W.R. Grace: Chest x-rays from 1977 showed Libby workers getting sick
Thursday, March 19th, 2009
Chest x-ray of a Libby resident
Jurors in the W.R. Grace & Co. criminal trial on Thursday heard testimony from a toxicologist who oversaw a chest x-ray study among a group of Libby miners.
The study, which was commissioned by Grace in 1977, was then compared to x-ray results from workers at another Grace facility in South Carolina. The tests showed “a high attack rate of asbestos in the Libby group,” according to a 1978 report from Dr. Daniel Teitelbaum to defendant Henry A. Eschenbach.
“As you indicated before the project began, there is a substantial difference in the attack rates of asbestos and possible asbestos disease between the South Carolina and Montana facilities. In fact, we had only one case of clear asbestos disease in South Carolina and a few cases of possible asbestos disease. There are numerous cases of asbestos disease in Montana,” according to the report. “The incidence of disease is independent of age, since there are a number of quite young individuals with obvious asbestos disease in Montana. Probably the difference lies in total exposure, fiber size, and mineral form.”
According to a defense motion to limit Teitelbaum’s testimony, the doctor was also prepared to testify that he told Grace employees that the Libby mine should be shut down because of asbestos-related hazards. The South Carolina facility, however, could remain open.
Defense lawyers succeeded in restricting Teitelbaum’s testimony, and he was allowed to speak only about his direct knowledge of the report.
Teitelbaum said Grace did not follow up on the chest study as recommended by his radiologists.
Jurors also heard from Julie Yang, who served as research manager for Grace for 20 years. She now lives in California and works as a consultant for the company.
Yang testified about a range of internal studies aimed at controlling the amount of asbestos fibers released from the vermiculite material.
The tests showed how company officials were learning about the propensity of the vermiculite product to release asbestos fibers.
“The defendants are trying to control the release of asbestos, and they are learning about the propensity of these materials to release, but whatever they do, they continue to release,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kris McLean.
Yang’s late afternoon testimony centered on her recommendation to Grace that the company conduct animal testing to determine if the asbestos-laced vermiculite is hazardous. Yang’s suggestion led to the “hamster study,” which she helped oversee. The study showed that exposure to Libby vermiculite caused cancer and mesothelioma in the animals.