Killing People With Asbestos is Still a Profitable Business

Many companies have no problem poisoning people with asbestos fibers as long as there’s a profit to be made. Despite centuries’ worth of medical information showing asbestos can kill those exposed to it, there are businesses spreading lies about its hazards to boost their bottom lines.

Satterley & Kelley PLLC in Louisville has more than two decades of experience representing clients in Kentucky asbestos and mesothelioma cases. Due to our success, including millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements, we’re known as one of Kentucky’s leading law firms for those with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses. Call us today at 855-385-9532.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Seventy-three nations have banned the use of asbestos. The US substantially limits its use, and failing a successful legal challenge, a ban should go into effect for all uses in five years. Many third-world countries have little or no asbestos regulation. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reports on efforts in Indonesia to require safety warnings on asbestos products sold in the country and retaliation by asbestos companies.

Last March, Indonesia’s Supreme Court ordered that a label warning buyers of the risks of asbestos exposure be put on products containing it. Health and workers’ rights groups brought the legal action. The country’s asbestos industry is now suing these groups in the Indonesian legal system for lost revenue caused by the decision.

This is seen as an effort by the asbestos industry to silence its Indonesian critics. Companies making money from asbestos include those from Kazakhstan, China, and Russia. The Fibre Cement Manufacturers’ Association (FICMA), based in India, claims that “white” asbestos, or chrysotile fibers, is a harmless chemical. They falsely state the fibers quickly break down in the body and don’t pose a threat.

FICMA demands damages that are the equivalent of $520,000 a month, plus a $463 daily penalty for any failure to pay.

FICMA is also suing three individuals from an Indonesian workers’ rights group, the Local Initiative for OSH (Occupational Safety and Health) Network (LION). It’s demanding that they:

• Apologize on national television and in newspapers for discrediting chrysotile asbestos
• Declare that it’s not hazardous

FICMA also wants the website of Indonesia’s Ban Asbestos Network (INABAN) to be cleared of any references to chrysotile.

Leo Yoga Pranata, LION Indonesia’s director of public policy, is one of the individual defendants. He says the legal action seeks a “fantastic, illogical amount of money” that could set a dangerous precedent to discourage warnings of asbestos’ dangers.

Asbestos Hazards, Including Those Posed by Chrysotile, are Widely Accepted

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that all asbestos, including chrysotile, causes cancers, including those of the lung, ovaries, and larynx. It can also cause mesothelioma, a fatal cancer of the linings of the lung, heart, abdominal organs, as well as the linings of the chest and abdominal cavities.

The WHO estimates that about 1,600 Indonesians and more than 200,000 people worldwide die from asbestos-related diseases. The organization estimates asbestos causes more than 70% of the world’s work-related cancer deaths.

The US National Cancer Institute states that when asbestos fibers are inhaled, they can be trapped in the lungs and remain there for the rest of the person’s life. These fibers cause scarring and inflammation. This impairs breathing and may lead to severe health conditions, including cancer.

Asbestos is classified as a cancer-causing substance by the following:

• The US Department of Health and Human Services
• The US Environmental Protection Agency
• The International Agency for Research on Cancer

A 1999 article on chrysotile asbestos in the Industrial Health journal states the following:

“Clinical and epidemiologic studies have established incontrovertibly that chrysotile causes cancer of the lung, malignant mesothelioma of the pleura and peritoneum, cancer of the larynx and certain gastrointestinal cancers…Comparative analyses have established that chrysotile is 2 to 4 times less potent than crocidolite asbestos in its ability to cause malignant mesothelioma, but of equal potency of causation of lung cancer.”

The risk of developing these diseases increases with chrysotile exposure and over time.

Indonesians Pay the Price for Corporate Greed and Indifference to Their Safety

It’s estimated that up to 15% of Indonesian structures contain chrysotile asbestos. The Pacific country north of Australia is made up of more than 17,000 islands. It has a population of about 281 million people, about 50 million fewer residents than the US population.

While many developed nations restricted or banned asbestos’ use, international asbestos corporations worked to keep Asian nations importing and using the toxic fibers. Indonesia’s asbestos use has increased over the past 20 years, and the number of those dying as a result may not peak for many years.

Call Us Today for A Free Consultation

If you have an asbestos-related disease, you may be entitled to compensation. To discuss your situation and how Satterley & Kelley, PLLC can help, call us at 855-385-9532, locally 502-589-5600, or contact us online to arrange a free initial consultation.