Borel v. Fibreboard: The Landmark Case That Opened the Asbestos Litigation Floodgates
In 1973, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the first successful asbestos products liability verdict in American history. Clarence Borel, an insulation worker dying…
The VA’s Systematic Failure: How Veterans with Mesothelioma Were Left Without Benefits
US veterans with mesothelioma are entitled to VA disability benefits — but the system has systematically failed them. Inadequate exposure documentation requirements, understaffed claims processing,…
The Saranac Lake Laboratory: How the Asbestos Industry Buried Its Own Science
For forty years, the Saranac Lake Laboratories conducted research on industrial lung diseases — substantially funded by asbestos manufacturers. When their animal studies confirmed that…
Asbestos in American Schools: The Buildings That Exposed a Generation
The majority of US school buildings constructed between 1950 and 1975 contain asbestos in ceiling tiles, floor tiles, pipe insulation, and spray-applied fireproofing. An estimated…
The Brake Mechanics: How Automotive Workers Were Exposed to Asbestos for Decades
For more than forty years, brake mechanics across America routinely used compressed air to blow asbestos dust from brake drums — a practice that created…
W.R. Grace and the Libby Disaster: How a Company Poisoned an Entire Town
The Libby, Montana vermiculite mine — operated by W.R. Grace & Co. for decades — contaminated an entire community with asbestos. Internal documents show Grace…
The Ban That Never Happened: 50 Years of Congressional Failure on Asbestos
The United States remains one of the only developed nations that has not comprehensively banned asbestos. This is the documented record of every legislative effort…
The Ships That Killed Them: Asbestos Exposure in the US Navy, 1940–1980
US Navy vessels built between 1940 and 1975 were among the most asbestos-intensive environments ever created. Veterans who served below decks face the highest mesothelioma…
$32.7 Billion in Asbestos Trust Funds: Who Is Eligible and How to File
More than 60 companies that manufactured asbestos-containing products have established bankruptcy trust funds totalling over $32.7 billion. Most mesothelioma patients are eligible to file against…
The Johns-Manville Papers: What America’s Largest Asbestos Producer Knew in 1934
A review of more than 800 internal documents from Johns-Manville Corporation reveals that company leadership was warned in 1934 that asbestos exposure caused fatal lung…
