3M Faces Trial on More Asbestos Death Claims Over Respirators

3M Co. must face trial on more wrongful death claims alleging its respirators failed to protect workers against asbestos exposure.

Internal 3M memos showed that the respirators didn’t meet the requirements for “pressure drop,” which relates to breathing resistance, the federal court in Wisconsin said June 1.

The ruling comes on the heels of an April 23 jury verdict in an unrelated case in Kentucky finding the same model 3M breathing mask allowed two miners to inhale dust and debris that could cause black lung disease. The jury awarded the men $67 million.

In the Wisconsin case, the estates of ...