Asbestos Mesothelioma Archive

Asbestos News Roundup: 1.14.10

January 14th, 2010. By LucyC

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

Asbestos Lawsuits

Charleston, WV: Two new asbestos lawsuits just filed in Kanawha County, have named 133 defendant companies in asbestos lawsuits. The suits are brought on behalf of the etsate of the late Raymond E. Brewer Sr, and Mr. LaRosa, who were allegedly exposed to asbestos-containing materials during the period they worked with the defendant companies. The two men developed asbestosis and asbestos mesothelioma, according to the suit. They allege that the companies neglected to warn them of the dangers associated with asbestos, that the companies did not test for asbestos-containing products, or have asbestos-containing materials removed. 

Just in case you’d like to know, the companies named in the lawsuits are: 20th Century Glove Corporation; A.O. Smith Corporation; Ajax Magnethermic Corporation; Alliance Machine Company; Allied Glove Corporation; Allis-Chalmers Corporation; American Optical Corporation; Anchor Packing Company; Anderson Greenwood & Co.; Argo Packing Company; Armstrong International, Inc.; Atlas Industries, Inc.; Aurora Pump Company; A.W. Chesterton; Bayer Cropscience, Inc.; Beazer East, Inc.; Bechtel Corporation; Borg-Warner Corporation; Brand Insulations, Inc.; Buffalo Pumps, Inc.; Cameron International Corporation; CBS Corporation; Certainteed Corporation; Cleaver-Brooks Company, Inc.; Cooper Industries, Inc.; Copes-Vulcan, Inc.; Coppus Turbines; Crane Co.; Crown, Cork & Seal USA, Inc.; Dana Corporation; Didier Taylor Refractories Corporation; Dravo Corporation; Durabla Manufacturing Company; Earl B. Beach Company; Eaton Corporation; Eichleay Corporation; Elliott Company; F.B. Wright Company; Fairmont Supply Company; Famous Furnace & Supply Co.; Fisher Controls International, LLC; Flinn & Dreffein Eng. Co.; Flowserve US, Inc.; Flowserve FSD Corporation; Flowserve US, Inc. as successor to Valtek International; Foseco, Inc.; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; the Gage Company; Gardner Denver, Inc.; Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC; General Electric Company; General Refractories Company; Gentex Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Asbestos, Asbestos Mesothelioma
Posted in Asbestos Mesothelioma | 2 Comments »

Asbestos News Now: 1.12.10

January 12th, 2010. By LucyC

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

Asbestos Lawsuits

Madison County, IL: Between December 14 and 18, 2009, a total of 28 new asbestos lawsuits were filed.  In one such suit, Donald and Sharon Floyd of Missouri allege that Donald Floyd developed lung cancer after his work as a welder at North County Technical High School from 1969 until 1971, and at numberous other jobs where he worked as a welder  between 1970 and 2006. Another suit has been brought by Althea Bussert of Arizona, who claims her recently deceased husband, James Bussert, developed mesothelioma after his work as a reliability engineer, teacher, instructor and clerk at various locations throughout Arizona and California from 1959 until 2009. (St. Clair Record)

Asbestos Hot Spots

Staten Is, NY: The New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs (DMNA) closed parts of the New York State Armory on Manor Road in Staten Island on Monday, January 4th following the discovery of asbestos contamination in some armory offices and work spaces. Full time staff and drilling units assigned to the armory have been shifted to other New York City armories to perform their routine duties and training.

Soldiers and other military staff assigned to the armory have completed Department of Defense medical evaluation forms which will be kept in their military medical files as a baseline in case they develop any kind of medical condition which could be related to asbestos exposure in the future. (readmedia.com)

Victoria, BC: The federal of Canada and the British Columbia provincial government have given $42.5 million for asbestos remediation and new construction involving six buildings on the campus of the University of Victoria. The buildings were constructed between 1962 and 1978. The renovation work is scheduled to be complete by Spring 2011. (Victoria Times Colonist)

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

Men in Suits and Asbestos in my Linoleum

January 11th, 2010. By LucyC

I’ve been writing about asbestos for almost two years now, and I thought I was fairly familiar with the types of products that contain asbestos and information about asbestos handling. But, as fate would have it, I’m about to get a lesson first hand.

Recently, I had a flood in my home, which affected the laundry and storage areas. The building I live in was constructed in 1980 and in those days they used linoleum that contained asbestos in the lining material.  Who knew? Not me.

So I’ve been told, “don’t handle the lino!”…”Stand back from the tile.” “Don’t try and remove it or take a peek yourself.” (Trust me, I had no plans to do anything of the sort! After all, isn’t that what restoration companies are for?)

I am now awaiting the arrival of men in suits—white suits—you know—HAZMAT gear.  And they’ll have the masks and gloves—the whole nine yards. (Of course my mind conjures up images of men in space suits—I’m thinking Apollo 13—maybe Kevin Bacon…sigh). Anyway, these “specialists” will set up a containment area inside my home, and somehow remove and transport the offending material down seven flights of stairs into a specially licensed vehicle that will take it away to some specially designed facility that will GET RID OF IT.

Needless to say, I’m the talk of my building: “Did you know there’s asbestos in the apartments?” “No! Where?” “In the laundry and storage areas.” “Oh, my goodness—we had ours taken out when we renovated.” My first question to that comment would be how? How did you have the lino taken out? Asbestos causes terminal lung disease, specifically asbestos mesothelioma, the life expectancy of which following diagnosis is about two years. So handling it yourself is really not a good idea.

Just in case you’re the do-it-yourself type—and you want to replace linoleum in your home or garage that may have originated in the 1980s or earlier—a word of advice—don’t. Instead, make a couple of phone calls, find out how to get it tested, and go from there. And if you’ve had a flood that’s affected any kind of old flooring— let the experts handle it.

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

Asbestos News Roundup: 1.7.10

January 7th, 2010. By LucyC

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

Asbestos Hot Spots

Roanoke, VA:  A 1952 time capsule scheduled for unveiling on Thursday, January 7^th, is delayed indefinitely due to the presence of asbestos in the floor tiles surrounding the time capsule.

Robert Parker, a spokesman for the Virginia Dept of Health, said that it’s not uncommon for materials of that era to contain asbestos. He said he’s curious to see what’s inside the time capsule, which will be opened after proper assessments and remediation have been done. The capsule was filled by city and health officials 58 years ago. (wsls.com)

Asbestos in Schools

Montclair, NJ: Officials from the Montclair School District have closed part of Glenfield School this week, following evidence that flooring tiles damaged in a flood over the Christmas break, contain asbestos. A heating pipe burst and damaged tiles in the boys’ locker room located in the middle of the school, but the area was quickly contained. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “intact, undisturbed asbestos-containing materials generally do not pose a health risk. These materials may become hazardous and pose increased risk if they are damaged, are disturbed in some manner, or deteriorate over time and release asbestos fibers into building air.”

The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act administered by the EPA recommends that asbestos in school buildings be managed “in place.” According to the EPA, removal of asbestos-containing materials is not usually necessary unless the material is severely damaged or will be disturbed by a building demolition or renovation project. (northjersey.com)

Washington County, MD: The Washington County Board of Education has approved using three firms for asbestos abatement within its schools, if and when needed. According to Tony Suranno, an environmental safety specialist for Washington County Public Schools, 35 of 48 school buildings have asbestos. (herald-mail.com)

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

Asbestos News Roundup: 1.5.10

January 5th, 2010. By LucyC

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

Asbestos Lawsuits

Los Angeles, CA: Famed footballer Merlin Olsen who played for the Los Angeles Rams and went to become a sports caster and actor, is reportedly suing NBC Studios Universal, 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, Sherwin Williams, Lennox Industries and other companies alleging that they negligently exposed him to asbestos. Olsen has developed mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that can result from asbestos exposure. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy. According to media reports, Olsen’s claim states that mesothelioma “is a vicious, painful, and invariably fatal malignancy.” (TMZ.com)

Asbestos Fraud

St. Louis, MO: The owner of J & C Environmental Services has pled guilty to a felony charge of making false statements on government documents regarding an asbestos inspection for a building scheduled for demolition. Calvin Burks could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Burks allegedly did more than a hundred asbestos inspections in and around the St Louis area starting in April 2008, in buildings scheduled for demolition. He would provide false data in the reports to contractors, who paid him $150 per report, which they would then file with the Environmental Protection Agency. The reports would allegedly clear the way for local and federal authorities to authorize demolition of the buildings which were later found to contain asbestos. (asbsestosweb.org)

Asbestos Hot Spots

San Francisco, CA: The Hunter Point Naval Shipyard has been the topic of much controversy for years, due to project underway designed to revitalize San Francisco’s south eastern waterfront. The project has been generating what is believed to be toxic dust containing asbestos, and area residents have complained of nosebleeds, headaches and other health problems during the past several years. However, the Environmental Protection Agency has submitted a draft report which reportedly states that the monitoring procedures are minimizing “dust generation and limiting asbestos exposure.” Still, residents remain skeptical, questioning the EPA’s testing methods, stating that individual residents were not screened for health problems by the EPA. The project involves the construction of 10,500 homes over two decades. (SFGate.com)

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