EXCERPT: Secrecy and Cover-ups regarding the asbestos scandal.
“. . .tens of thousands of its members were victimized by asbestos manufacturers, the labor federation is willing to accept the compulsory nature of the trust, provided that the fund will really be fair and solvent. Thus, it is withholding endorsement while carefully scrutinizing the emerging details of the plan and making proposals to ensure justice for all victims. AFL-CIO sources believe CAT scans would reveal the scarring, but the bill’s opponents are blocking efforts to allow CAT scan documentation. . . Dr. Jim Melius. . . ‘The failure of the manufacturers and insurers to allow CAT scan documentation is clear proof that they seek only to limit their loss, not to ensure fair compensation for all victims.’ ” ---------------
Definition of asbestosis and silicosis: EXHIBIT 12.
EXCERPTS: “Asbestosis is a term applied to a scarring of lung tissue
when the cause is believed to be asbestos exposure. Prolonged exposure to scores of different dust particles which penetrate the lung’s forward line of defenses results in the accumulation of macrophages and inflammatory cells in the alveoli (the air exchange sacks of the lung), which can lead to a scarring of lung tissue. When that occurs, the condition is termed interstitial or parenchymal “fibrosis.” If the fibrosis is the result of exposure to silica (sand), the condition is termed “silicosis”; if it is the result of exposure to asbestos, it is called “asbestosis.” While fibrosis caused by silica exposure manifests differently on an X-ray than fibrosis caused by asbestos exposure, the principal difference ensuing from identifying a fibrosis as asbestosis, that is, caused by exposure to asbestos, rather than one of the other causes of fibrosis, does not lie in the medical realm. Rather, it is a function of the compensation system. Whereas a diagnosis of one cause of fibrosis may yield no compensable claim, a clinical diagnosis of asbestosis enables the subject to be eligible for compensation. In its mildest form, asbestosis causes no breathing impairment and is detectable only by chest X-ray. In more severe cases, significant fibrosis can decrease the elasticity of the lungs, and “interfere with the lung’s ability to oxygenate the blood.”30 In its most severe form, asbestosis is progressive and debilitating and can lead to death. The degree of asbestosis, as determined by X-ray reading, is usually evaluated according to a classification system developed by the International Labour Office (ILO).31 The system uses a scale that was developed to systematically record the radiographic abnormalities in the chest provoked by the inhalation of dusts.32 On the ILO scale, chest X-rays are classified according to the number of abnormalities (termed “opacities”) in a given area of the chest film. They are usually read by B-readers, specially qualified persons. . .”* * * * * * * * * *
