Less than a Decade Ago, Executives at Chemical company WR Grace were Indicted for Concealing Information About Asbestos in the Vermiculite Mines

La vermiculita es un mineral que ocurre naturalmente y generalmente no contiene asbesto. Tiene un aspecto brillante y escamoso en su forma natural, pero se hincha y parece más opaco después de calentarlo. 

Calentar la vermiculita causes it to ‘pop’ rather like popcorn. In its expanded state, it is lightweight, odorless, and fire-resistant, making it a highly useful material for fireproofing and insulation applications. 

La vermiculita por sí sola no representa ningún peligro para la salud humana. Pero, cuando se contamina con asbesto, se calienta y se manipula, puede hacer que las fibras peligrosas de asbesto se propaguen por el aire. Estas fibras son microscópicas y, cuando se inhalan o se ingieren, pueden provocar enfermedades pulmonares graves y una forma particularmente agresiva de cáncer llamada Mesotelioma. 

W.R. Grace’s Libby mine

In the 1920s, six miles from a town called Libby in Montana, mining for vermiculite began. In 1963, the operations were bought by the chemical company W.R.Grace. Two facilities based in the town heated the vermiculite, causing it to expand. Little did the workers know that the vermiculite was contaminated with asbestos, and heating it was causing serious health risks to them and the consumers using the final product

W. R. Grace Produced the Majority of the World’s Vermiculite 

At the peak of its operations, the Libby mine is estimated to have provided as much as 80% of the world’s vermiculite. Most of this product was contaminated with tremolite – one of the most toxic forms of asbestos in the familia de los anfíboles. 

The Libby vermiculite mine continued to operate until 1990, when Grace shut it down. 

The devastating consequences of W.r. Grace’s Asbestos Cover-up

By the time the Libby mine had closed down, Grace had contaminated the surrounding lands and poisoned many Libby residents. It is estimated that approximately 400 citizens of Libby have died as a direct result of the contaminated vermiculite, and nearly three thousand continue to suffer from enfermedades relacionadas con el asbesto con el asbesto, como asbestosis, cáncer de pulmón y mesotelioma. 

Además, dada la gran cantidad de Libby Vermiculite que se proporcionó a edificios y hogares en todo Estados Unidos y más allá, es difícil calcular la cantidad de víctimas potenciales. 

The lawsuit uncovers W.R. Grace’s conspiracy for profit

In February of 2005, Grace, along with seven other Grace executives, was indicted for ‘knowingly endangering residents of Libby, Montana, and concealing information about the health effects of its asbestos mining operations.’ 

Indictment of W.R. Grace Executives for Asbestos Cover-Up

Según los acusación, from as far back as the 1970s, both Grace and its executives attempted to conceal information regarding the dangers of the company’s contaminated vermiculite. The indictment goes on to state that Grace and its executives purposely concealed and misrepresented the hazardous nature of the contaminated vermiculite for the express purpose of enriching themselves and others. Co-conspirators included employees, lawyers, insurance companies, and doctors. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began assessing and working to reduce the risk to Libby residents in 1999. To Grace’s credit, they were the only asbestos company to have ever attempted to right their wrongs by removing asbestos from our environment, and have spent millions of dollars doing so. The various litigation settlements, personal injury trust payments, and EPA clean-up costs have cost the company billions of dollars. W.R. Grace is now a specialty chemical company based in Columbia, Maryland. 

Una tragedia humana y ambiental

The U.S. government called the Libby asbestos contamination the ‘worst case of industrial poisoning of a whole community in American History.’ 

The Libby mine’s contaminated vermiculite is inevitably still present in many buildings and homes throughout the country. If you think you may have vermiculite insulation in your attic, home, or building, leave it undisturbed. If you must move it, engage with professional contractors trained in safe asbestos removal to do it for you. 

AsbestosClaims.Law

AsbestosClaims.law es su recurso integral para todo lo relacionado con el asbesto. Esperamos que esta información sea útil.

Si tiene preguntas o inquietudes adicionales relacionadas con el asbesto, visite nuestro sitio web y página de YouTube para ver videos, infografías y respuestas a sus preguntas sobre el asbesto, incluida la salud y la seguridad, prueba de asbesto, la eliminación del asbesto de su hogar y edificio, y información legal sobre la compensación por lesiones de asbesto.

Y si cree que estuvo expuesto al asbesto, o le han diagnosticado una enfermedad relacionada con el asbesto, podría tener derecho a compensación significativa: dinero que podría usar para cubrir los costos de los servicios de eliminación de asbesto, pagar el tratamiento médico y proteger de forma preventiva su bienestar físico. 

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