Lawsuit Against Drug Co., Brake Shop Alleges Asbestos and SV40 Virus-laced Vaccine Caused Tumor

OAKLAND, Calif. - A California man has sued a vaccine manufacturer and two auto shops that sold him asbestos-laden brake parts claiming both are to blame for causing his almost-always-fatal form of cancer. Asker v. Pfizer, Inc., et al., No. 2002-045098 (Calif. Super. Ct., Alameda Cty.).

The lawsuit, filed March 22 against Pfizer, Inc. and two San Francisco-area auto supply stores, alleges that the 57-year-old Alameda County man developed mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos-containing brake pads and a monkey virus that is believed to have contaminated Pfizer's polio vaccines until the early 1960s.

The virus, simian virus …