Asbestos News Roundup: 7.23.10

July 23rd, 2010. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of. 

Asbestos Lawsuits

Bloomington, IL: Two men who have asbestos mesothelioma and who filed a lawsuit alleging conspiracy among corporations that caused their illness, fell short of a unanimous jury verdict this week.

The case took six weeks in court, and the jury took just three days to declare that they couldn’t reach a unanimous decision. Consequently, a mistrial was announced on July 16.

One of the men, Mr. Dunham, worked as a firefighter in Springfield, and the plaintiff, Mr. Shoopman, was a teacher in Bloomington. They sought damages from Pneumo Abex, Honeywell, and Owens-Illinois, claiming they conspired with other companies for decades to conceal the hazards of asbestos. (St. Clair Record)

Asbestos Law

New York, NY: The Department of Environmental Protection, a city agency that certifies the private inspectors who test buildings and construction sites, says measures have been taken to improve oversight in the licensing process. The news comes three months after a safety inspector admitted to falsifying hundreds of reports concluding that buildings were free of cancer-causing asbestos. There are reportedly some 550 agents licensed through the agency.

The new measures include sharing information with federal, state and city agencies, computerizing its filing system and substantially increasing audits and spot checks of inspectors in the field. (NYTimes.com)

The Fight to Ban Quebec Asbestos

Montreal, PQ: The fight to keep the Jeffrey Asbestos Mine afloat was dealt a huge blow this week with the release of a major documentary—Dangers in the Dust—produced by the British Broadcasting Corp (BBC) in partnership with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. 

The documentary is the culmination of nine months intensive investigation into the global asbestos industry and the Montreal-based Chrysotile Institute’s key role in marketing the mineral abroad.

The president of the mine, Bernard Coulombe, told the Montreal Gazette, “This is enormously damaging to us, especially at a time when we’re seeking government support. It’s terrible publicity.”

The Jeffrey Asbestos mine is trying to secure a $58 million loan guarantee from the province of Quebec to keep the mine going. Located in the tiny town of Asbestos, the mine produces chrysotile asbestos which is exported largely to the developing world.

One of the journalists involved in the documentary, Jim Morris, told the Gazette “The federal and provincial governments [of Canada] have given the Chrysotile Institute $35 million over the past 25 years. There is strong support there.”

Canada’s asbestos production is centered entirely in the French-speaking province of Quebec, which reportedly shipped $97 million of raw asbestos fiber overseas in 2008 alone. Quebec is currently the fourth largest exporter of asbestos, and the fifth-largest producer, world-wide. (thegazette.com)

Asbestos Hot Spots

Rochester, NY: The Midtown Plaza, one of the country’s first enclosed, downtown shopping malls, is scheduled for demolition this month. A big part of the demolition will involve asbestos removal, which began in July 2009.

In October 2007, then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced that the state would commit $55 million to pay for asbestos abatement and demolition of the 8.6-acre site, saying, “This to me is the beginning of a renaissance downtown.” Midtown was 85 percent vacant at the time. The demolition is expected to be completed by December 2011. (democratandchronicle.com)

Tags: Asbestos, Asbestos Mesothelioma

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