"Grace Got Asbestos Warnings 30 Years Ago, Jury Told"

"A former W.R. Grace & Co. executive testified he warned his superiors more than 30 years ago about asbestos contamination in vermiculite from a Montana mine and feared it might lead to criminal prosecution. Robert Locke, an ex-global vice president of Grace's construction products division, testified yesterday as a government witness in a trial in Missoula, Montana, after being warned by the judge that he might incriminate himself in the crime the company is accused of. ... The government showed the jury a memo circulated to several top Grace officials in January 1977 outlining possible repercussions the company faced from Libby vermiculite. 'Bad publicity' was one. Another was 'criminal action.'" Amy Linn and Bob Van Voris report for Bloomberg March 24, 2009.