BNSF Railway says it didn’t know about asbestos that’s killed hundreds in Montana town

By MATTHEW BROWN and AMY BETH HANSON
Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — BNSF Railway attorneys are expected to argue before jurors that the railroad should not be held liable for the lung cancer deaths of two former residents of an asbestos-contaminated Montana town. Closing arguments are scheduled Friday in a civil lawsuit against the railroad. The town of Libby, Montana, is among the deadliest sites in the federal Superfund pollution program. The asbestos came from a nearby vermiculite mine that used BNSF to ship its product across the U.S. The estates of the deceased plaintiffs say dust from a rail yard sickened and killed them. Attorneys for the Warren Buffett-owned railroad say it was not told the vermiculite was dangerous by mine owner W.R. Grace & Co.