Scientist's testimony challenged at IBM trial

[salin]

Note: Has anyone heard much about this trial? It seems to have missed my radar screen.

Scientist's testimony challenged at IBM trial

Posted on Fri, Jan. 09, 2004

Scientist's testimony challenged at IBM trial
By Elise Ackerman
Mercury News


An IBM attorney challenged the objectivity of a well-known scientist testifying Thursday in the Santa Clara toxics trial, citing the witness' ties to an environmental advocacy group.

Richard Clapp, a professor and epidemiologist at Boston University, acknowledged that he had donated money to the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition in the past and said he supports the group's efforts on behalf of worker safety. Amanda Hawes, one of the lawyers representing two former IBM workers who are suing the computer giant, is married to Ted Smith, the executive director and founder of the toxics coalition.

(snip)

During his two-day testimony, Clapp said he believed chemicals used at IBM's San Jose plant could have caused cancer. He cited a dozen studies as providing ``a reasonable degree of scientific certainty'' for his conclusion.

The two plaintiffs, Alida Hernandez and James Moore, contend that IBM knew chemicals like trichloroethylene, acetone, benzene and other mixed organic solvents were making workers ill. They say the company hid that information from them. Hernandez has been treated for breast cancer, and Moore suffers from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

IBM maintains its manufacturing areas were safe.

more: http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/7669209.htm

[ramapo]

1. Tough case

I've heard of the case but haven't followed it.

Those are the nastiest chemicals to be exposed to on a long-term, consistent basis.

I'd guess the plaintiffs will have a tough time "proving" their illnesses are directly related to the working conditions and IBM's negligence. I'm sure IBM is pumping as much money as needed into the legal team to discredit testimony.

[oostevo]

3. More information:

The workers are claiming that they were exposed to trichloroethylene, acetone, and benzene.

Here are the MSDS sheets for each:
<a href="http://ptcl.chem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/TR/trichloroethylene.html">trichloroethylene<a/>
<a href="http://ptcl.chem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/PR/propanone.html">acetone (aka propanone)</a>
<a href="http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/BE/benzene.html">benzene</a>

[oostevo]

4. One more thing ...

Note how each MSDS lists "carcinogen" under each respective toxicology section.

[velocity]

2. It was on 60 minutes a couple weeks ago

IBM were using know chemicals that cause cancer and TOOK the labels off the bottle and jugs.

[oostevo]

5. This doesn't make sense ...

If these people had <i>anything</i> resembling appropriate training (you'd think they would have), they should know what an MSDS sheet is, and how to use them.

I can't imagine that they wouldn't know that they were handling carcinogens (heck, even I recognize these chemicals as carcinogens, and I haven't even graduated high school yet).