Asbestos: caught between technological development and the threat of civil liability. The Italian experience and an approach to Colombian law

• Autor: Olenka Woolcott - Laura Cecilia Gamarra-Amaya
• Cargo: Universidad Católica de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia; profesora. Universidad Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca, Bogotá, Colombia; profesora. Doctora en Derecho, Scuola Superiore di Perfezionamento Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italia - Universidad Católica de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia; profesora. llm en International Legal Studies, Georgetown University, ...
• Páginas: 255-287

Asbestos: Caught Between

Technological Development

and the Threat of Civil Liability.

The Italian Experience and an

Approach to Colombian Law*

Revista de deRecho PRivado, i ssn: 0123-4366, e-issn: 2346-2442, n.º 43, 2022, 255-287

* Fecha de recepción: 13 de mayo de 2020. Fecha de aceptación: 30 de abril de 2022.

Para citar el artículo: Woolcott, O. y Gamarra-amaya, L. C. “Asbestos: Caught Between Techno-

logical Development and the Threat of Civil Liability. The Italian Experience and an Approach to

Colombian Law”, Revista de Derecho Privado, n.º 43, julio-diciembre 2022, 255-287. doi: https://

doi.org/10.18601/01234366.n43.11.

El artículo es el resultado de la investigación de los proyectos “Los retos del derecho privado con-

temporáneo en el contexto del debate constitucional” y “Los nuevos desarrollos de la economía”,

fase v, pertenecientes al Grupo de Estudio de Derecho Privado y Propiedad Intelectual y al Grupo

de Derecho Público y tic - G, ticcy.

** Universidad Católica de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia; profesora. Universidad Colegio Mayor de

Cundinamarca, Bogotá, Colombia; profesora. Doctora en Derecho, Scuola Superiore di Perfeziona-

mento Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italia. Contacto: odwoolcott@ucatolica.edu.co. Orcid: 0000-0003-4709-2945.

*** Universidad Católica de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia; profesora. llm en International Legal Studies,

Georgetown University, Washington D. C., Estados Unidos de América. Contacto: lcgamarra@uca

tolica.edu.co. Orcid: 0000-0002-0823-6224.

❱ olenka Woolcott

**

❱ lau Ra cecilia Gam aRRa -amaya

***

abstract. In Colombia, Law 1968 of 2019 banned the use of asbestos in the national

territory. This legal breakthrough was years in the making. However, the allocation

of liability against those who exposed others to asbestos, and the assessment of

damages for plaintiffs who suffered asbestos related injuries is not addressed in the

law. This research paper in comparative civil law attempts to answer the liability

question based on the Italian experience and small jurisprudential steps taken by the

Colombian bench. In doing so, the causal link in traditional civil liability and the

criteria for imputation or attribution of strict liability applicable to asbestos victims

are examined. The results of the research nd it advisable to adapt the traditional

elements of the assumption of responsibility to the demands for compensation in

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Ole n k a WOO l c O t t y lau r a cec i l i a Ga m a r r a - a may a

Revista de deRecho PRivado, i ssn: 0123-4366, e-issn: 2346-2442, n.º 43, 2022, 255-287

the face of asbestos related damages in the contemporary cases, taking into account

presumptions that can be entered into evidence.

KeyWords: asbestos, damage, causation, civil liability, compensation, toxic sub-

stances.

El asbesto: entre desarrollo tecnológico y la imputación de la

responsabilidad civil. Mirada desde la experiencia italiana

y aproximación al derecho colombiano

resumen. En Colombia, la Ley 1968 de 2019 prohibió el uso de asbesto en el terri-

torio nacional. Esta ley no abordó la imputación de responsabilidad contra quienes

expusieron a otros al asbesto ni la evaluación de daños para las víctimas. Este artículo

se ubica en el área de derecho civil e intenta responder a la pregunta de responsabi-

lidad civil por asbesto basada en la experiencia Italiana y mirar los pequeños pasos

jurisprudenciales tomados por los tribunales colombianos para poder determinar si se

ha dispuesto la responsabilidad civil por asbesto. Al hacerlo, se identican algunas

teorías que conciernen al vínculo causal en la responsabilidad civil tradicional y al

criterio de imputación o atribución de la responsabilidad objetiva aplicable a las víc-

timas de asbesto. Los resultados de la investigación aconsejan adaptar los elementos

tradicionales de la responsabilidad a las demandas por daños relacionados con el

asbesto en los casos contemporáneos teniendo en cuenta el recurso a las presunciones

desde la perspectiva probatoria.

Palabras clave: asbesto, daños, causalidad, responsabilidad civil, indemnización,

sustancias tóxicas.

summary: Introduction. i. Technological development and emergence of new cases

of civil liability. ii. Transformations in civil liability. Emergence of new assumptions

of responsibility based on changes in the criteria of allocation and exibility of the

causal link. iii. Asbestos, a paradigmatic case of mass production and technological

development. Dangerous substance for human health. iv. Asbestos related civil li-

ability: Description of the causal scenario, technical complexity, and probability of

allocation to asbestos exposure. v. Criteria for determining civil liability for asbestos

in the Italian experience. The causal relationship as the axis of the allocation prob-

lem. vi. Approaching asbestos in Colombia: Between legality and reality. Conclusion.

Bibliography

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Asb e s t o s : CA u g h t bet w e e n te C h n o l o g i C A l De v e l o p m e n t AnD t h e th r e At …

Revista de deRecho PRivado, i ssn: 0123-4366, e-issn: 2346-2442, n.º 43, 2022, 255-287

Introduction

The market-driven mass production that began with the industrial revolution unques-

tionably brought about damages with inevitable consequences on human security

and health. Toxic torts and their treatment by U.S. courts are example of this evolu-

tion, with the United States being the rst country to face the issue of compensation

without prejudice to regions such as Europe and Latin America, which are facing a

similar challenge. In addition, public opinion can impact the consumption and usage

of certain products. Determining the liability regime in asbestos cases is an ongoing

effort in civil law jurisdictions, where there have been a series of difculties in the

understanding of its nature.

The State is responsible for guaranteeing fundamental human rights in the face

of information technologies. This is reected in the special protection awarded to

children, the right to a good name and honor and state security, for example. These

rights have found a greater scope after the advent of the internet, and the State has a

higher duty of care in cyberspace. Proof of this is Law 1480 of 2011 or the Consumer

Statute, which states that the State must take effective measures regarding the pro-

tection of minors in cyberspace, since they are potential consumers and, therefore,

vulnerable to predators1.

As a worrying example, a news story was disseminated in Colombian media via

the internet on August 8, 2019, with the following the headline: “Court condemns

Eternit for death of worker due to asbestos”2. The body of the article says that “al-

though the use of the mineral is already prohibited in the country, the justice system

continues to punish its past use. This article attempts to raise awareness of the dam-

age that has been generated and continues to exist from the handling of a toxic sub-

stance such as asbestos. These damages have not been dealt with, because asbestos’s

harmful health consequences are evident not only initially, but throughout time and

can cause harm when used as directed by the manufacturer.

Headlines such as the above mentioned are just an example of how lightly Co-

lombia has taken the matter of assessing the damages caused by asbestos, especially,

since the enactment of law 1968 of July 11, 2019, has not put an end to the problem.

Asbestos is still used in multiple industries in a myriad of ways. Exposure is

followed by a high level of morbidity and mortality. In other words, it is a product

capable of generating injuries to the health of those who were exposed to it and

considering the latent nature of its effects. Asbestos damage can be revealed years or

1 florez, Germán., “Reseña: La responsabilidad del Estado por la utilización de las tecnologías de

información y comunicación (tic)” [online]. Revista Novum Jus. Universidad Católica de Colombia,

vol. 10, n.º 2. Available at: https://novumjus.ucatolica.edu.co/article/view/1324/1255 [visited March

12, 2020].

2 rodriGuez, Johana. “Corte condenó a Eternit por muerte de trabajador a causa del asbesto” [online].

rcn Radio. See, https://www.rcnradio.com/judicial/corte-condeno-eternit-por-muerte-de-trabajador-

causa-del-asbesto [visited March 12, 2020].