A landmark verdict handed down by a three-judge panel in Turin, Italy, could set a precedent for manufacturers dealing with toxic environmental substances, like asbestos. Following a two-year trial, two former executives of a Swiss building-products company were found guilty on criminal charges, held responsible for the deaths of more than 3,000 people who lived and worked around four Italian asbestos cement factories. Asbestos has been proven to cause deadly diseases, including mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the lining of the lungs, abdomen and, in rare cases, the heart. The verdict was handed down Monday, Feb. 13, 2012. (more…)