Asbestos News Roundup: 4.29.11

April 29th, 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: A couple from Clarksburg has filed an asbestos suit naming 56 companies as defendants. They allege that the defendants are responsible for Lendell C. Simmons being exposed to asbestos and his resulting diagnosis of lung cancer.

Mr. Simmons was diagnosed with lung cancer on February 21, according to the lawsuit. Simmons and his wife, Patricia, are alleging negligence, contaminated buildings, breach of expressed/implied warranty, strict liability, intentional tort, conspiracy, misrepresentations and post-sale duty to warn, on the part of the defendants.

The 56 companies named as defendants in the suit are: A.W. Chesterton Company; Allied Glove Corporation; Beazer East, Inc.; Bechtel Corporation; Brand Insulations, Inc.; Catalytic Construction Company; Certainteed Corporation; Crane Co.; Crown Cork & Seal USA, Inc.; Dow Chemical Company; Dravo Corporation; Eaton Corporation; Fairmont Supply Company; ETC Wright Company; Flowserve FSD Corporation; Flowserve US, Inc.; FMC Corporation; Foseco, Inc.; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; General Electric Company; George V. Hamilton, Inc.; Goulds Pumps; Grinnell Corporation; Henry Vogt Machine Company; Hercules, Inc.; Howden North America, Inc.; I.U. North America, Inc.; IMO Industries, Inc.; Industrial Holdings Corporation; Ingersoll-Rand Company; ITT Corporation; J.H. France Refractories Company; Lockheed Martin Corporation; McJunkin Corporation; Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; Nitro Industrial Coverings, Inc.; Oglebay Norton Company; Ohio Valley Insulating Company, Inc.; Owens-Illinois, Inc.; Premiere Refractories, Inc.; Rapid American Corporation; Riley Power, Inc.; Rockwell Automation, Inc.; Rust Constructors, Inc.; Rust Engineering & Construction, Inc.; Schneider Electric USA, Inc.; Sterling Fluid Systems (USA), LLC; Sundyne Corporation; Sutter Roofing & Metal Co. Inc.; Tasco Insulations, Inc.; the Gage Company; UB West Virginia, Inc.; Union Carbide Chemical & Plastics Company; United Engineers & Constructors and Washington Group international; Viacom, Inc.; and Vimasco Corporation. (WVRecord.com)

Asbestos Hot Spots

Knox County, TN: The Knox County board met this week to try and determine what to do about the courthouse, which contains asbestos in the floor tiles, linoleum, textured parts of the ceiling, the boiler breeching and mud joints.

According to report by KWQC-TV6, 25 random tests for asbestos were done throughout the courthouse, and the results revealed varying asbestos levels, from 2.2 to 28.5. A majority of those levels are higher than the EPA and Illinois Emergency Management Agency Recommended action level of 4.0.

During the board meeting employees filled the room, many sharing stories about long-standing health concerns associated with working in the building. Employees who have worked in the building for many years have reportedly discussed having headaches, coughs and weight loss, which they think might be due to working in the courthouse. (KWQC-TV6)

Sausalito, CA: This past month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added the North Ridge Estates site near Klamath Falls in Oregon to the New Proposed National Asbestos Priorities List.

According to the EPA, Oregon governor Ted Kulongoski first requested that the North Ridge Estates site be added to the NPL in 2010 due to substantial asbestos contamination in the surface and sub-surface soils.

Despite efforts to clean up the site since 2003, including relocating nearby residents for a period of time, the area still remains a high risk to the public. If accepted to the NPL, then the site will be able to be cleaned up under the EPA’s Superfund program and redevelopment of the property can proceed.

The North Ridge Estate site is heavily contaminated with asbestos containing products. Despite the contamination, MBK Partnership bought the property in 1977, began construction of homes in 1993, and sold estates up until 2002. In 2003, the EPA began testing the site for asbestos, found unacceptable levels, and began evaluating possible clean up plans. The levels of asbestos contamination were high enough in some areas that people were permanently relocated from their homes in 2006. Clean up efforts have been ongoing, yet there is still much to be done before the area can be deemed safe.

If the site is accepted onto the NPL list, then government funds can be used to complete the clean up under the Superfund Program, which was established in 1980 to address abandoned hazardous waste sites.

If you are a citizen concerned about the ongoing risk of exposure to asbestos from this site, you have 60 days from March 10 to submit your comment for consideration. To submit your comments, use identification docket number EPA-HQ-SFUND-2011-0076 and follow online instructions. After the sixty days, the EPA will publish their final decision on the Federal Register Notice shortly after consideration of all relevant comments. (PRWEB)

Edmonton, AB: According to a press release issued by the Alberta Federation of Labour, in 2010 as many as 49 workers in the Canadian province died from being exposed to asbestos.

“Only a few days ago, Stephen Harper was campaigning on expanding asbestos exports to nations with lower workplace standards than Canada, while scores of his fellow citizens have died or are dying because of exposure to this hazardous substance,” said Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour. (Alberta Federation of Labour/CNW)

Tags: Asbestos, Asbestos Mesothelioma, asbestos_mesothelioma

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