Asbestos News Roundup: 5.23.13 – Oklahoma Tornado Asbestos Risk

May 23rd, 2013. By LucyC

A roundup of 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.

Asbestos Debris After F5 Tornado in Moore, OK

Photographs of the devastation wreaked by the F5 tornado that tore through the town or Moore, OK earlier this week, cannot accurately convey the full risk residents face as they begin cleaning up. Apart from sharp metal and electrical debris, contaminated water, lead paint and broken glass, there is the very real risk exposure to asbestos.

As was done following the tornado that flattened Joplin, MO, nearly two years ago to the day, the experts are warning that many of the homes in Moore were built with asbestos. In Joplin, 2,600 tons of asbestos debris were removed following the 2011 tornado. A similar scenario could be facing residents of Moore.

There was a building boom in Moore in the 1960s and 1970s, at least a decade before the dangers of asbestos became publicly known, and a time when asbestos was widely used in the construction industry. Many houses and other buildings in Moore likely contain asbestos—in roofing tiles, electrical insulation, toilet gaskets, furnaces, and dry wall mud, for example.

Because the chronic health effects of asbestos exposure may not become apparent for up to 30 years, the experts are recommending caution when cleaning up—wearing gloves and masks at a minimum.

You can find comprehensive recommendations for cleanup can be found at the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality’s website: http://www.deq.state.ok.us/tornado/tornado.html

Asbestos Lawsuits

New York, NY: An asbestos lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Moriah Center, NY, resident, Norman Westover in the New York Supreme Court’s 4th Judicial District in Schenectady to recover damages for Mr. Westover’s lung cancer, which, according to the lawsuit, was allegedly caused by asbestos exposure.

According to the filed complaint, Mr. Westover was allegedly exposed to dangerous asbestos fibers on a daily basis during his twenty-plus-year career at the International Paper Mill located in Ticonderoga, NY. International Paper purchased the pulp mill, which had been operating on the western shores of Lake Champlain near the Vermont border since the late 19th century, in 1926. In the late 1960s, International Paper began decommissioning the original mill and, in 1971, opened a new mill at the location which is still operating today. The mill produces 850 tons of paper a day, employs approximately 600 workers and contracts with 650 loggers and truckers in New York and Vermont.

International Paper was formed in 1898 upon the merger of 18 paper mills in the northeast. The company was responsible for supplying 60% of the newsprint in the country. International Paper’s Hudson River Mill, located in nearby Corinth, where the Sacandaga River joins the Hudson, was a major pioneer in the development of the modern paper industry in the late 19th century. In the early 20th century, the Hudson River Mill was one of International Paper’s largest plants and served both as the company’s principal office and a place where paper workers helped shape the direction of the industry’s early labor movement.

As per the lawsuit papers, during his tenure at International Paper, Mr. Westover worked in both the original and new mill and he held a variety of positions that allegedly exposed him to asbestos fibers used in connection with mill machinery, including, but not limited to, cutters, dryers, rollers, boilers, pumps, and valves. Mr. Westover was also allegedly exposed to asbestos that was used in an abundance to insulate component parts of the original and new mill and the related piping and wiring. (digitaljournal.com)

Jefferson County, TX: Chevron USA is facing an asbestos lawsuit filed by the children of the late Nathan Guillory. In their lawsuit, Randall Guillory, Lindall Guillory and Beth Harper allege the company exposed their father, Nathan Guillory, to asbestos dust and fibers. As a result, he developed asbestos related diseases and died on May 23, 2011.

The suit alleges Chevron knew for decades that asbestos could cause cancer and yet still allowed employees to work around the mineral without warning them of the dangers.The plaintiffs are suing to recover exemplary damages. (setexasrecord.com)

Asbestos Lawsuits and Bankruptcy

In a recent ruling, US Bankruptcy Judge Judith K. Fitzgerald in Wilmington, Delaware has determined that Bondex International Inc., the bankrupt unit of Rust-Oleum maker RPM International Inc. (RPM), may owe current and future victims of asbestos poisoning $1.17 billion.

Bloomberg USA is reporting that “the judge sided with lawyers representing asbestos claims and rejected the method Bondex and Specialty Products Holding Corp. used to estimate they owed no more than $575 million.”

“We decline to accept debtors’ novel approach in this case,” Fitzgerald wrote in her opinion.

In May, 2010, Bondex and Specialty Products filed for bankruptcy in May 2010. (Bloomberg.com)

 

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

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