Asbestos News Roundup 12.26.13 – Study: Small Exposure Still Deadly Risk

December 27th, 2013. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of. An ongoing list of reported asbestos hot spots in the US from the Asbestos News Roundup archive appears on our asbestos map.

Lowest Asbestos Levels Linked to Asbestos Disease in Industrial Workers

New research published recently in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, suggests that industrial workers at the lowest levels of the asbestos exposure spectrum may still be at risk for deadly mesothelioma, lung cancer, and laryngeal cancer.

The study used data from the long-running Netherlands Cohort Study of 58,279 Norwegian men between 55 and 69 years old. To determine the association between asbestos risk and cancer, researchers compared each man’s job history to asbestos-exposure matrices of various occupations. They then compared likely levels of asbestos exposure to the incidence of mesothelioma and several other cancers.

After 17.3 years of follow-up, there were 132 cases of mesothelioma, 2,324 cases of lung cancer, and 166 cases of laryngeal cancer. Although very rare, mesothelioma is considered the most deadly of the asbestos-linked cancers because of its fast progression and resistance to standard treatments. Of the three types of cancer studied, only two subtypes – lung adenocarcinoma (a form of non-small cell lung cancer) and glottis cancer (a subtype of laryngeal cancer affecting the vocal chords) – were associated with higher levels of prolonged asbestos exposure.

For mesothelioma and all other categories of lung and laryngeal cancer, even lower levels of asbestos exposure were enough to trigger disease. “Asbestos levels encountered at the lower end of the exposure distribution may be associated with an increased risk of pleural mesothelioma, lung cancer, and laryngeal cancer,” the researchers conclude.

The U.S. EPA has stated that all levels of asbestos exposure are potentially risky. They have strict guidelines governing the handling and disposal of asbestos and recommend that do-it-yourself home renovators hire asbestos abatement professionals in order to minimize their mesothelioma risk.

The original study appears in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the journal of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. (Offermans, NS, et al, “Occupational Asbestos Exposure and Risk of Pleural Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer, and Laryngeal Cancer in the Prospective Netherlands Cohort Study”, December 17, 2013, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epub ahead of print. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24351898)

Asbestos Lawsuits

Charleston, WV: 55 companies have been named as defendants in an asbestos lawsuit, alleging workplace-related asbestos related lung disease.

Filed by James L. Prince and his wife, Julia Fay Prince, the lawsuit claims Mr. Prince was diagnosed with lung cancer on November10, 2011. The couple allege Mr. Price was exposed to asbestos and/or asbestos-containing products during his employment as a carpenter from 1947 until 1975.

The defendant companies are being sued based on theories of negligence, contaminated buildings, breach of expressed/implied warranty, strict liability, intentional tort, conspiracy, misrepresentations and post-sale duty to warn, according to the complaint.

The Princes are seeking a jury trial to resolve all issues involved. The named defendants include:

A.W. Chesterton Company; Air & Liquid Systems Corporation; American Electric Power Company; American Electric Power Service Corporation; Appalachian Power Company; Aristech Chemical Corporation; Brand Insulations; Certainteed Corporation; Cleaver-Brooks; and Copes-Vulcan. (wvrecord.com)

Asbestos Settlements

Cleveland, OH: A jury in Ohio has awarded $27.5 Million to an English professor and his wife who alleged he developed asbestos disease through second hand or take home asbestos exposure.

The jury assessed 60 percent liability to against Kelsey-Hayes Company, successor to National Friction Products Corp, the defendant.

Mr. Panza was diagnosed with terminal asbestos mesothelioma in 2012. The only known cause of mesothelioma in the United States is asbestos exposure. Mr. Panza has received several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation as well as radical surgery which resulted in the removal of one of his lungs and part of his diaphragm in an effort to prolong his life. There is no cure for mesothelioma. Mr. Panza is only 40 years old.

The Panza’s contended that John Panza Jr.’s take-home exposure occurred from exposure to asbestos dust that his father, John Panza, Sr., an employee of the brake company Eaton Airflex, brought home, unknowingly, on his work clothing.

Mr. Panza’s father worked at Eaton from 1963 to 1993 in the shipping and receiving department. As part of his job, he was required to deliver materials all over the plant and was a frequent bystander to other employees who drilled and abraded National Friction products, which released asbestos. Mr. Panza and his father were very close and were known to spend a lot of time together. Mr. Panza, Sr. coached his son’s baseball league and Mr. Panza also helped sort and wash his father’s dusty laundry.

Mr. Panza married his high school sweetheart, and they now have a young daughter. While they had hoped for more children, Mr. Panza’s cancer medication prevents that from happening.

The jury awarded Mr. Panza $515,000 in economic damages and $12 million in non-economic damages. His wife, Jane Panza, was awarded $15 million for loss of consortium for a total award of $27,515,000. (harrismartin.com + waterskraus.com)

Tags: Asbestos, asbestos lawsuit, Asbestos Mesothelioma, asbestos risk, Asbestos Settlement

This was posted on Friday, December 27th, 2013 at 12:05 pm and is filed under Asbestos Mesothelioma . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.