Asbestos

Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $18.8 million to Emory Hernandez Valadez who developed cancer from their baby powder. Valadez filed suit last year in California state court against J&J, seeking monetary damages. Hernandez, 24, developed mesothelioma around his...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final Asbestos Reporting Rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act. In March 2023, the EPA released additional data related to the proposed risk management rule for public comment. These additional data concern chrysotile asbestos...

Gemstones sold at new-age stores in Australia have been recalled due to the inclusion of asbestos. A green-black gemstone, serpentine, that some believe can “detox the body and alleviate diabetes,” has been recalled due to it containing asbestos. The gemstones...

Stephan Schmidheiny, a Swiss billionaire, was sentenced to 12 years in jail for aggravated manslaughter after his company exposed hundreds of people to asbestos. Schmidheiny was a main shareholder in the cement production company Eternit Italia. He was found guilty...

The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) has the potential to protect Americans from asbestos in beauty products. The law will increase the reach of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate cosmetics. Those in favor of MoCRA...

President Biden’s administration is working with Congress to finally ban asbestos. However, they may face pushback in the form of “legal questions, political fights, funding shortfalls and other bureaucratic delays.” Congress passed the Toxic Substances Control Act in 2016, but...

Volkswagen was found liable for exposing Thomas Sorrentino to asbestos through his work as a mechanic for Volkswagen in Spokane, WA. The jury awarded $5 million to the estate of Mr. Sorrentino, and $750k to his son. Sorrentino was exposed...

Avon Products Inc. was ordered to pay over $10 million in punitive damages to a woman who contracted cancer from talc in Avon cosmetics. Avon hid the risks of their talc-based powders that cause cancer. They failed to warn customers...

A hairdresser, Pauline Kirby, who cleaned hair dryers that contained asbestos in the 1970s died from mesothelioma. Kirby’s diagnosis came in 2016, decades after her exposure to the carcinogenic material. Her husband, an electrician, said in her hearing that he...