Still killing
WHEN the Johns Manville Corporation agreed to be acquired by a buy-out firm and thus return to private ownership in early July, a painful chapter in corporate history came to an end. From the 1920s until the 1970s, Manville had been the largest American producer of asbestos, a product belatedly discovered to be extraordinarily dangerous. Ensuing claims led to a bankruptcy in 1982 that penalised existing shareholders in favour of a trust fund for victims.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Still killing”
From the August 19th 2000 edition
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