Silica Plaintiffs Claim Defective Sand Product Compromised Respirators

MADISON, Wis. - Two plaintiffs in a Wisconsin silica case are appealing an award of summary judgment to a sand supplier, claiming that there is a fact dispute as to whether the company's sand product was more dangerous than contemplated by the ordinary user. Hanson, et al. v. Badger Mining Corp., No. 03-0756 (Wis. App., Dist. 2).

In an appellate brief filed Aug. 26 in Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Floyd Hanson and Jerald Heuer claim that sand Badger Mining Corp. supplied to their employer, Neenah Foundry, caused respirators they wore to protect them from exposure to respirable dust particles to …