Asbestos: Optional Resources

"The Asbestos Conspiracy," Patrick Herman and Annie Thebaud-Mony, Le Monde Diplomatique, July 2000 -- "The WTO is examining a complaint by Canada, which exports 99% of its output, against France, which banned it in 1997. The WTO's Dispute Settlement Body is quite capable of finding in favour of the purveyors of death and the governments that so shamelessly support them, since it habitually puts 'freedom' for trade before any other consideration."

"Dying from Asbestos," Arthur J. Miller, Industrial Worker, October 1999 -- A tale of sabestos' dangers, ending with the warning: "Remember, there is no safe level of asbestos, or capitalism!"

"Continuing Government Cover-up of Asbestos Health Disaster in Australia," Margaret Rees, World Socialist Web Site, 20 March 2001 -- �Without doubt this is the worst industrial disaster that has ever befallen this country.�

"Major Brands of Kids' Crayons Contain Asbestos, Tests Show," Andrew Schneider and Carol Smith, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Tuesday, May 23, 2000 -- Three major brands of crayons-- scribbled with and nibbled on by millions of children worldwide-- contain asbestos, tests conducted for the P-I show. [alternate site]

"'It didn't matter what they called it... it's killing us,'" Andrew Schneider, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 22 June 2000 -- Talc containing asbestos has been mined and milled in St. Lawrence County, new York, since 1878. Most of the nation's top crayon makers put talc from the R.T. Vanderbilt Co. mines there in their products. "We know why Vanderbilt lied about the danger; it would be bad for business and no one would work for them," said one Vanderbilt worker.

"Asbestos Found in Many Common Garden Products," Andrew Schneider and Carol Smith, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 31 March 2000 -- Federal investigators have found potentially lethal forms of asbestos in several lawn and garden products that contain vermiculite, a mineral used in hundreds of such products nationwide. Horticultural industry analysts estimate that at least 65 local, regional and national companies produce more then 375 lawn and garden products containing vermiculite. None of the products tested carried labels warning consumers that they contained asbestos.

"Asbestos Deaths Common in Montana Mining Town," Associated Press, Environmental News Network, 17 December 2000 -- The death rate from asbestos-related illnesses in the Montana town of Libby, the site of an asbestos- contaminated vermiculite mine, is 40 times the state average and 60 times higher than the national average, a federal study found.

"A Silent Killer; Montana Town Home to Environmental Disaster," Jason Rovou, ABCNews.com, 7 April 2000 -- Libby, Montana story

	Millions of tons of the same asbestos- tainted vermiculite ore that sickened and killed hundreds in Libby, Mont., was shipped to plants in cities across the United States. This is only a partial list, courtesy of The Seattle Post- Intelligencer. (ABCNEWS.com/Magellan Geographix)
(From: http://www.abcnews.go.com/onair/2020/2020_000331_libby_feature.html )

"Asbestos -- It's The Killer That Won't Die," Andrew Schneider and Carol Smith, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 11 February 2000 (posted at Common Dreams News Center) -- Failure to ban fiber in U.S. imperils more lives.

"Whe Removing Asbestos Makes No Sense," Todd Buchanan, USA Today, 2 February 2000 -- "Asbestos in buildings creates a cancer risk so low that it barely can be measured. A person who spends a career inside a building rich with asbestos materials is more likely to die of a lightning bolt, a bee sting or a toothpick lodged in the throat than an asbestos-related cancer."

"Historical Asbestos Comments," Professor J. Caravanos, EOHS Program, Hunter College of the City University of New York, November 1998

"Uncivil Action: A town left to die," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 18 November 1999 -- "Tiny Libby, Mont., depended for years on the jobs at a vermiculite mine. But the mine is closed now, and a P-I investigation shows the town is paying a tragic price for those jobs. Hundreds of former miners, their wives and children, and other townspeople have either died or been diagnosed with fatal illness from asbestos the mine released into the air." Also see the numerous links on this page to P-I follow-up stories

"Deadly Sequel: Corporate villain of A Civil Action again in court for poisoning a town," Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman, San Francisco Bay Guardian, 15 December 1999 -- "W.R. Grace should be considered a candidate as one of the world's most rapacious corporate predators. ...At least 192 people have died of diseases triggered by exposure to asbestos in a mine near Libby, Mont., that was owned by Grace for nearly 30 years."

"Mining Town Struggles With Asbestos Worries," Susan Gallagher, Associated Press, 01 January 2000 -- More about the asbestos contamination in Libby, Montana.

"Cancer For Sale; Canada's Asbestos Crusade," Jim Young, In These Times, 1999, v. 23, n. 20 -- "Thirty years since the lid was blown off industry's cover-up of asbestos hazards, most Americans are familiar with the slow death associated with what was once called the "magic mineral." Less well known is that Canada, our environmentally sensitive neighbor to the north, is the world's number one asbestos exporter-- and is now spearheading a fierce campaign to fight international efforts to ban its product. Since new use of asbestos has almost disappeared in the United States and other industrialized countries because of government regulation and market pressures, the main target of Canada's drive has been developing countries."

Breath Taken: The Landscape & Biography of Asbestos, a photo exhibition by Bill Ravanesi; posted at Boston University School of Public Health-- highly recommended (may be slow loading)

Kent Micronite Filter Cigarette Ad, from Life Magazine, 1955 -- "KENT gives greater filter protection than any other cigarette."

"'Kent gives greater filter protection than any other cigarette.' Between 1952 and 1957 P. Lorillard Co. produced over 13 billion Kent Micronite 'filter' cigarettes with crocidolite asbestos fibers." --Paul Brodeur, 1990, "The Asbestos Tragedy"

"Corporate Influence at International Science Organizations," by Barry Castleman and Richard Lemen, Multinational Monitor, Jan/Feb 1998, v. 19, n. 1 & 2-- how the asbestos industry is trying to bend reports and recommendations of international scientific groups, such as the International Labour Organization and the World Health Organization.

"Hamster Gets Mesothelioma in Swiss Lab," Robert Horowitz, Fiberglass Information Network, March 1997.

"Asbestos: 400,000 Miles of Drinking Water Pipes May Have Been Made With The Deadly Substance," Barbara Robson, Winnipeg Free Press, February 1987.

Questions and Answers About Asbestos Exposure, National Cancer Institute, 1996.

"Homeless Victimized in Asbestos Removal Jobs," H. Josef Hebert (Associated Press), Athens (GA) Daily News and Banner-Herald, 25 April 1998. -- "Vulnerable and seeking work, the homeless are increasingly becoming victims in illegal asbestos removal scams where they are employed without training or adequate protection, the Justice Department said. Indictments made public Friday charged the three Wisconsin men-- Buddy V. Frazier, Chance C. Gaines and James E. Bragg-- with illegal asbestos removal, not training the homeless workers and failing to follow safe removal procedures. The maximum penalty is five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. The case involved 13 workers, six of whom allegedly came from the Community Kitchen homeless shelter in Chattanooga, Tenn., to Marshfield, Wis., to remove asbestos from a Weyerhaeuser building. The case was exposed when a worker complained about not being paid."

Outrageous Misconduct, by Paul Brodeur, 1985, Pantheon Books. [In UWSP Library]

Asbestos: Medical and Legal Aspects, Fourth Edition, 1996, by Barry I. Castleman, Published by Aspen Law & Business, 7201 McKinney Circle, Frederick, MD 21701.

"Asbestos in Snack Food Downplayed as Threat," Mark Somerson, Medical Reporter, Columbus (OH) Dispatch, 29 January 1998. -- Interstate Brands, based in Kansas City, Mo. recalled more than a dozen snack foods because they may have been contaminated with asbestos fibers when insulation was removed from a plant. The following products were recalled: Dolly Madison Cupcakes and Hostess HoHo's, Twinkies, Light Twinkies, Cupcakes, Light Cup, Light Brownie, Chocolicious, Muffin-Oat Bran, Valentine, Hoppers, Dessert Cup, Fruit Pies and Honey Bun. Dr. Bill Wolowich, director of the Central Ohio Poison Center at Children's Hospital, downplayed the threat, saying "Even if asbestos is ingested, it is unlikely to cause short- or long-term problems." Wolowich said a 1996 government study showed no risk of health problems for people exposed to low levels of asbestos over two years, and that "no fatalities have been recorded, even if it is inhaled." [Formerly at www.cd.columbus.oh.us/news/newsfea98/jan98/asb0129.html]

Thomas Detwyler maintains this page (tdetwyle@uwsp.edu)
Last updated 20 March 2001