§55-7G-5. Elements of proof for asbestos actions alleging a nonmalignant asbestos-related condition.

(a) No asbestos action related to an alleged nonmalignant asbestos-related condition may be brought or maintained in the absence of prima facie evidence that the exposed person has a physical impairment for which asbestos exposure was a substantial contributing factor. The plaintiff shall make a prima facie showing of claim for each defendant and include a detailed narrative medical report and diagnosis signed under oath by a qualified physician that includes all of the following:

(1) Radiological or pathological evidence of asbestosis or radiological evidence of diffuse bilateral pleural thickening or a high-resolution computed tomography scan showing evidence of asbestosis or diffuse pleural thickening;

(2) A detailed occupational and exposure history from the exposed person or, if that person is deceased, from the person most knowledgeable about the exposures that form the basis of the action, including identification of all of the exposed person's principal places of employment and exposures to airborne contaminants and whether each place of employment involved exposures to airborne contaminants, including asbestos fibers or other disease causing dusts or fumes, that may cause pulmonary impairment and the nature, duration, and level of any exposure;

(3) A detailed medical, social and smoking history from the exposed person or, if that person is deceased, from the person most knowledgeable, including a thorough review of the past and present medical problems of the exposed person and their most probable cause;

(4) Evidence verifying that at least fifteen years have elapsed between the exposed person's date of first exposure to asbestos and the date of diagnosis;

(5) Evidence from a personal medical examination and pulmonary function testing of the exposed person or, if the exposed person is deceased, from the person's medical records, that the exposed person has or the deceased person had a permanent respiratory impairment rating of at least Class 2 as defined by and evaluated pursuant to the AMA's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment or reported significant changes year to year in lung function for FVC, FEV1 or DLCO as defined by the American Thoracic Society's Interpretative Strategies for Lung Function Tests, 26 European Respiratory Journal 948-68, 961-62, Table 12 (2005) and as updated;

(6) Evidence that asbestosis or diffuse bilateral pleural thickening, rather than chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a substantial factor to the exposed person's physical impairment, based on a determination the exposed person has:

(A) Forced vital capacity below the predicted lower limit of normal and FEV1/FVC ratio (using actual values) at or above the predicted lower limit of normal;

(B) Total lung capacity, by plethysmography or timed gas dilution, below the predicted lower limit of normal; or

(C) A chest x-ray showing bilateral small, irregular opacities (s, t or u) graded by a certified B-reader as at least 2/1 on the ILO scale; and

(7) The specific conclusion of the qualified physician signing the report that exposure to asbestos was a substantial contributing factor to the exposed person's physical impairment and not more probably the result of other causes. An opinion that the medical findings and impairment are consistent with or compatible with exposure to asbestos, or words to that effect, do not satisfy the requirements of this subdivision.

(b) If the alleged nonmalignant asbestos-related condition is a result of an exposed person living with or having extended contact with another exposed person who, if the asbestos action had been filed by the other exposed person would have met the requirements of subdivision (2), subsection (a) of this section, and the exposed person alleges extended contact with the other exposed person during the relevant time period, the detailed narrative medical report and diagnosis shall include all of the information required by subsection (a) of this section, except that the exposure history required under subdivision (2), subsection (a) of this section shall describe the exposed person<s history of exposure to the other exposed person.