When the Manville Corporation filed under Chapter 11 of the federal Bankruptcy Code in 1982, it was the most financially healthy company ever to do so. Its action temporarily halted product-liability lawsuits brought against the company by the victims of asbestos-related cancer and other diseases. "Outrageous Misconduct" updates Paul Brodeur's remarkable four-part series of articles on the asbestos industry that appeared in "The New Yorker". It examines Manville's unprecedented -- and headline-making -- maneuver; it exposes the efforts of other asbestos manufacturers to avoid compensating asbestos victims; and it reveals the involvement of some of the nation's highest officials in trying to bail out the asbestos industry from its financial and legal difficulties. In "Outrageous Misconduct" Brodeur reveals in depth and detail the story of how Manville and other companies effected a fifty-year coverup of the asbestos hazard. He also tells the story of how a handful of dedicated trial lawyers have pieced together the overwhelming evidence of this coverup and used it in courtrooms across the nation to win hundreds of millions of dollars in damages from the asbestos industry and its insurers. -- From publisher's description.

Although asbestos was once considered a miracle mineral, today even the word itself has ominous implications for all strata of our society. Incorporated in the past into over 3000 different industrial and consumer products, as well as in building materials and military equipment, opportunities for exposure continue to be ever present in our environment. Of all of us who are potentially exposed, blue collar workers are at greatest risk.Countless thousands of workers and servicemen in a wide variety of trades were disabled or have died consequent to the health effects of asbestos, and many more can be expected to be affected in years to come. Litigation continues, and financial awards in the billions have bankrupt many Fortune 500 companies and numerous smaller companies.While one might implicate our forefathers in this widespread, relentless medical catastrophe, it has been only in recent decades that science has appreciated the complexities of the problem and the long latencies before the asbestos-associated diseases appear clinically. After all these years, prevention remains the hallmark of disease control, as modern treatments remain, to a large extent, futile.

Asbestos have been used in many different environments, including industrial and home construction projects, vehicles, railroads and shipyards, to name a few. Asbestos have significantly affected many lives, particularly individuals and their families who have experienced substantial direct or indirect occupational exposure to asbestos as well as asbestos-containing products and equipment. Many diseases and conditions are reported to have a direct or indirect causal link to asbestos exposure. This book summarises the historical background, current knowledge and advancements concerning asbestos and its related diseases in a simple, easy to understand and concise format. The first chapter covers asbestos mineralogy, industrial applications, occupational and environmental exposure as well as methods of fiber analysis. The second chapter focuses on asbestos pathogenesis, including asbestos levels in the environment and various worksites, the biological effects of asbestos fibers and factors determining its toxicity. The third chapter provides an overview of asbestos-related diseases such as asbestosis, pleural diseases, lung cancer and mesothelioma. Each section also includes a discussion of cause and causation, clinical presentation, pathology, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and surveillance. The fourth chapter outlines the basic concepts of biostatistics and epidemiology, criteria in establishing the causal relationships, the occupational approach of environmental diseases and current standards and regulations. This book serves as an easy to read, quick reference presented in a bulleted format that allows readers to quickly and easily review the information. It is a useful resource for occupational medicine specialists, healthcare providers and environmental scientists who are interested in understanding asbestos and managing asbestos-related diseases.

"Examines three major cases in which litigation was used to achieve regulatory ends: the EPA's suit against heavy duty diesel engine manufacturers; asbestos and silica dust litigation by private attorneys; and private and state lawsuits against cigarette manufacturers"--Provided by publisher.