Asbestos News Roundup: 11.19.09

November 19th, 2009. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news, asbestos lawsuits and the latest asbestos hot spots-places where asbestos has been found-and that you should be aware of. 

Asbestos Settlements

Buffalo, NY: A settlement of more than $3 million dollars has been awarded to a local union boilermaker for injuries resulting from exposure to asbestos on the job. Earl W. Tredinnick, III, 61, of Elma, New York, who worked as a Local 7 Union Boilermaker between 1967 and 2002 developed mesothelioma in the fall of 2008, and brought suit against various companies responsible for a variety of asbestos-containing products. (PRWEB)

Asbestos Hot Spots

Oakland, CA: Lehman Brothers has agreed to spend $3.7 million to complete the demolition of more than 90 buildings at the former Oak Knoll Naval base. Lehman, now bankrupt, had partnered with  SunCal Companies in a planned 960-unit residential development project in the East Oakland hills area. After touring the site in October, the financial company agreed to release funding that will pay for contractors to remove asbestos, trash and debris from barracks, homes, garages and other structures. The buildings will be levelled. (Oakland Tribune) 

Asbestos Scams

Syracuse, NY: Frank Onoff, a key player in a decade-long asbestos removal scam in central New York, has pled guilty in federal court and agreed to cooperate in the case filed against Paragon Environmental Construction, including five additional workers. Onoff supervised asbestos removal for Paragon, which reportedly didn’t remove the asbestos, but rather scattered the asbestos debris about on site, then doctored lab reports through a company called Certifed Environmental Services, to show it had been removed. 

Buildings caught up in the fraud included: the Alpha Chi Omega sorority house at Syracuse University, the Raymour & Flanagan furniture warehouse in Clay and the Roxboro Road Elementary School in North Syracuse. Additionally, dozens of other sites were identified in Syracuse, Liverpool, Fayetteville, DeWitt, Baldwinsville, Oneonta, Cincinnatus and Wampsville where asbestos was either not removed, or improperly removed, according to the indictment. 

Asbestos Mesothelioma Facts

Asbestos mesothelioma is a form of cancer that starts in the pleura—which is the sac lining of the chest. It can also start in the abdomen (peritoneum). In the advanced stages of the mesothelioma, a person can have both pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma. 

While mesothelioma remain incurable, early detection can play an important role in your treatment options. Mesothelioma specialists, new surgical approaches, chemotherapy drugs and ongoing clinical research all play an important part in helping extend life expectancy and in increasing quality of life.

Tags: Asbestos, Asbestos Mesothelioma

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