The ceiling was constructed of asbestos insulation board (AIB), a material commonly used in many buildings before it was banned in 1999.

BBC: Belfast Health Trust fined over City hospital asbestos

J. firm that made cork bottle caps and insulation that contained asbestos.

FORBES: An Affair to Remember

So Owens-Illinois , which quit making asbestos insulation in 1958 but still faces thousands of lawsuits, has asked the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in Cleveland to halt trials against solvent companies, including Owens-Illinois, until plaintiffs have resolved their claims against the trusts.

FORBES: Magazine Article

So Owens-Illinois (nyse: OI - news - people ), which quit making asbestos insulation in 1958 but still faces thousands of lawsuits, has asked the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in Cleveland to halt trials against solvent companies, including Owens-Illinois, until plaintiffs have resolved their claims against the trusts.

FORBES: No Double Dipping

In a hearing scheduled for mid-January, Bernick will try to persuade a Delaware bankruptcy judge to value as worthless tens of thousands of claims stemming from lawsuits against Grace, which used asbestos in spray-on fireproofing and Zonolite insulation and other fireproofing products.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Because of the nature of the business, cover written 10, 20 or even 50 years ago can be called upon to pay out massive damages today the prime example being asbestos, the harmful effects of which were unknown when it was first used as an insulation material.

ECONOMIST: An industry littered with casualties