Althoughman hasknown aboutasbestos for manyhundredsofyears, it was notuntil 160 years agothat it wasmined for the firsttimeontheNorth Americancontinent.
Critics of the asbestos-trust system point to examples like the Kananian case in Ohio, where lawyers were sanctioned for submitting conflicting work histories to multiple trusts on behalf of a man who died of mesothelioma, which is usually attributed to asbestos.
William Aubin of Sarasota, a retired firefighter, sued Union Carbide, which manufactured the asbestos fibers used in construction equipment Aubin had come into contact with as a younger man.