Monokote

The W.R. Grace company produced a variety of goods, most of which shared a common ingredient. It was a very tough mineral known as asbestos that was composed of crystal fibers. Among the company's products was a fire retardant spray called Monokote. Many large buildings were thoroughly covered with the spray to help protect them against any blaze that might break out.

Prior to the 1970's, Monokote contained approximately a 12% level of asbestos. The mineral is naturally flame resistant, so it was included in products that were designed for high temperature environments, such as oil refineries or power plants. During the 70's, continuing research pinpointed a terrifying fact about asbestos - it is full of toxins that are harmful and sometimes deadly to humans. Anyone who is exposed to the substance is potentially in great danger.

The exposure comes from the ease with which the tiny fibers that fall off of asbestos products are inhaled. These fibers are able to float in the air unseen, so all you have to do is get close to breathe them in. Every person who helped make Monokote spray, or who used it on a job, is very likely to have ingested small bits of asbestos. That can then lead to damage of their respiratory systems and possibly even develop into the incurable cancer known as mesothelioma including pericardial mesothelioma. As mentioned, there is no mesothelioma cure and as a result, the mesothelioma prognosis received from doctors is typically unfavorable, often leading to a short life expectancy. There are top mesothelioma cancer clinics throughout the U.S., however that offer treatment options like mesothelioma gene therapy, radiation therapy and multi-modality therapy. Read our mesothelioma treatment guide for more detailed information.

After the facts about asbestos were brought to light, the W.R. Grace company assured the public that their products were now made without asbestos, and commodities such as Monokote were perfectly safe. Distressingly, this claim was not true.

In fact, Monokote was made with less asbestos, but the mineral still comprised at least 1% of the final mixture. Not even the workers who were employed by the W.R. Grace company knew about this, so anyone who got close to the spray continued to be placed at risk. Had they been told the truth, they could have easily protected themselves with masks and other gear, but instead many more people were exposed to the toxins and made ill as a result.

Thousands of lawsuits were filed against the manufacturing company by people who had been harmed. Owing to their high levels of pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency also brought charges against the company. By 2001, the debt they had amassed became overwhelming, and company officials sought Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. Several top executives are also facing criminal charges because of the illegal activities they participated in.

One result of the bankruptcy procedure was the establishment of a trust fund to pay off all valid personal injury claims. If you feel you are eligible to be involved in a lawsuit against the company, and are not certain how to proceed, we can help. This information and more is contained in our informative brochure, which we offer as a complimentary service.