Paul Brodeur’s “The Cruel Saga of Asbestos Disease”
LOS ANGELES, CA — March 18, 2005 — Asbestos harmed insulators, construction laborers, and other workers; crippled the town of Libby, Montana; and may have contaminated millions of homes and buildings, Paul Brodeur notes in his article, “The Cruel Saga of Asbestos Disease.” He calls on Congress to realize that asbestos diseases pose a continuing health crisis. He also urges our lawmakers to consider the plight of asbestos victims rather than the needs of companies who made asbestos products and deceived the public. The current proposal of a $140–billion trust fund for those suffering from cancers and other asbestos diseases is not nearly enough to compensate present and future asbestos victims and their families, he concludes.
A staff writer at the New Yorker for many years, Mr. Brodeur is the author of “Outrageous Misconduct: The Asbestos Industry on Trial” (Pantheon, 1985) and three other books about the dangers of asbestos. “The Cruel Saga of Asbestos Disease” was first published in the Los Angeles Times on February 18, 2005. We have reproduced the article on the Asbestos Network with Mr. Brodeur’s permission.
For more information about asbestos exposure and who contracts asbestos diseases, see Risk Factors for Asbestos Disease. If you would like us to evaluate your own asbestos–related case, please feel free to contact us at Brayton Purcell. We have over 20 years of experience in handling asbestos litigation, and can advise you of your legal options.