$18.5 Million Verdict for Aerospace Plastics Molder Exposed to Asbestos

By Brian Cole

Published on September 18, 2006

Mesothelioma is a deadly form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. It affects the lining of the lungs and is nearly always fatal.

Union Carbide, a former asbestos mining and manufacturing corporation, was found to have been negligent in their failure to provide warnings about a defective open asbestos fiber product. While employed at the Sacramento-based aerospace plastics company American Polytherm, Bakkie worked with a defective Union Carbide product, the RG-144, in the manufacture of a canal sealant that was used in large projects, including the California Aqueduct.

The jury awarded $3,223,450 in economic damages and $15,300,000 in non-economic damages.

Union Carbide was a primary supplier of Calidria asbestos, mined near Fresno, California.

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