A woman from San Francisco has pleaded guilty to concealing the presence of asbestos in the Mississippi Queen steamboat.

Chiu and her company, Cheery Way Inc. faced a federal charge under the Clean Air Act as they knew the boat had asbestos in it but did not tell a Pierre Part demolition contractor. She faces two years in jail, up to five years probation and large fines.

Removal of asbestos is heavily regulated, in large part because exposure to asbestos fibers can cause respiratory problems and rare cancers.

The 376-foot Mississippi Queen which began its life in 1976 was sold for scrap in October 2010 to a California company owned by Chiu in October 2010. The company arranged for tests on the boat and discovered asbestos in the walls and ceiling of the ship but did not tell the regulators nor the demolition company, Argosy Boat Co, in Pierre Part. The demolition company had no prior asbestos abatement experience and was not a certified asbestos abatement contractor. Workers started demolition without being required to take safety precautions.

Following a tip off the Department of Environment became involved and the prosecution followed.

Sentencing is due in May this year.

If you or someone you know is suffering from an asbestos related disease, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation. You may be entitled to an asbestos payout as part of an individual or class action lawsuit.

Many people believe that asbestos is now banned in the United States, once it was discovered that people started to get sick following exposure to its toxic fibers and once it was known that asbestos can cause chronic respiratory conditions as well as lung cancer and mesothelioma.

In 1973 most spray applied asbestos products were banned for fireproofing and insulation and in 1989 there was hope of a full ban on the manufacturing, import, and sale of all products containing asbestos.

Unfortunately, in 1991, asbestos industry supporters successfully challenged and overturned the ban as petitioners argued that many substitutes for asbestos were equally as dangerous.

Nonetheless, six categories of asbestos-containing products remained banned today including some types of paper, flooring felt and new uses for the product.

However, there are still many products which contain asbestos in existence which can cause harm to those working with or using them. These include a variety of construction materials, automotive products such as gaskets and brake pads and heat resistant clothing made of asbestos such as aprons, gloves and welder’s blankets.

There is still progress being made towards an outright ban, as in state of Washington, under the Better Brakes Law, which was passed in 2010, all brake pads and shoes have to be asbestos free by January 1, 2015. A similar measure was also recently passed in California.

If you or someone you know is suffering from an asbestos related disease, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation. You may be entitled to an asbestos payout as part of an individual or class action lawsuit.

How would you react if you found out that governments across the world were aware that a deadly substance was being incorporated in thousands of different products, but did very little to stop the process? Or what if you were informed that major corporations continued to use such substances, despite mountains of evidence that the substance caused deadly and irreversible diseases? If this sounds to you like something out of a big budget Hollywood movie, no one could blame you. But the fact is that this is exactly what happened in the case of asbestos and the way it has been treated by governments and corporations in modern history.

As can be seen in the above video asbestos has killed millions of people in the past 100+ years. Companies sought to devise legal arguments which could protect them from the most damaging claims related to asbestos exposure, but eventually these arguments failed as asbestos was shown to be absolutely deadly.

If you suffer from asbestos related disease, such as lung cancer or mesothelioma, you should know that your exposure to the substance was likely the result of a decision which was made by higher ups in corporate America. They did not tell you what is that you were being exposed to the substance, but there is a high likelihood that they knew the risks.

In order to seek the compensation they deserve please contact  the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation.