Asbestos News Roundup: 4.18.11

April 18th, 2011. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of. An ongoing list of asbestos hot spots from the Asbestos News Roundup archive appears on our asbestos map. 

Asbestos Lawsuits

Charleston, WV: A couple from Hernshaw has named 87 companies in their recently filed asbestos lawsuit, alleging that the defendants are responsible for William Basil Spurlock’s asbestos mesothelioma diagnosis.

In his suit, Mr. Spurlock claims that he did not know of the health hazards known to be associated with asbestos exposure. He further claims that he was unaware that he had medical conditions related to his asbestos exposure until he was diagnosed with asbestos mesothelioma.

Mr. Spurlock was employed by Union Carbide Corporation from 1948 until 1980, according to his complaint. During that time, he alleges that the defendants failed to warn him of the dangers of asbestos; failed to take reasonable precautions to warn him of the dangers of exposure; and failed to inform him of the safe and proper methods of handling and using asbestos products.
Spurlock and his wife, Betty J. Spurlock, are seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

The 87 defendants named in the suit are A.W. Chesterton Company; Amchem Products, Inc.; Aurora Pump Company; Bayer Cropscience; Benjamin F. Shaw Company; 4520 Corp., Inc.; Brand Insulations, Inc.; Buffalo Pumps, Inc.; Burns International Services Corporation; BW IP, Inc.; Cameron International Corporation; Catalytic Construction Company; Certainteed Corporation; Cleaver-Brooks Company, Inc.; Crane Co.; Crown Cork & Seal Co., Inc.; the Dow Chemical Company; Dezurik, Inc.; Eaton Electrical, Inc.; Elliott Company; Fisher Controls International, Inc.; Flowserve US, Inc., f/k/a Durco International, Inc.; Flowserve US Inc., f/k/a Flowserve FSD Corporation; Flowserve US, Inc., a/k/a Nordstrom Valves; FMC Corporation; Ford, Bacon & Davis, LLC; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; Foster Wheeler U.S.A. Corporation; the Gage Company; General Electric Company; Geo. V. Hamilton, Inc.; Georgia Pacific, LLC; Gordon Gaskets & 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; John Crane, Inc.; Lockheed Martin Corporation; 3M Company; McJunkin Corporation; McNally Industries; Met Pro Corporation; Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; Meuller Steam Specialty; Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company; Nagle Pumps, Inc.; National Service Industries, Inc.; Nitro Industrial Coverings, Inc.; North Bros., Inc.; NSI Ventures, Inc.; Ohio Valley Insulating Company, Inc.; Onyx Industrial Services, Inc.; Owens Illinois, Inc.; Peerless Pumps, Inc.; Perkinelmer Instruments; Pneumo Abex Corporation; Rapid American Corporation; Riley Power, Inc.; Rockwell Automations, Inc.; Roper Pump Company; Schneider Electric USA, Inc.; SFB Companies, Inc.; State Electric Supply Company; Sterling Fluid Systems (USA), LLC; Stockham Valves & Fittings; Surface Combustion, Inc.; Tasco Insulations, Inc.; the Gorman-Rupp Company; the William Powell Company; Tyco Flow Control Company, LLC, a/k/a Crosby Valve, Inc.; Tyco Flow Control Company, LLC, a/k/a Lunkenheimer Valves; UB West Virginia, Inc.; Union Carbide Corporation; Uniroyal, Inc.; Viacom, Inc.; Viking Pump Company; Vimasco Corporation; Waukesha Cherry-Burrell; West Virginia Electric Supply Company; and Zurn Industries, Inc. (WVRecord.com) 

Asbestos Settlements

St. Clair County, IL: An asbestos suit filed in 2009 by retired mechanic, Mack Hambicki, who subsequently passed away from asbestos mesothelioma, reached an out-of-court settlement this week.

Among the defendants named in the suit are Hyster, Arvinmeritor Inc., A.W. Chesterton Inc., Baldor Electric Co. Ford Motor Company, Daimler Trucks North America LLC, Dana Companies LLC, Saint-Gobain Abrasives Inc., and Volvo Trucks. The suit alleged that exposure to asbestos caused him to develop mesothelioma.

Hambicki’s suit, which is now headed by Stephanie Jones as administrator of the Hambicki estate, alleged that from the 1960s onward, Hambicki, during his employment as a mechanic in Michigan, and later in Arizona, inhaled asbestos from products made by the defendants.

Details of the settlements in the case are not yet available, however, Hambicki had sought damages in excess of $50,000. (MadisonRecord.com)

Asbestos Hot Spots

Quebec Government Gives Conditional Support to Jeffrey Asbestos Mine

Toronto, ON: The Canadian Cancer Society is deeply disappointed that the Quebec Economic Development Minister Clement Gignac recently announced conditional support for a project that could lead to the re-opening of Jeffrey Mine in the city of Asbestos.

“From a public health point of view, the Quebec Government has made the wrong decision as all forms of asbestos cause cancer,” says Paul Lapierre, Vice President, Cancer Control and Public Affairs, Canadian Cancer Society. “We strongly urge Minister Gignac to re-consider his decision and to withdraw this support.”

According to media reports, the Quebec Government has given its agreement in principle to the reopening of the Jeffrey Asbestos Mine. The offer is conditional on a consortium of investors lining up the required $25 million in financing by July 1. The consortium, composed of Balcorp Ltd. and partners, has been waiting for the government to announce whether it will guarantee a $58 million loan guarantee to expand the Jeffrey Mine operations, which it says is crucial to restating the mine. Minister Gignac said his announcement affirms that the Quebec government will continue to support the chrysotile asbestos industry.

Other conditions for the Quebec Government conditional support include Balcorp Ltd. contributing $1.5 million a year for five years, starting in 2015, for economic diversification in the region, plus financing annual inspections of the clients who buy asbestos from Jeffrey Mines to ensure they are respecting the same health standards as those in Quebec.

“This decision directly conflicts with global cancer control. The epidemic of asbestos-related cancers, both in Canada and around the world, will continue to spread,” says Lapierre. (CNW.com)

Mary Watson v. Plastic: A Tale of One Pissed-Off Retailer

April 18th, 2011. By Hunter West

We’ve been ticked off at credit card companies for a long time, haven’t we? The high interest rates, the late-payment fees, and the propensity to jack up the rates at the drop of a hat. Congress finally called the credit card companies to the carpet and forced them to reign in some of their practices—although critics have always maintained there will be other ways found to make up for any lost revenue. 

And that’s just for us—the schmucks who use credit cards. What about the merchants? 

Well, according to a proposed class action lawsuit filed Monday in Canada, merchants aren’t happy with the status quo, either… 

Mary Watson is a retailer who operates a furniture store in British Columbia. She has since 1990. And like most merchants who sell big-ticket items, she can understand that most people would rather use plastic to buy that pricey leather sofa, than pull out a wad of hundred-dollar bills. 

No, she’s okay with that. What Mary is upset about are all the fees charged to her business when a consumer uses plastic. The fees are hard to track. What’s more, she’s not allowed to promote, or suggest that her customers use an alternative form of payment, such as cash or debit.

She’s not exactly required to suggest her customers use their credit cards. But at the same time, Read the rest of this entry »

WhosArrested.com: Like Facebook for Criminals

April 14th, 2011. By AbiK

Who’s Arrested? Check out the “wall” posts at WhosArrested.com. It’s like Facebook’s dark twin (as opposed to the twins who’ve been suing Facebook). Well, it could be.

Think you’ve had a rough night—maybe a DUI or some drug possession charge—or maybe a bit of assault and battery—and you’re thinking as you awake the next morning—phew!—that at least the prior night is over with and who of your friends and family needs to be the wiser as to how you spent it?

Ah, but that was before you realized that your local public criminal record database is…drumroll please…online! Complete with all your vital stats, what you’ve been charged with, what bond was set at, and your mug shot if you’re lucky. Heck, if you’re a recidivist, you may even get a virtual contact sheet of your best mug shots.

Why, there’s a guy from Tampa who’s been racking up charges since 2006—27 individual counts in all, strikingly in line with his 27 years of age (though they occurre in just a 6 year period)—his contact sheet of mug shots are sort of like looking at all of someone’s uploaded Facebook profile shots—or your kid’s annual school pictures (‘my how’s he’s grown since ’06!’). Only you can’t comment on or thumbs-up these. And I can’t help but wonder how many pen pals this guy could rack up at Jailville, if it existed (note to Zynga).

Granted, the site is in a bit of a fledgling stage—it only covers 5 major metro areas right now: Las Vegas, Miami, Reno, Tampa and Phoenix—clearly hot spots (at least temperture-wise) for crime. But the information is updated with apparent frequency. Case in point—for the week March 3-9,  those five cities have racked up the following numbers of arrests: Las Vegas – 1,176; Miami – 274; Reno – 256; Tampa – 537; and Phoenix – 248.

WhosArrested does allow individuals who are profiled to remove their listing (delete post? yes!) from public view, and ultimately search engines. But before you wipe the sweat from your brow, there’s a bit of a catch: it’ll set you back $99. Some might argue that’s a bit discriminatory—ie, you can pay your way out of infamy, if you can afford it. Perhaps another form of ‘profiling’? 

Regardless, WhosArrested.com is a bit of a neighborhood watch team’s dream. With stats like the fact that domestic violence tops the list in Vegas while possession is tops in Miami, along with the individual profiles, it sure beats trying to pull together the weekly local news police blotter. Split your WhosArrested screen with your local sex offender registry (nsopw.gov) and you’ve got pretty good tabs on the hood.

While WhosArrested may not be a friend’s wall I’d like to appear on anytime soon, it’s one that might be worth an occasional visit…

Incandescent vs. Fluorescent: Just Where is all that Mercury Going?

April 13th, 2011. By Hunter West

Okay, we all know that those fluorescent bulbs are more efficient than incandescent bulbs. They last longer, and reduce greenhouse gasses.

And everyone is on the bandwagon. Canada starts phasing out incandescent bulbs starting next year. In the US, it’s 2014. Australia led the way in 2007, and the European Union came soon after. 

Here’s the thing. Incandescent light bulbs, as inefficient as they are, don’t contain mercury.

But fluorescents do. 

Okay fine, the mercury is in the bulb and as long as they don’t break… 

Indeed. 

Yes, mercury is a naturally occurring element, just as the inert gas used in the incandescent bulb is also naturally occurring. The difference with mercury is that it’s a neurotoxin that can damage the brain, spinal cord, kidneys and liver through chronic exposure. 

Health Canada says, “Mercury can impair the ability to feel, see, move and taste and can cause numbness and tunnel vision. Long-term exposure can lead to progressively worse symptoms and ultimately personality changes, stupor and in extreme cases, coma or death,” according to Health Canada. 

The regulator goes on to say that recent research suggests even at low levels, mercury can have adverse health impacts on the cardiovascular and immune system. 

Here’s the question. What happens to all these bulbs when they are spent? And what happens if they break en route to a disposal facility? 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that three per cent of the total mercury in Read the rest of this entry »

Asbestos News Roundup: 4.7.11

April 7th, 2011. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of. An ongoing list of asbestos hot spots from the Asbestos News Roundup archive appears on our asbestos map.

Asbestos Lawsuits

Marshall, TX:  A resident of East Texas has filed an asbestos lawsuit against several of his former employers over allegations that during his employment with the defendants, he was exposed to airborne asbestos fibers. Billy F. Wall was diagnosed with asbestos-related pleural disease and mild interstitial pulmonary fibrosis in 2011, following diagnosis and treatment of colon cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2010.

In their asbestos claim, Wall and his wife, Sandra, claim that Mr. Wall, who worked as a maintenance pipefitter, welder and insulator at the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant in Harrison County from approximately 1974 to 1996, was exposed to asbestos fibers on a daily basis as his job duties required him to remove asbestos insulation from piping and install new asbestos insulation. Also named in the suit are A.W. Chesterton Co., Cleaver-Brooks Co. Inc., Goulds Pumps Inc., Shreveport Rubber & Gasket and J. Graves Insulation Co. Inc.

The asbestos suit alleges that the asbestos, asbestos fibers and asbestos-containing products were manufactured, distributed and supplied by defendants J. Graves Insulation Co., A.W. Chesterton and Shreveport Rubber & Gasket.

The suit claims that the defendants failed to warn Mr. Wall of the dangers regarding exposure to asbestos; that they failed to test their products; that they failed to instruct consumers of Read the rest of this entry »