July 19, 2006

Andrea Peacock is guest-blogging at Torts Prof Blog about the vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana; her conclusions can be gleaned from the title of her book, "Libby, Montana: Asbestos and the Deadly Silence of an American Corporation." For those wishing the other side of the story, W.R. Grace has a website with actual data and a timeline of what happened after it purchased the mine from the Zonolite Company. Litigation is also pending against the State of Montana; a 4-3 Montana Supreme Court decision in 2004, Orr v. Montana, held the state potentially liable, and provides additional background. The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry study on Libby showed an increase in mortality, but not the 200 deaths claimed by Peacock in her link to the report.