] Railroad workers who have a noncancerous illness because
] of exposure to asbestos on the job can recover damages
] for mental torment over the prospect of actually getting
] cancer itself, the Supreme Court ruled today.
]
] In a 5-to-4 decision that was anxiously awaited by
] insurance and business interests for its potential impact
] outside the railroad industry, the court upheld a jury
] award of nearly $5 million for six former railroad
] workers from West Virginia who had developed a
] noncancerous lung disease, asbestosis, after being
] exposed to asbestos dust.
]
] Asbestosis itself does not lead to cancer. But people who
] have the condition are statistically vulnerable to
] cancer, including a deadly form called mesothelioma,
] which attacks the chest cavity and causes excruciating
] pain that is relieved only by death.