Asbestos News Roundup: 10.28.10

October 28th, 2010. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of. 

Asbestos Lawsuits

Harris County, IL: The estate of a former marine is suing over alleged asbestos exposure which contributed to his illness and eventual death. Ada M. Geer, on behalf of Gale V. Geer, deceased, filed a lawsuit on October 5, in the Harris County District Court, claiming that her decedent died from asbestos-related mesothelioma on on January 19, 2009 and that Dr. Bedrossian subsequently determined that the disease came about most likely due to his exposure to the asbestos. 

Among the companies named as defendants in the lawsuit are Afton Pumps Inc., Baldor Electric Co., Continental Automotive Systems Inc., and Detroit Stoker Co. 

The plaintiff claims that the man was exposed to a variety of asbestos products in his lifetime, all associated with the defendants. Gale Geer served in the U.S. Marines from 1943 through 1945, was a machinist and fabricator from 1946 through 1949 and again from 1950 through 1983.  

He also was allegedly exposed through home construction projects and work on cars. 

Ada Greer is seeking damages to punish the defendants, including actual damages, punitive damages, medical costs, physical pain and mental anguish in the past and future, court costs and any other damages they are entitled to by the court. (ultimateeastend.com)

Asbestos Hot Spots

Denver CO: Before the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) can take advantage of about $40 million in funds available from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act, or ARRA) to construct 35 acres of photovoltaic panels at the Federal Center, in Denver, workman have to remove several mounds of dirt contaminated with asbestos. 

The toxic waste is assumed to have been left over from the time when basement excavation for the new Federal Center buildings, and the demolition of old buildings on the site, resulted in piles of asbestos-contaminated dirt and building debris. 

The three grassy mounds in question, located on the southeast corner of the property, were left in situ to create a visual and sound baffle to protect the site from heavy traffic on nearby Kipling and Alameda Avenues. 

According to an environmental protection specialist with the Colorado Department of Health the agency is overseeing removal, which started in June. Agency inspectors are on-site constantly during remediation work, and workmen who come in contact with the soil are protected by respirators and protective clothing. Those who work nearest the asbestos-contaminated mounds also wear monitoring devices on their belts to alert them to possible asbestos exposure. 

The air is constantly monitored during the work, and if strong winds or adverse weather conditions arise, the work is suspended and the site protected until weather conditions subside. 

Trucks used to haul the debris are first lined with plastic then covered with plastic after being filled by front-end loaders, and finally driven to a permitted, hazardous waste landfill near Denver International Airport to the east. (mesotheliomaweb.com) 

Asbestos Law

New York, NY: A 56-year old New York business man, Daniel Black, president of Blackstone Business Enterprises Inc., has pled guilty to charges of failing to conduct an inspection before an asbestos-removal project was undertaken.

In July 2008, Black hired four temporary workers from an employment agency to complete a renovation project at the facility in Jamestown located at 100 Blackstone Ave. The workers were removing insulation from steam pipes in the building and cutting down the steam pipes as scrap metal, and were exposed to asbestos during this time. The case was brought to the attention of the New York State Department of Labor Asbestos Control Bureau in August 2008. (environmental leader.com)

Tags: Asbestos, Asbestos Mesothelioma

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