Whether or not asbestos fades as a mass tort subject, plaintiffs' attorneys have been searching for the next big thing for years and they're continuing to do so, say experts like David Golden, a director at the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.
"Mold was supposed to be the next big thing," he said, adding that "thankfully, science came in" and helped the industry get the mold issue relatively under control.
Another area that was at one point billed as the "next asbestos" was welding fumes, which allegedly cause Parkinson's disease, but Mr. Golden said the defendant companies on that issue chose to fight it out in court and were ultimately successful in 16 of 17 major cases.
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