The Problems In Asbestos Litigation

Distributed to some depository libraries in microfiche.

Asbestos litigation is the longest-running mass tort litigation in U.S. history. Through 2002, approximately 730,000 individuals have brought claims against some 8,400 business entities, and defendants and insurers have spent a total of $70 billion on litigation. Building on previous RAND briefings, the authors report on what happened to those who have claimed injury from asbestos, what happened to the defendants in those cases, and how lawyers and judges have managed the cases.

Examines the dimensions of current asestos litigation and the potential future effects of the litigation on the U.S. economy.

Written by one of the leading asbestos experts for attorneys, occupational and environmental health professionals, and others in the field of toxic substances control, this updated resource provides a comprehensive examination of the public health history of asbestos. Includes extensive discussion of corporate knowledge and responsibility for asbestos hazards and detailed discussion of alternatives to asbestos.

Asbestos is not just a problem of the past, nor is there an identifiable point in the future by which we can stop worrying about its legacy. In various countries around the world asbestos production and consumption continues unabated, storing up problems for the future. In countries that have banned the use of asbestos, such as the UK, the continued presence of this material in buildings public and private will have consequences for decades to come.Asbestos: the Future Risk is a special report that pulls together the historical background as to how this mineral came to be so widely used; the medical view of asbestos related diseases and their treatment; the current patterns of consumption that indicate where future claims may come from; and current practice for dealing with asbestos in the built environment, exposure to which has spread asbestos-related diseases to people outside those occupations that worked directly with asbestos.Asbestos: the Future Risk provides an all-round update on the present state of knowledge and sets out the challenges faced by claimants, governments, private companies, public authorities, lawyers and insurers.