URALITA, Judge, asbestos and contaminated people

Asbestos (or asbestos) is a mineral known for centuries, and also its effects. Since the famous Roman Gaius Pliny, best remembered as Pliny the Elder, referred to in the century to a lung disease that affected the slaves who wove asbestos clothing. Since that time and especially in the twentieth century, there have been numerous scientific research that shows the close relationship of asbestos exposure with lung cancer. So much so that by the year 1943 in Germany, was declared as an occupational disease, the same happened in 1963 in the U.S.

In its edition of July 21 this year, the BBC, in an article entitled “The asbestos will kill a million people is reporting on research conducted with the Consortium of Investigative Journalists, several public health experts predicted a strong increase in deaths over the next twenty years due to the use of asbestos in the construction industry, especially in countries like India, China, Brazil and Mexico. Also the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 100,000 workers die each year from diseases related to this fiber.

Asbestos is a material used in various materials such as tiles, slabs, tiles, paper and cement also in the automotive or packaging. The economic size of the asbestos market is huge, especially for exports to developing countries, where laws are more permissive. This substance, whose use is restricted in 52 countries-free airborne debris that can cause various lung diseases including some cancers. Canada, one of the largest producers of white asbestos, exports the product, but prohibits their use in the country.

Exposed this context, it is no wonder that after seven years of litigation, a judge in Madrid has ordered the company to compensate Uralita almost four million euros to 45 residents of Cerdanyola del Vallès and Ripollet for damage caused (cancer, respiratory problems and others) of its proximity to the factory URALITA, and the consequent environmental pollution by asbestos. The ruling is historic for the first time in Spain is granted the right to compensation to citizens who are not factory workers. Another significant fact is that the opinion recognizes moral damage because of the anguish and the “degradation of quality of life” that they assumed the neighbors to change their habits to prevent disease progression.

URALITA claims that he always respected the laws in force and even be ahead of regulatory constraints to investment security. The ruling concludes that despite the harmful effects of asbestos became known throughout the second half of the twentieth century, the company committed negligence cannot be exempt. States: “Although quantitatively the smoke and gases emitted by the factory could URALITA respect the regulations made pollution levels, the truth is that qualitatively were harmful and damaging to others, totally unrelated to the industrial exploitation, which shows that such measures were insufficient torque to prevent damage to third parties.

This sentence is an example of what it means to go beyond the law, of what value and care involves the health of citizens above the purely economic interests. A milestone for managers and their business operate in the long term. Ultimately, the demonstration that ethical and responsible actions of any organization are not only desirable but also profitable.

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Asbestos Cancer CategoriesAsbestos Cancer GeneralAsbestos Cancer ArchivesOctober 2010September 2010August 2010

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