Asbestos News Roundup: 2.7.13 – Storm Damage Asbestos Problems

February 7th, 2013. 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.

Storm Damage and Asbestos Risk

This week, the US House completed a $60.2 billion aid plan to rebuild communities damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The measure includes $17 billion to meet the immediate needs of Sandy victims in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and $33.5 billion for long-term reconstruction.

Hurricane Sandy destroyed or damaged tens of thousands of homes and businesses on the Eastern seaboard when it struck on October 29, 2012. Many of those structures were old enough to contain asbestos, and this poses a significant danger to clean-up and remediation crews, as well as homeowners who may attempt repairs on their own.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that asbestos may be found in a wide variety of construction items, and states that cleanup at homes and businesses after a natural disaster can cause people to be exposed to asbestos containing materials found in:

• Boiler/pipe insulation

• Fireproofing

• Floor tiles

• Roofing shingles and tiles

• Transite boards used in laboratory tabletops and in acoustic panels in auditoriums, music rooms and phone booths.

Asbestos Settlements

Seattle, WA: An 89-year-old woman has been awarded $1.1 million settlement after a jury agreed that exposure to asbestos from her husband’s work clothes caused her to contract a rare form of cancer that will likely lead to her death.

Phyllis Granville brought the case against 13 defendants, claiming they negligently manufactured and sold floor tiles that were unsafe because they contained asbestos. According to court documents, her husband, Donald Granville, a floor tile installer, was exposed to asbestos from the defendants’ products while at work, which he in turn brought home on his clothes and exposed his wife of 70 years to.

“This was an extraordinarily difficult case to bring to trial, and we are very pleased we were able to provide the Granvilles some measure of financial security while they fight the effects of this horrible disease,” Matthew Bergman, the Granvilles’ attorney, said. “In most cases, mesothelioma victims had direct exposure to asbestos. While the science is clear that people like Donald can bring it home on clothes and transmit it through hugging his wife, or having her wash his clothes, these concepts are much more difficult to illustrate to a jury.”

According to Bergman, the asbestos-related mesothelioma has had a devastating effect on Phyllis, rendering her unable to breathe without oxygen, leaving her homebound. Her physicians expect that the disease, which surrounds and ultimately obliterates the lung, will be fatal.

“I never imagined Donald’s work would ever end up giving me cancer,” said Phyllis. “The manufacturers didn’t warn him about the risk of bringing asbestos home with him. It’s hard enough for us to start battling my mesothelioma, but now Donald is afraid he’s going to contract it too. We’re so thankful Bergman Draper Ladenburg helped us to get the verdict.”

The case was filed with the Seattle King County Court in September 2012, where the case spent four weeks at trial throughout January 2013. After careful deliberation, the jury reached a final verdict of $1.1 million to be paid to Granville and her husband.

According to Bergman, the verdict represents a crucial development in asbestos litigation. “The jury recognized that demonstrable harm has been done to asbestos victims,” said Bergman. “But more importantly, the verdict shows that asbestos exposure has significantly impacted people who were not present at contaminated work sites at all. We believe that the sites had a present imperative to warn their employees about the risk of asbestos contact and also subsequent dispersion.” (fortmilltimes.com)

Asbestos Hot Spots

Redondo Beach, CA: A landmark on the Redondo beach waterfront, instantly recognizable by its octagon shape, is slated for demolition because it contains asbestos. Built on the beach waterfront 34 years ago, the City Council voted to tear it down recently, citing storm damage and corrosive ocean air rendering the building unusable.

The council acted Tuesday night on a recommendation by Public Works Director Michael Witzansky, who reported that the city-owned building, which has been boarded up for years, was in imminent danger of falling down.

The building’s condition worsened significantly after recent wind storms, Witzansky reported. “The wind storms tore off some wood paneling that we had put it place a few years ago and that gave us a look at what was going on inside and it was not good,” he said.

City building inspectors determined that the condition of the building posed significant danger to the public and surrounding structures, he said. The demolition will include disposal of a small amount of asbestos, Witzansky said. “The building will come down quickly, but the removal of the debris will take some time,” he said. The building has been empty for at least eight years. (dailybreeze.com)

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

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