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Scientist's Testimony for Dying Daughter Roils Chemical Giant

Lawsuits hinge on decades-old evidence about a shuttered mine
As many as 10,000 asbestos-illness claims could be reopened

BASF — BASF
Hannelore Foerster/Bloomberg

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September 3, 2015, 4:00 AM UTCUpdated onSeptember 3, 2015, 10:43 AM UTC

When BASF SE acquired Engelhard Corp. nine years ago for $5 billion, executives unknowingly inherited a ticking legal time bomb.

It all began decades ago over the seemingly mundane industrial product talc, used in everything from wallboards to handling auto tires on the factory line.