Asbestos blues : labour, capital, physicians & the state in South Africa/ Jock McCulloch.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-216) and index.

Recent legal claims made by thousands of South African victims of asbestos against multinational asbestos corporations underscore the importance of Jock McCulloch's book on the history of asbestos mining in South Africa. In December 2001, in a landmark case, 7,500 claimants received a settlement of £21 million from Cape plc, the largest British-owned asbestos mining company in South Africa. Soon thereafter, however, the company, facing serious financial problems, reneged on the settlement. In February this year, another settlement of R460 million was reached between Gencor and South African asbestos victims. Facing legal action, Gencor had been unable to proceed with distribution of Impala Platinum shares to shareholders and therefore had a strong incentive to settle with claimants. However, the majority of the bills for environmental clean up in South Africa remain outstanding and many living near former asbestos mines continue to be at risk...