May 2 , 2006
The impending criminal trial against W.R. Grace & Company in Libby, Montana, over widespread asbestos contamination has led to a battle between local doctors and company officials.
Grace, a local producer of chemicals and building materials, is charged with selling asbestos contaminated vermiculite for insulation and gardening uses. Their mining and milling operations also contributed to the spread of asbestos.
Doctors at the Center for Asbestos Related Disease, a non-profit clinic, are responsible for diagnosing and treating hundreds of local asbestos victims.
Graces medical plan administrator cited flaws in past medical diagnoses made by CARD doctors and has imposed new rules making reimbursement for the clinic more lengthy and complex. The company voluntarily pays for most patient care at the clinic.
Clinic administrators view this as an attempt to discredit their work and create a cash-flow crisis that may cause the clinic to close its doors.
The doctors are crucial witnesses for the prosecution in the federal criminal trial against Grace scheduled to begin this fall.
If they can put out the fact that people are being over-diagnosed, then they can reduce the credibility of the doctors, said LeRoy D. Thom, a former worker at Graces vermiculite mine and vice chairman of the clinics board.
treatment records and investigations by the clinics doctors have been invaluable to comprehending the implications of asbestos contamination, according to medical experts.
To close this clinic would prevent us learning some very important things about this disease and what we might do about it, commented Stephen M. Levin, the medical director of Mount Sinai School of Medicines center for occupational and environmental medicine.
The asbestos crisis in Libby stands as one of the worst cases of contamination in U.S. history.
A federal grand jury indicted Grace and seven of its executives last year on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and violations of the Federal Clean Air Act.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. If convicted, they could face huge fines and lengthy prison sentences.
Grace filed for bankruptcy in 2001 after being hit by tens of thousands of personal injury claims by people exposed to asbestos in the companys products.
Of Libbys population of about 8,000, more than 1,400 have received diagnoses of lung abnormalities related to asbestos exposure. People are still coming forward.
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