Asbestos News Roundup: 9.23.10

September 23rd, 2010. By LucyC

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

Asbestos Lawsuits

Charleston, WV: Frank S. Reisberger of Shadyside, Ohio, is suing 95 companies alleging that they are responsible for his developing malignant asbestos mesothelioma. Reisberger was diagnosed with the fatal disease on August 17.

The 95 defendants include:  3M Company; A.O. Smith Corporation; A.W. Chesterton Company; Allegheny Power Systems; Armstrong International, Inc.; Armstrong Pumps, Inc.; Aurora Pump Company; Bayer Cropscience, LP; Brand Insulations, Inc.; Buffalo Pumps; Catalytic Construction Company; Ceitainteed Corporation; Chemtura Corporation; Cleaver-Brooks, Inc.; Cameron International Corporation; Copes-Vulcan; Crane Co.; Crane Valves North America & Stockham Company; Dezurik, Inc.; Dunham-Bush, Inc.; Eaton Electrical, Inc.; Elliott Company; F.B. Wright; Fairmont Supply Company; Felt Products Mfg. Co.; First Energy Corporation; Flowserve US, Inc., f/k/a Flowserve FSD Corporation; Flowserve US, Inc., f/k/a Durco International, Inc.; Flowserve US, Inc., and its Byron Jackson Pump Division; Fluor Enterprises, Inc.; Flour Corporation; FMC Corporation; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; General Electric Company, Inc.; General Refractories Company; Geo. V. Hamilton, Inc.; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Graybar Electric Company; Grinnell, LLC; Hercules, Inc.; Honeywell International f/k/a Allied Signal, Inc.; Honeywell International, Inc.; I.U. North America, Inc.; IMO Industries, Inc.; Industrial Holdings Corporation; Ingersoll-Rand Company; ITT Corporation; John Crane, Inc.; McJunkin Corporation; Milwaukee Valve Company; Mobay Chemical Corporation; Mueller Steam Specialty; Nagle Pumps; National Service Industries Venture, Inc.; Nibco, Inc.; O.C. Keckley Company; Nitro Industrial Coverings, Inc.; Oakfabco, Inc.; Ohio Valley Insulating Company, Inc.; Peerless Boilers Company; Pneumo Abex Corporation; Rapid American Corporation; Reliance Electric, Inc.; Riley Power, Inc.; Rockwell Automation, Inc.; Rust Engineering & Construction, Inc.; Rust Constructors, Inc.; Rust International, Inc.; Smith Cast Iron Boilers; Spirax Sarco, Inc.; Square D Company; Standco Industries, Inc.; State Electric Supply Company; Sterling Fluid Systems (USA), LLC; Taco, Inc.; TAMKO Roofing Products; Tasco Insulations, Inc.; the William Powell Company; Townsend & Bottom, Inc.; Trane U.S., Inc.; Tyco Flow Control Company LLC; UB West Virginia, Inc.; Uniroyal, Inc.; United Engineers & Constructors, Inc.; Vellumoid, Inc.; Viacom, Inc.; Viking Pump, Inc.; Vimasco Corporation; Washington Group International; Watson McDaniel Company; Warren Pumps; Weil-McLain Company; Wilsonart International, Inc.; Yarway Corporation; and Zurn Industries, Inc. (wvirginiarecord.com)

Parkesburg, WV: A Parkersburg couple have filed an asbestos suit naming 58 defendants whom they allege are responsible for the husband, James R. Hinton’s, developing asbestos mesothelioma.

Hinton was diagnosed with mesothelioma on July 7. He was employed by Union Carbide in South Charleston from 1946 until 1991 as an operator. The defendants are being sued upon theories of negligence; contaminated buildings; breach of expressed/implied warranty; strict liability; intentional tort; conspiracy; misrepresentations; and post-sale duty to warn, according to the suit.

The defendants named in the suit are: 3M Company; A.W. Chesterton Company; Aurora Pump Company; Buffalo Pumps, Inc.; Certainteed Corporation; Cleaver-Brooks Company, Inc.; Crane Company; Crown, Cork & Seal USA, Inc.; Dow Chemical Company; Eaton Electrical, Inc.; Elliott Company; Fisher Controls International, Inc.; Flowserve US Inc.; Flowserve US, Inc. f/k/a Durco International, Inc.; Flowserve US, Inc. f/k/a Flowserve FSD Corporation; FMC Corporation; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; General Electric Company, Inc.; Gordon Gasket & Packing Co.; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Greene Tweed & Company; Henry Vogt Machine Company; Honeywell International, f/k/a Allied Signal, Inc.; Honeywell International, Inc.; IMO Industries, Inc.; Industrial Holdings Corporation; Ingersoll-Rand Company; Invensys Systems, Inc.; ITT Corporation; Lockheed Martin Corporation; McJunkin Corporation; McNally Industries; Met Pro Corporation; Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; Nagle Pumps; Nitro Industrial Coverings, Inc.; Ohio Valley Insulating Company, Inc.; Owens-Illinois, Inc; Perkinelmer Instruments; Rapid American Corporation; Riley Power, Inc.; Rockwell Automations, Inc.; Roper Pump Company; Schneider Electric USA, Inc.; Sterling Fluid Systems (USA) LLC; Stockham Valves & Fittings; Tasco Insulations, Inc.; the William Powell Company; Tyco Flow Control Company, LLC; Tyco Flow Control Company, LLC; UB West Virginia, Inc.; Union Carbide Chemical & Plastics Company; Uniroyal, Inc.; Viacom, Inc.; Viking Pump Company; Vimasco Corporation; Waukesha Cherry-Burrell; and Zurn Industries, Inc.
(wvrginiarecord.com)

Charleston, WV:  Robin Rabickow and Tammy Sheaffer, co-administratrixes of the estate of Violet Nell Sheaffer, are suing 85 companies alleging that the defendants are responsible for their family member’s lung cancer and death. 

According to the complaint, Violet Sheaffer was diagnosed with lung cancer on Aug. 22, 2008 and subsequently died on March 11, 2009.

The plaintiffs allege that Mrs. Sheaffer was employed by B&W from 1975 until 1981, but her ex-husband held numerous jobs throughout their marriage with the defendants, which caused her to be exposed to her husband’s asbestos-covered clothing.

The defendants named in the suit are: A.O. Smith Corporation; A.W. Chesterton Company; Ajax Magnethermic Corporation; Allied Glove Corporation; American Optical Corporation; Armstrong International, Inc.; Atlas Industries, Inc.; Beazer East, Inc.; Brand Insulations, Inc.; CBS Corporation; Cashco, Inc.; Catalytic Construction Company; Caterpillar, Inc.; Champlain Cable Corporation; Crane Co.; Crown Cork & Seal Company; Deere & Company, Inc.; Dezurik, Inc.; Dick Corporation; Dravo Corporation; Durametallic Corporation; Eaton Corporation; F.B. Wright Company; Fairmont Supply; Flowserve U.S., Inc.; FMC Corporation; Ford Motor Company; Foseco, Inc.; Foster Wheeler Corporation; General Electric Company; Gentex Corporation; George V. Hamilton, Inc.; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Greene Tweed & Company; Grinnell Corporation; Hedman Resources Limited; Honeywell, Inc.; Honeywell International, 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.; Mack Trucks, Inc.; Mallinckrodt Group, Inc.; McCann Shields Paint Company; McCarls, Inc.; McJunkin Red Man Corporation; Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; Met-Pro Corporation and its Dean Pump Division; Milton Roy Company; Milwaukee Valve Company; Minnotte Contracting Corporation; Nagle Pumps, Inc.; Navistar International Corporation; Nitro Industrial Coverings, Inc.; Oglebay Norton Company; Ohio Valley Insulating Company; Owens-Illinois, Inc.; Plotkin Brothers Supply, LLP; Pneumo Abex LLC; Powell Valve Company; Power Piping; Premier Refractories, Inc.; Riley Stoker Corporation; Safety First Industries, Inc.; Sealite, Inc.; Spirax Sarco, Inc.; Square D Company; Stockham Valves & Fittings; Tasco Insulation, Inc.; Thiem Corporation; Treco Construction Services, Inc.; UB West Virginia, Inc.; Unifrax Corporation; Union Carbide Corporation; United States Steel Corporation; Washington Group International; WMX Technologies, Inc.; and Yarway Corporation. (wvrecord.com) 

Asbestos Hot Spots

Heyworth, IL: Two schools in central Illinois have tested positive for airborne asbestos and have been closed, with all classes cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday for junior-senior high school and elementary school students.

Superintendent Randy Merker told The (Bloomington) Pantagraph that the district ordered the asbestos test after custodians found a small piece of hard plaster and worried it might be asbestos.

An extensive clean-up of the affected area is planned, to be followed by more testing to determine if it is safe for students and staff to return. (chicagotribune.com) 

Moline, IL: Soil on the site of the Moline nursing school dormitory building tested positive for asbestos contamination recently, and has been cleared for demolition by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. 

Michael Shamsie of Moline Place Development manages the property and filed a ten-day demolition notice with the state Tuesday after getting the go ahead from the EPA. It is hoped that crews can be on site early next week to begin the demolition, as the work could take as long as 70 days to complete.

When the area has been cleared, graded, and restored, it will be transferred to the city of Moline, who plans to develop the site for housing. (wqad.com)

Asbestos Law

Chicago, IL: A former city inspector for Chicago, Michael Cease, will spend a year and a day in prison after pleading guilty to accepting a bribe to overlook asbestos in a building. 

The 40-year old inspector pled guilty to federal program bribery. He was investigated following a tip provided by a citizen in September 2009. He reportedly had taken a $600 bribe to overlook the presence of asbestos in a building he inspected, by way of providing false documentation to the owner indicating that an asbestos abatement firm had properly disposed of the asbestos. (myfoxnewschicago.com)

Tags: Asbestos, Asbestos Mesothelioma

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