Forty-one years after James Folta stopped working for Ferro Engineering — where he was allegedly exposed to “tremendous amounts of airborne asbestos fibers” — he was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma. Ferro knew that exposure to asbestos dust was dangerous, according to Folta, but it didn’t warn him or provide respiratory safety equipment. By the time Folta got the fatal diagnosis, the statutes of repose had expired for claims under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act (25 …