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Asbestos Companies Covers Blown—Decades Too Late

May 26th, 2010. By janem

As early as the 1930s executives at companies where asbestos was mined and/or used have been covering up the dangers of asbestos disease to their employees. These execs didn’t suffer from asbestosis or die from mesothelioma; instead they wrote thousands upon thousands of death sentences by hiding or destroying asbestos warning memos from doctors, unions and even insurance companies.

Instead, they paid off many sick workers and made them promise never to tell their co-workers about their disease. Recently, some of these hidden documents have been found and you can read this one online. They are chilling, to say the least, and prove without a doubt that these despicable companies knew and concealed the hazards of asbestos for decades.

“…if you have enjoyed a good life while working with asbestos products, why not die from it.” – 1966 memo by  the Director of Purchasing for Bendix Corporation, now a part of Honeywell, to Canadian Johns Manville Co. in Asbestos, Quebec.

The Trinity of Evil: Bendix Corporation, Manville and W.R. Grace.

Manville filed for bankruptcy in 1982 after settling so many asbestos liability claims. This is a convoluted story, so please bear with me:  In 1986 a judge approved a settlement that created the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust to settle asbestos claims.

Manville’s liability insurers, of which Travelers was the primary, contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to the trust in exchange for immunity from future claims related to Manville’s liability insurance policies. This arrangement was subsequently in more than 40 other asbestos cases and Congress wrote it into law. It also meant that asbestos claimants and others who were a part of the 1986 agreement could not make future claims or challenge the bankruptcy.

In 2001, new plaintiffs sued Travelers of conspiring with Manville to hide the dangers of asbestos from the public. One of the plaintiffs was Chubb Indemnity Insurance Co, an asbestos industry liability insurer with its own asbestos claims.

In 2004 Travelers paid $500 million to the plaintiffs in exchange for an order from the bankruptcy court that the original 1986 agreement barred future lawsuits. Just two months ago, a ruling by the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals reversed rulings by a district court and bankruptcy court related to Travelers’ involvement with Johns Manville Corp and Chubb can now sue Travelers Insurance Cos-because Chubb was not a part of that 1986 agreement, unlike countless asbestos victims.

Grace is doubly despicable. Not only did it know in 1960 when it took over the Libby mine that vermiculate could kill people-and continues to potentially harm about 30 million Americans who have the product in their homes-the company didn’t even file for bankruptcy honestly. In May 2002, the Justice Department charged that Grace “removed billions of dollars of assets against which parties who were injured or damaged by Grace’s asbestos-containing material had claims”.  Grace could get slapped with a $280 million fine and executives may face up to 70 years in prison.

One can only hope their cells are contaminated with asbestos fibers

Tags: Asbestos, asbestosis, Chubb, Manville, mesothelioma, WR Grace
Posted in Asbestos Mesothelioma | No Comments »

Wake Up Canada and Smell the Asbestos

May 18th, 2010. By janem

Canadians are proud of their healthy lifestyle– surrounded by wide open spaces, fresh air and clean water. But there’s a nasty blight on this near-perfect landscape: Quebec’s asbestos mine. Yep, Canadians still allow asbestos mining, despite the World Health Organization’s (WHO) plea to ban asbestos in every country and despite medical and political professionals warning about asbestos mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.

Quebec exports mined asbestos to many underdeveloped countries and Canada is the leading exporter of chrysotile asbestos–putting at stake the lives of countless people who will be exposed to the deadly asbestos fibers and likely unaware of the danger. Even if they knew the risk of asbestos exposure, many people couldn’t afford, or don’t have access to, safety equipment. And their employers aren’t likely to have safety regulations in place.

WHO estimates that 125 million people around the world are exposed to asbestos in the workplace today, and in 2004 alone, 107,000 people died from occupational exposure to the fibre. The use of asbestos is restricted in the US, but not banned.

Last week in Ottawa about 100 medical and political professionals–including a handful of people from Quebec’s own professional, medical, academic and scientific communities– held an anti-asbestos rally to protest the last active asbestos mining in Asbestos (yes, the town is actually called Asbestos!), Quebec. Increasing pressure on the government couldn’t come at a better time: asbestos industry officials are waiting on yet another loan from the government, this time to approve another underground asbestos mine. It would mean about 30 years of exports and it could create 450 jobs. BIG DEAL.

The two asbestos mines in Quebec only have about 700 people on the payroll. In 1979, the Canadian asbestos industry was valued at US$652 million, and that amount has decreased significantly. Not much for so much misery it has caused.

So how about the government coming up with another means of income for miners? After all, they’ve done it before with pulp and paper mills that went belly-up.  In 2008  the Canadian government spent nearly $20 million in the past two decades to promote exports of the mineral, almost all of it going to developing nations.  How about spending on alternative job creation instead of asbestos promotion?

Do Canadians want to be known for the next 30 years as the biggest exporter of asbestos? That’s grounds for separation from Quebec!

Of course the asbestos industry defends itself by denials and lies. Industry spokespersons in Asbestos (town of) claim that chrysotile is less dangerous than other forms and with care can be used safely. But just about everyone in the know vehemently disagree.WHO claims that all types of asbestos cause asbestosis, cancer and mesothelioma and in a report last year, the former Assistant Surgeon General of the US said that “the chrysotile lobby relies on misinterpretations, false claims, and undocumented statements to advance its global propaganda campaign for the continued use of chrysotile asbestos. . . . Blow away their smoke . . . and truth emerges for all to see: asbestos is deadly . . . and the continued use of chrysotile is unconscionable.”

Tags: Asbestos, asbestosis, mesothelioma, Quebec asbestos, Quebec mine
Posted in Asbestos Mesothelioma | 1 Comment »

Rough Sailing for Asbestos–Exposed Workers and even Residents at Portland Shipyard

May 12th, 2010. By janem

If you ever worked at the Portland Shipyard in Oregon or even lived closeby, you-and potentially family members– may have been exposed to high levels of asbestos and could be at risk for asbestos disease, including asbestosis and mesothelioma.

Close to 200 US shipyards are known for asbestos exposure, including Portland Shipyard, which was originally created in 1903 and known as the largest commercial and publicly run shipyard within the US.

Those who worked at the shipyards and face the greatest risk of asbestos exposure include plumbers and insulators who worked with boilers, steam pipes, hot water pipes, and incinerators; longshoremen and military personnel. And even residents near Portland Ship Repair, which is owned and operated by Cascade General.

Portland Harbor is designated a ‘Superfund’ site because the surrounding environment contains high levels of dangerous contaminants, mainly due to the Portland Shipyard Repair. A Superfund Site puts area residents at risk for disease and the loss of property value due to environmental damage. The harbor is also designated for significant cleanup and to offer protection to those individuals that may suffer from related disease such as asbestosis, and/or a large loss of value in their homes. Asbestos was found at significant levels in the area.

Although Cascade has taken steps to clean up its act and make sure no further pollution and hazardous materials are released into the area’s environment, they can’t repair the damage caused since the 1940s or even earlier. Shipyard workers before 1980 were heavily exposed to asbestos, particularly during World War II when thousands of ships were being built at lightening speed to support the war effort. Portland Shipyard opened in 1942, when they began to build Liberty ships. Portland ran its own facility until 1995, when Cascade General took it over.

According to a recent study by the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, 86 percent of the shipyard workers tested with 20+ years of work experience had developed some kind of asbestos-related lung cancer or disease. Before the 1980s, workers rarely used protective gear and clothing when surrounded by asbestos and other dangerous toxins. Most people were unaware that asbestos was harmful because it was kept on the QT by manufacturers, corporations and insurance companies until the late 1970s.

If the war didn’t kill them, asbestos might.

 

 

Tags: Asbestos, Asbestos Mesothelioma
Posted in Asbestos Mesothelioma, Personal Injury | No Comments »

The Pill Turns 50 But Many Women aren’t Celebrating

May 7th, 2010. By janem

This week marks the 50^th anniversary of the birth control pill. We’ve come a long way baby! But some things haven’t changed: Even 35 years ago women were complaining about side effects, including blood clots.  Back in 1960, the pill was marketed as 100 percent safe, it would liberate women and it would even prevent divorce. Well, Bayer is still lying about its birth control pills Yasmin and Yaz, saying it is as safe as other oral contraceptives.

A few events regarding the pill have been announced this past month. On April 9, 2010 Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals announced it would update its Yaz and Yasmin labels with a stronger warning, which has already happened in Europe. And Bayer has a dirty little secret: Did you know that 32,856 boxes of Yaz, at three packs per box, and 122,208 boxes of Ocella, an identical product was recalled? You won’t find that recall on its website and you have to dig deep to find it on the FDA recall list.

TIME magazine featured an article on the pill this month. Here is an excerpt:

“In 1954, John Rock, the doctor who was leading the research on the pill, expressed the breathless excitement shared by many of his colleagues: An oral contraceptive, he said, “would be the greatest aid ever discovered to the happiness and security of individual families – indeed, to mankind” because “the greatest menace to world peace and decent standards of life today is not atomic energy but sexual energy.”

Regarding pregnancy, the article says that ” 63 percent say they know little or nothing about Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: bayer-natazia-oral-contraceptive-adverse-events, Birth Control, Contraceptive, FDA, The Pill, Yasmin, Yaz
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues | No Comments »

Fallen Workers Remembered this Workers’ Memorial Day

April 27th, 2010. By janem

Did you know that today is Workers’ Memorial Day? Not to be confused with Memorial Day in May, people worldwide will join together this April 28^th and remember those disabled, injured, made unwell or killed in the workplace. The purpose of this day is to sympathize with those who have suffered due to unsafe, negligent or unfair employment practices, and to raise awareness by encouraging and lobbying unions, lawyers and government for the fair, healthy and safe treatment of workers.

Canada first observed Workers’ Memorial Day in1984, and since that time trade unionists now mark April 28 as an International Day of Mourning:  the slogan “”Remember the dead, fight for the living,” has been adopted by the US (in 1989) and a host of nations, from Asia to Europe to Africa.

It’s important that the public play its part to keep workers safe and to keep in check the tendencies of companies and employers to choose profit over safety. Throughout the world, it is estimated that approximately 270 million accidents occur in the workplace, and that more than 150 million people acquire illnesses related to unsafe or toxic work environments.

April 28 is also the anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Although OSHA and EPA have made considerable strides in controlling workplace incidents, the organizations say there is a long way to go. A spokesperson for a federation of international labor unions recently said that “…job fatalities, injuries and illnesses have been reduced significantly as have exposures to toxic substances such as asbestos, lead, benzene and cotton dust.”

But asbestos in the workplace is killing people at an alarming rate; people who were exposed Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Asbestos, mesothelioma, occupational accidents, workers' memorial day, workplace accidents. NSL
Posted in Accidents | No Comments »