Fatal Deception: The Untold Story of Asbestos: Why it is still legal and killing us

by Michael Bowker

At first glance, the events in this audiobook may seem equal parts science fiction and legal thriller. Unfortunately, this is a true story of blinding greed, cruel deceit, unfortunate circumstance, and powerful human tragedy. It has villains and heroes, but it does not yet have a good ending. Something's wrong in Libby, Montana. Residents are dying at a rate sixty times higher than the national average from a battery of insidious diseases, and they will continue to suffer for decades to come. The cause: a so-called miracle mineral that generations of families felt thankful for, until they discovered that the "miracle" was too good to be true -- and that the town's disturbing mortality rate was hardly an accident.

The scope of the treachery goes far beyond Libby. Even before the dust had settled following the September 11 terrorist attacks, those who live and work in lower Manhattan were voicing well-founded concerns about air quality around Ground Zero. Tests conducted at the site yielded conflicting results -- and possibly evidence of a continuing corporate and governmental cover-up that mirrors a pattern of deception threatening not only the physical health of millions of Americans but the financial stability of our economy.

In 1989, the EPA banned the manufacture, importation, processing, and distribution of commercial asbestos -- but the ban didn't hold. Asbestos is big business, rivaling tobacco in its profitability. By 1991, powerful corporate lobbyists succeeded in having the ban overturned. Today, asbestos remains an ingredient in more than three thousand products on sale in the United States and many more that are exported to developing nations around the globe.

Genres: Law

Audio CD

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book of the sorry scandal that is Asbestos. The most telling was Chapter 16 detailing the malicious fraud by the EPA that has crippled thousands of good Samaritans who help at ground zero and for whom billions have been set aside for medical relief. I use facts Bowker presents in my own book "Dioxinomics: The Myth of Superpower in the Age of Dioxin."

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Asbestos sometimes enters what I do at work, so I found the subject area mildly interesting, although I found myself skimming certain parts of the book. I have a problem with books like this that claim to be nonfiction but are really are a combination of "creative nonfiction" and opinion. The cover of the book says "why is it still legal and still killing us". It certainly is killing some people and that is very unfortunate but asbestos exposure is not a pervasive problem that most of us face. It's certainly worth a read if you like the science-y nonfiction books but don't expect to end up knowing the entire story.

[Rockconner · Rating 3 out of 5]

infuriating

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding and Infuriating !!! Everyone needs to be aware off the lack of accountability of many of our largest Corporations. Everyone should read this !!!

[Shiftopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good. I wish there was an updated version. 2003 was a long time ago..

[Linda Buckland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another cover-up by government and big business. Extremely frustrating to read how so many individuals died horrible deaths through no fault of their own.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hard, triggering read, as my father died of mesothelioma. The book itself focused on Libby, Montana. I wish that the topic of asbestos had been covered in more breadth than depth, but that is personal choice. There was good information on Ground Zero. This book is 20 years old, yet little has changed. Asbestos is still not banned in the United States, and is still a major issue. I am so very grateful that this book was written and I wish that more folks were active in the movement to ban asbestos. My father suffered miserably for five years, all the while knowing his prognosis was fatal. I can’t even begin to imagine the lives of those suffering from asbestosis for 10, 20 years and more. Of course Dick Cheney and other corporate bigwigs have been fighting against payouts, and so many corporations have now bankrupted trusts to “pay” victims pennies on the dollar via settlement. Here’s hoping for a kinder future for the working class of this country.

[Anna Engel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an extremely one-sided book written by a journalist with an axe to grind. Browker wants to stir up irrational fear and panic; this type of journalistic fear-mongering does little to provide information and serves only to incite the masses unreasonably.

There's no question that asbestos has ruined thousands of lives. The tragedy of Libby, MT and other Libby-related sites is wide-ranging. These sites need to be remediated or completely shut down/capped. Corporate greed and irresponsibility has caused so much wrong.

Browker, however, advocates not just banning asbestos, but also its complete removal from homes and buildings, which ignores the fact that releasing these fibers willy-nilly through unsafe abatement would be much more hazardous than leaving the asbestos-containing products in place.

The reality is the meso is a very rare cancer, however awful it might be. The reality also is that most people are at most at minimal risk for exposure to asbestos at any level relevant to adverse effects.