The trial against the W.R. Grace company and a number of its former top executives is scheduled to begin today in Missoula, Montana. Jury members as well as a number of alternates were selected last week in preparation for the start of the trial.

W.R. Grace and executives are accused of poisoning workers and Libby, Montana residents with asbestos-contaminated vermiculite that was mined by the company.

Exposure to asbestos has been known to result in the development of a number of asbestos-related diseases including malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. Because such diseases tend to have a considerably long latency period it is very difficult to find effective treatment options for those diagnosed. In most cases such a disease will already be in its advanced stages of development by the time it is discovered.

Asbestos was in wide use during the early to mid-twentieth century before the dangerous nature of the substance was realized. It was not until congress formed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the 1970’s that use of asbestos was regulated. Now law requires that those individuals who work around asbestos follow certain rules in order to avoid exposure to the harmful substance.

Opening arguments in the Grace trial will begin to be heard today.

The trial “is one of the most complex and creative criminal prosecutions in the history of environmental regulation,” according to Andrew King-Ries, an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Montana.

Lawyers for W. R. Grace claim that the company did not conspire to hide the dangers of asbestos exposure from their workers and the residents of Libby, stating that they did not break any laws and that the company complied with asbestos-related regulations once they were instituted in the late seventies.

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.