Asbestos News Roundup: 3.10.11

March 10th, 2011. By LucyC

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

Asbestos Lawsuits 

Charleston, WV: Raymond Bittner, from Gibsonia, PA, has filed an asbestos claim in West Virginia, naming 88 defendant companies that, he alleges, are responsible for his asbestosis and colon cancer. In his suit, Bittner states he was diagnosed with colon cancer and asbestosis in October, 2010.

Bittner claims that his illnesses are due to his exposure to asbestos fibers and dust, which he inhaled over the course of his working life.

Bittner claims the defendants failed to advise him of the dangerous characteristics of asbestos and asbestos-related products; failed to provide him with the knowledge as to what would be reasonably safe and sufficient wearing apparel and proper protective equipment; and failed to place warnings on their containers. Bittner is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

The 88 defendants named in the suit are: Ajax Magnethermic Corporation; AK Steel Corporation; Allegheny Energy, Inc.; Allied Chemical Corporation; Allied Glove Corporation; American Electric Power Company, Inc.; American Electric Power Service Corporation; Appalachian Power Company; Armstrong International, Inc.; Armstrong Pumps, Inc.; Atlas Industries, Inc.; Bayer Corporation; Beazer East, Inc.; Brand Insulations, Inc.; Cashco, Inc.; CBS Corporation; Champlain Cable Corporation; Copes-Vulcan, Inc.; Crane Co.; Crown Cork & Seal Company; DeZurik, Inc.; Dravo Corporation; Durametallic Corporation; Eaton Corporation; Eichleay Corporation; Elliott Turbomachinery Company, Inc.; F.B. Wright Company; Fairmont Supply; Flowserve U.S., Inc.; Foseco, Inc.; Foster Wheeler Corporation; General Electric Company; George V. Hamilton, Inc.; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Greene Tweed & Company; Grinnell, LLC; Hedman Resources Limited; Honeywell, Inc; Hunter Sales Corporation; I.U. North America, Inc.; IMO Industries, Inc.; Industrial Holdings Corporation; Ingersoll-Rand; Insul Company, Inc.; ITT Corporation; J.H. France Refractories Company; J.M. Foster, Inc.; Joy Technologies; M.S. Jacobs & Associates, Inc.; Mallinckrodt Group, Inc.; Marley Cooling Tower; McCann Shields Paint Company; McCarls, Inc.; McJunkin Red Man Corporation; Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; Milton Roy Company; Milwaukee Valve Company; Mine Safety Appliance Company; Minnotte Contracting Corporation; Monongahela Power Company; Nagle Pumps, Inc.; Nitro Industrial Coverings, Inc.; Oglebay Norton Company; Ohio Power; Ohio Valley Insulating Company; Owens-Illinois, Inc.; Plotkin Brothers Supply, LLP; Power Piping; PPG Industries, Inc.; Premier Refractories, Inc.; Riley Stoker Corporation; Safety First Industries, Inc.; Sealite, Inc.; Spirax Sarco, Inc.; Square D Company; Stockham Valves & Fittings; Tasco Insulation, Inc.; the Sager Corporation; Thiem Corporation; Townsend & Bottum, Inc.; Treco Construction Services; UB West Virginia, Inc.; Unifrax Corporation; United Conveyor Corporation; United States Steel Corporation; Vimasco Corporation; Washington Group International; and Yarway Corporation.

Asbestos Settlements

Billings, MT: According to court documents, the residents of the infamous asbestos mining town Libby, who are victims of asbestos contamination, are close to securing a $43 million settlement of allegations that state health officials failed to warn miners about the hazards of a deadly vermiculite mine, owned by WR Grace.

As a result of the decades of asbestos mining that took place in Libby, hundreds of people have been killed and thousands made gravely ill. In 2004, the Montana Supreme Court noted the Montana should have warned miners about hazards first identified by state officials in Libby in the 1950s.

According to a report by the Associated Press, 1,125 victims—possibly more—are considering a deal to release the state from liability in exchange for payments ranging from $21,500 to the $60,700 per claim. 

Asbestos Hot Spots

Washington, DC: Renovations at DC’s Farragut North and Union Station Metro stops have turned up asbestos. Consequently, crews have been laboring during the ‘off hours’ to get rid of the deadly mineral, according to the transit agency. The remediation is expected to last until mid-April.

The asbestos-containing material was found in the jointwork of ducts in mechanical rooms, under platforms and above suspended ceilings, Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said. Workers found the asbestos when removing ductwork at the two stations as part of a multiyear $177 million Red Line rehabilitation project.

According to the agency, airborne fiber concentrations are well below general industry standards, and have been since the work began. The agency has been conducting air monitoring in the affected areas.  “Also, the locations are in areas that are not accessible to the public,” Taubenkibel said. “Riders should not be concerned as long as the joint materials are not disturbed,” he said. Additionally, the two stations’ air flow systems were also turned off before the work began so the particles do not circulate.

The asbestos was “securely embedded” in the gasket material that seals the sections of the duct together, he said. It would only become a concern if the gasket material was disturbed, he said. Instead, the remediation teams are cutting the ducts between the joints to avoid disrupting those areas.

“We will be checking at other stations before the HVAC systems are replaced but we don’t expect to see it at other stations,” he said. (Washington Examiner) 

Pottsville, PA: Pottsville Area school board has voted to advertise for bids to complete an asbestos-removal project at D.H.H. Lengel Middle School. The goal is to remove chrysotile—a spray-applied acoustical insulation—from the ceilings of the three-story middle school, which was built in 1970. (republicanherald.com)

Tags: Asbestos, Asbestos Mesothelioma, asbestos_mesothelioma

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