 Beginning in the 1930s, the asbestos industry engaged in a cover-up of the lethal of effects of asbestos that went on for decades.The product, which has not been banned in the United States, still kills over 3,000 people a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The special bankruptcy law allows a company to set aside money in a trust to compensate - to a limited extent - its victims, while staying operational and profitable.