1937, pp 119–121)).

  41. 41.

    Deposition of Carl Dernehl in Frehse v. Anchor Packing Company, et al. (6th Judicial District Ct., Carlton County, MN), March 10, 1989.

  42. 42.

    Tossavainen [23] (This multidisciplinary group of specialist collectively published over 1000 articles on asbestos and associated disorders.)

  43. 43.

    American Thoracic Society Documents, Official Statement: Diagnosis and Initial Management of Nonmalignant Diseases Related to Asbestos (2004).

  44. 44.

    See footnote 43.

  45. 45.

    See footnote 43.

  46. 46.

    Declaration of Samuel P. Hammar, M.D., p. 2, (December 13, 2011) in Medlin v. Cleaver Brooks Boilers, et. al., Case No. 2009 CA 008958 A.

  47. 47.

    See footnote 46. at 5.

  48. 48.

    See footnote 41.

  49. 49.

    Doll and Peto [27]: “The idea that… asbestos-induced cancers occur only secondary to the fibrosis of asbestosis has sometimes been expressed. The idea originated in the days before the discovery of DNA, when cancers were not thought to result from genetic variation in somatic cells, but from the repair of tissue damage that was macroscopically visible. In light of modern knowledge of carcinogenesis, such an idea does not seem plausible. No threshold for the carcinogenic effect of asbestos has been demonstrated in humans or in laboratory animals and, in the absence of positive evidence for a threshold, we have followed standard scientific practice and assume that none exists. One possible reason for thinking that asbestos induced cancers might be secondary to asbestosis is the high incidence of cancer in the similar condition of cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis. As, however, the aetiology of this disease is unknown, the argument by analogy does not carry much weight and we have ignored it.” p. 32.

  50. 50.

    Unfortunately, the defendants consistently rely on one or two pathologists, who, in the face of overwhelming evidence favoring the diagnosis, will testify that the tumor is not a mesothelioma.

  51. 51.

    In one case tried in Virginia federal court, the diagnosis of mesothelioma was confirmed by all pathologists except one who was retained by the defendants. This defense expert contended that the tumor was a metastasis from the thyroid, and the body was exhumed for further analysis. On exhumation, the thyroid gland was found to be free of tumor.

  52. 52.

    Pelnar [29]. The author is affiliated with the Asbestos Institute.

  53. 53.

    Cross-examination of Dr. Edwin Holstein in Kulzer v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas, No. 87-386T p. 351 (W.D.N.Y., Rochester Div., Apr. 24, 1990).

  54. 54.

    See footnote 53. at 22616-17.

  55. 55.

    In approximately 20 % of cases, the history of asbestos exposure was not taken in the occupational history. However, on further investigation, asbestos exposure can almost always be elicited when preparing the mesothelioma case for trial.

  56. 56.

    Compare Roehling v. National Gypsum Co., 786 F.2d 1225 (4th Cir. 1986) with Blackston v. Shook & Fletcher Insulation Co., 764 F.2d 480 (11th Cir. 1985).

  57. 57.

    Doll and Peto [27], p. 32.

  58. 58.

    Report by Dr. Ronald Dodson, Dept. of Cell Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas Health Center at Tyler, May 27, 1988.

  59. 59.

    Report by Dr. Fred Pooley, Dept. of Mining and Minerals Engineering, University College, Cardiff, Wales, June 23, 1988.

  60. 60.

    Report by Dr. Victor Roggli, Dept. of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Dec. 4, 1987.

  61. 61.

    Dr. Dodson identified 3,025,082 chrysotile fibers per gram of dry lung tissue; Dr. Pooley identified 7,900,000 chrysotile fibers, 660,000 tremolite fibers, 64,000 crocidolite fibers, and 9,000 amosite fibers per gram of dry lung tissue; and Dr. Roggli found 6,120 fiber per gram of wet lung tissue. Dr. Roggli counted only those fibers whose length exceeded five microns, whereas Dr. Dodson and Dr. Pooley included all fibers in their counts.

  62. 62.

    Elliot, L., Loomis, D., Hein M.J., Richardson, D, Stayner, L., Lung Cancer Mortality in North Carolina and South Carolina Chrysotile Asbestos Textile Workers, Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center (2012).

  63. 63.

    http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/OtherCarcinogens/IntheWorkplace/asbestos.

  64. 64.

    Environmental Protection Agency, Airborne Asbestos Health Assessment Update, Springfield, VA: NTIS, Report No.: EPA/600/8-84/003F (1986).

  65. 65.

    http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/substances/toxsubstance.asp?toxid=4.

  66. 66.

    Consumer Product Safety Commission, CANCER HAZARD! CPSC Warns about Asbestos in Consumer Products: Safety Alert, Report No.: CPSC Document #5080 (1994).

  67. 67.

    As stated by Doll and Peto [27]: “It is not practicable to remove tremolite from chrysotile for commercial purposes and any distinction between the effects of chrysotile and tremolite may, therefore, be considered academic, unless supplies of chrysotile can be obtained in which little or no tremolite is present.” p. 17.

  68. 68.

    In answers to interrogatories, all defendants maintain that they did not use crocidolite in their asbestos-containing pipe insulation.

  69. 69.

    20 U.S.C. 3601(a)(3).

  70. 70.

    World Health Organization, Position on Asbestos, May 5, 2006.

  71. 71.

    Consensus Report, Asbestos, Asbestosis, and Cancer: The Helsinki Criteria for Diagnosis and Attribution, 23 Scand. J. Work Envtl. Health at 313; National Cancer Institute, Mesothelioma: Questions and Answers, Cancer Facts (May 13, 2002).

  72. 72.

    Excerpts of OHSA, Occupational Exposure to Asbestos, Tremolite, Anthophyllite, and Actinolite, Final Rules, 51 Fed. Reg. 22612, at 22619-620 (Jun. 20, 1986).

  73. 73.

    51 Fed. Reg. 22621 (June 20, 1986).

  74. 74.

    In re Asbestos Prods. Liab. Litig., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9169, *8 (E.D. Pa. 2012).

  75. 75.

    See, e.g.,Chapin v. A & L Parts, Inc., 733N.W.2d 29 (Mich. 2007); Berger v. Amchem Product, 818 N.Y.S. 2d 754, 762 (NY 2006); In re Asbestos Litigation, 911 A.2d 1176 (Del. Super. Ct. 2006); Rutherford v. Owens-Illinois,16 Cal. 4th 953, 958 (Cal. 1997).

  76. 76.

    Smoking and Health Proposal, Brown & Williamson (1969); http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/rgy93f00.

  77. 77.

    Minutes, Special Summer Meeting of the Quebec Asbestos Mining Association, August 8–11, 1967.

  78. 78.

    Pressure at OSHA to Alter Warning, Baltimore Sun, November 20, 2006.

  79. 79.

    Stern, E., Memorandum for David Ippolito: Response to proposed suspension, American Federation of Government Employees, Local No. 12, AFL-CIO (Nov 15, 2006); Also reported by Schneider, A., Pressure at OSHA to Alter Warning: Author of advisory on asbestos in brakes faces suspension for refusing to revise it, The Baltimore Sun (Nov 20, 2006).

  80. 80.

    Testimony of Dr. Barry Castleman before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, March 1, 2007, at 8.

  81. 81.

    Testimony of Dr. Barry Castleman before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, March 1, 2007, at 11. According to Castleman, the petition was authored by the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Brocius who refused to disclose their clients to the United Sates Congress or the media. However, an article in Corporate Counsel titled “Who Represents America’s Biggest Companies” listed Honeywell as a client of the firm. GM is also a client.

  82. 82.

    Michaels and Monforton [41]; Invoice from Exponent, Inc. dated July 2, 2003 to General Motors, Ford and Daimler-Chrysler included an item listed as: “Prepare Materials to Challenge 1986 EPA.”

  83. 83.

    Material Safety Data Sheet for Potentially Hazardous Chemicals, Section IV: Health Hazard Data Union Carbide Corporation, November 12, 1985.

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    Thomas A. Sporn

  3. Duke University Medical Center Dept. Pathology, Durham, North Carolina, USA

    Victor L. Roggli

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Motley, R.L., Kearse, A.M., Straus, A.R. (2014). Medicolegal Aspects of Asbestos-Related Diseases: A Plaintiff’s Attorney’s Perspective. In: Oury, T., Sporn, T., Roggli, V. (eds) Pathology of Asbestos-Associated Diseases. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-41193-9_12

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-41192-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-41193-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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