Environmental Toxins: Delay for Grace Asbestos Trial?

According to The Washington Post, the US prosecution attorney in the Grace Asbestos trial is asking for a delay in the trial date. The Grace trial will be one of the largest environmental health cases ever prosecuted by the Justice Department. Grace filed for bankruptcy protection in part because of its asbestos liabilities and continues to strugggle with "significant unpredictable costs to resolve litigation and legacy issues," said chief executive Fred E. Festa.

Grace is believed to have violated the Clean Air Act and been aware that they were poisoning former workers and other people living in a Montana mining town with asbestos fibers. Grace operated the Libby, Montana mine from the 1960s until the mine was closed in the 1990s. Hundreds of Libby residents have complained of lung abnormalities and other health problems, including rapidly advancing cancers.