Asbestos News Roundup: 12.13.12 – Home Renovation Asbestos Risk

December 13th, 2012. By LucyC

This week’s asbestos news roundup includes all the 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.

Do-It-Yourself Home Renovation and Asbestos Exposure Risk

With Christmas just around the corner, many people may be considering the gift of a home renovation—large or small— and putting those brand new power tools that arrived as Christmas presents, to good use.

But before you go smashing through walls and ripping out old insulation, piping and wiring—do your homework. Dangers may lurk within the walls, ceilings or floors of your home is older, chances are it contains asbestos.

For example, asbestos siding was commonly used in construction years ago, making older homes a danger zone for asbestos mesothelioma. Like flooring, siding material was covered by asbestos to make it more durable and fire retardant. When these materials are disturbed—ripped off or torn out for example, they release asbestos fibers into the air, which people in immediate proximity then breathe in.

Equally important, when considering renovations, is hiring a reputable contractor who has the appropriate qualifications and licensing to remove asbestos.

Asbestos Settlements

Erie, PA: The family of a former employee at the GM Powertrain facility in the town of Tonawanda, who subsequently died of asbestos disease, has been awarded $3 million by the jury hearing the case.

Gerald Suttner, formerly of Tonawanda, worked at the GM facility repairing vales manufactured by Crane Co. The job involved removing asbestos gaskets, which created asbestos dust Suttner would have inhaled. He did this for 36 years, from 1964 to 1979, when he retired.

Diagnosed in October 2010, Mr. Suttner died just one year later, from pleural mesothelioma, a form of cancer that is caused by asbestos. He was 77.

During the trial, lawyers for the Suttner family called expert witnesses who testified that there is no such thing as safe asbestos exposure and assured the jury that Suttner’s exposure is what led to his diagnosis. The dangers of asbestos have been known since the early 1900s, and they lawyers made the case that Crane was aware of these dangers since the 1930s. “But the company continued to use asbestos well into the late 1980s without placing warnings on its products,” the law firm’s statement reads.

During his retirement, Suttner helped his wife, Joann, care for their disabled daughter, and served as a volunteer for the Shriners Hospital in Erie, PA, driving children to and from the hospital. (tonawandanews.com)

New York, NY: A $4,401,000 verdict has been rendered in an asbestos lawsuit against Ford and Sud Chemie (Southern Talc) in favor of a deceased asbestos mesothelioma victim.

According to media reports, Southern Talc sold talc to Johns Manville for use in Mansville’s asphalt roofing plant. In his lawsuit, the plaintiff alleged that the talc contained asbestos, and it was his exposure to this product that caused him to develop asbestos mesothelioma.(mesotheliomalegalblog.com)

Tags: Asbestos, Asbestos Exposure, asbestos law, asbestos lawsuit, Asbestos Mesothelioma

This was posted on Thursday, December 13th, 2012 at 4:30 pm and is filed under Asbestos Mesothelioma, Settlement . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.