– 1906 – First case of asbestos-related disease discussed in medical literature
– 1908 – The Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) is officially enacted into US federal law to protect and compensate railroad workers injured on the job. Asbestos exposure was included as one of these injuries.
– 1924 – British woman, Nellie Kershaw, dies from the first recorded case of asbestosis
– 1926 – First successful compensation claim by an ill asbestos worker was settled without trial before the Massachusetts Industrial Accidents Board
– 1929 – Workers begin holding asbestos companies like Johns Manville accountable for their health problems
– 1930 – The first autopsy of an asbestos victim is done by a physician at Mayo Clinic
– 1932 – The US Bureau of Mines sends a letter to asbestos manufacturer Eagle-Picher saying, “It is now known that asbestos dust is one of the most dangerous dusts to which man is exposed.”
– 1932 – The first disability award is given to a maintenance worker in a federal hospital after an asbestosis claim is filed
– 1938 – The United States adopts a “safe” dust limit of 176 particles of asbestos per cubic centimeter within the workplace
– 1938 – German researchers link six cancer deaths among textile works to asbestos. Further studies confirm death caused by asbestos dust in mice
– 1943 – Asbestos is used heavily by US Navy members during WWII to build ships. Today, a majority of the mesothelioma cases come from US Navy veterans.
– 1955 – A study concludes that asbestos workers face ten times the risk of lung cancer compared to the general population
– 1969 – Johns-Manville, the largest American manufacturer of asbestos products, pays $1 million in worker compensation
– 1971 – Asbestos becomes the first single substance regulated as a human health hazard by OSHA under the authority of the Occupational Safety and Health Act
– 1973 – An insulation worker wins damages from large asbestos manufacturers
– 1982 – John’s Manville files for bankruptcy after a significant increase in asbestos litigations
– 1988 – John’s Manville introduces its Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust, designed to handle the majority of its asbestos liabilities
– 1989 – The EPA issues a ban against many asbestos products. Unfortunately this ban is overturned in 1991 leaving certain asbestos products banned and other allowed.
– 1994 – Mesothelioma is recognized as a global health problem by the World Health Organization
– 1999 – The UK bans asbestos completely
– 2002 – 730,000 asbestos claims are filed among 8,400 law firms, resulting in $70 billion from defendants
– 2003 – The largest asbestos verdict for a single plaintiff is awarded for $250 million
– 2006 – The Owens Corning Fireboard Asbestos Personal Injury Trust is Established
– 2006 – The Armstrong World Industries Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust is established
– 2009 – The ASARCO LLC Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust is established
– 2011 – Mining of asbestos is stopped in Canada
– 2012 – Two asbestos tycoons, Stephan Schidheiny and Jean-Louis de Cartier, go to prison for negligence from asbestos-related deaths of 2,200 Italians prior to 1992
– 2013 – The Further Asbestos Claims Transparency (FACT) Act, which makes it more difficult for asbestos victims to file mesothelioma lawsuits, passes in the US house of Representatives
