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.
Charleston, WV: A widow from New Mexico has filed an asbestos claim naming 48 companies as being responsible for her husband’s lung cancer and death. Diagnosed with lung cancer on October 9, 2009, David L. Grove subsequently died on March 11, 2010.
In her suit, Nancy Stewart claims her husband was employed by Armco Steel in Ashland, KY, from 1964 until 1990. She alleges that the defendants were negligent and that the buildings her husband worked in were contaminated with asbestos. The suit claims breach of express/implied warranty, strict liability, intentional tort, conspiracy, misrepresentations and post-sale duty to warn, according to the suit.
The 48 companies named in the suit are: 3M Company; A.K. Steel Corporation; A.W. Chesterton Company; Certainteed Corporation; Cleaver-Brooks Company, Inc.; Columbus McKinnon Corporation; Crane Co.; Dravo Corporation; Eaton Electrical, Inc.; Elliott Turbo Machinery Company; Flowserve FSD Corporation; Flowserve US, Inc.; FMC Corporation; Foseco, Inc.; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; General Electric Company; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Greene Tweed & Company; Grinnell, LLC; Honeywell International; Howden North America, Inc.; IMO Industries, Inc.; Industrial Holdings Corporation; IngersoII-Rand Company; Insul Company, Inc.; ITT Corporation; McJunkin Red Man Corporation; Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; Morgan Engineering, Inc.; Nitro Industrial Coverings, Inc.; Oglebay Norton Company; Ohio Valley Insulating Company, Inc.; Premier Refractories, Inc.; Rapid American Corporation; Riley Power, Inc.; Rockwell Automations, Inc.; Square D Company; State Electric Supply Company; Sterling Fluid Systems (US) LLC; Tasco Insulations, Inc.; the F.D. Lawrence Electric Company; UB West Virginia, Inc.; Uniroyal, Inc.; United Engineers & Constructors, Inc.; Viacom, Inc.; Vimasco Corporation; Washington Group International; and West Virginia State Electric Supply Company. (WVRecord)
Jefferson County, TX: The widow of the late Daryl Stukey has filed an asbestos claim alleging that her husband’s lung cancer and subsequent death were caused by 21 defendant companies named in Read the rest of this entry »
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.
Jefferson City, Mo: A St. Louis resident is facing a lawsuit brought by the Attorney General for Missouri, Chris Koster, over allegations that during the demolition and removal of asbestos-containing materials at a building on Page Avenue in St. Louis, he violated the Air Conservation Law of Missouri.
Robert Collins is facing three violations, specifically that he failed 1) to inspect the building for asbestos before he started the demolition; 2) failed to put measures in place that would deal with any airborne dust and prevent it from escaping the building; and 3) that he did not notify the Department of Natural Resources 10 days in advance of the scheduled demolition.
“Missouri’s Air Conservation Law was enacted to protect both citizen’s health and our environment,” Koster said, “The attorney general’s Office will not look the other way when these violations occur.”
The AG has asked the court to issue permanent and preliminary injunctions prohibiting Collins from further violating the Missouri Air Conservation Law. Furthermore, Koster has asked the court to assess a $10,000 penalty for each day that Collins was in violation of the law, and that Collins pay for court costs.(LegalNewsLine.com)
Lynnfield, MA: According to a press release issued by Attorney General Martha Coakley, a Lynnfield asbestos removal company, its owners and an employee have been indicted for the improper removal and disposal of asbestos for work performed on numerous public and private buildings in the cities of Lynn, Beverly and Marblehead.
AEI Environmental, LLC (AEI), David Harder, Jr., age 47, and Julie Rosati, age 51, of Lynnfield, Read the rest of this entry »
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.
Charleston, WV: Raymond Bittner, from Gibsonia, PA, has filed an asbestos claim in West Virginia, naming 88 defendant companies that, he alleges, are responsible for his asbestosis and colon cancer. In his suit, Bittner states he was diagnosed with colon cancer and asbestosis in October, 2010.
Bittner claims that his illnesses are due to his exposure to asbestos fibers and dust, which he inhaled over the course of his working life.
Bittner claims the defendants failed to advise him of the dangerous characteristics of asbestos and asbestos-related products; failed to provide him with the knowledge as to what would be reasonably safe and sufficient wearing apparel and proper protective equipment; and failed to place warnings on their containers. Bittner is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
The 88 defendants named in the suit are: Ajax Magnethermic Corporation; AK Steel Corporation; Allegheny Energy, Inc.; Allied Chemical Corporation; Allied Glove Corporation; American Electric Power Company, Inc.; American Electric Power Service Corporation; Appalachian Power Company; Armstrong International, Inc.; Armstrong Pumps, Inc.; Atlas Industries, Inc.; Bayer Corporation; Beazer East, Inc.; Brand Insulations, Inc.; Cashco, Inc.; CBS Corporation; Champlain Cable Corporation; Copes-Vulcan, Inc.; Crane Co.; Crown Cork & Seal Company; DeZurik, Inc.; Dravo Corporation; Durametallic Corporation; Eaton Corporation; Eichleay Corporation; Elliott Turbomachinery Company, Inc.; F.B. Wright Company; Fairmont Supply; Flowserve U.S., Inc.; Foseco, Inc.; Foster Wheeler Corporation; General Electric Company; George V. Hamilton, Inc.; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Greene Tweed & Company; Grinnell, LLC; Hedman Resources Limited; Honeywell, 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.; Mallinckrodt Group, Inc.; Marley Cooling Tower; McCann Shields Paint Company; McCarls, Inc.; McJunkin Red Man Corporation; Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; Milton Roy Company; Milwaukee Valve Company; Mine Safety Appliance Company; Minnotte Contracting Corporation; Monongahela Power Company; Nagle Pumps, Inc.; Nitro Industrial Coverings, Inc.; Oglebay Norton Company; Ohio Power; Ohio Valley Insulating Company; Owens-Illinois, Inc.; Plotkin Brothers Supply, LLP; Power Piping; PPG Industries, Inc.; Premier Refractories, Inc.; Riley Stoker Corporation; Safety First Industries, Inc.; Sealite, Inc.; Spirax Sarco, Inc.; Square D Company; Stockham Valves & Fittings; Tasco Insulation, Inc.; the Sager Corporation; Thiem Corporation; Townsend & Bottum, Inc.; Treco Construction Services; UB West Virginia, Inc.; Unifrax Corporation; United Conveyor Corporation; United States Steel Corporation; Vimasco Corporation; Washington Group International; and Yarway Corporation.
Billings, MT: According to court documents, the residents of the infamous asbestos mining town Libby, who are victims of asbestos contamination, are close to securing a $43 million settlement of allegations that state health officials failed to warn miners about the hazards of a deadly vermiculite mine, owned by WR Grace.
As a result of the decades of asbestos mining that took place in Libby, hundreds of people have been killed and thousands made gravely ill. In 2004, the Montana Supreme Court noted the Montana should have warned miners about hazards first identified by state officials in Libby in the 1950s.
According to a report by the Associated Press, 1,125 victims—possibly more—are considering a deal to release the state from liability in exchange for payments ranging from $21,500 to the $60,700 per claim.
Washington, DC: Renovations at DC’s Farragut North and Union Station Metro stops have turned up asbestos. Consequently, crews have been laboring during the ‘off hours’ to get rid of the deadly mineral, according to the transit agency. The remediation is expected to last until mid-April.
The asbestos-containing material was found in the jointwork of ducts in mechanical rooms, under platforms and above suspended ceilings, Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said. Workers found the asbestos when removing ductwork at the two stations as part of a multiyear $177 million Red Line rehabilitation project.
According to the agency, airborne fiber concentrations are well below general industry standards, and have been since the work began. The agency has been conducting air monitoring in the affected areas. “Also, the locations are in areas that are not accessible to the public,” Taubenkibel said. “Riders should not be concerned as long as the joint materials are not disturbed,” he said. Additionally, the two stations’ air flow systems were also turned off before the work began so the particles do not circulate.
The asbestos was “securely embedded” in the gasket material that seals the sections of the duct together, he said. It would only become a concern if the gasket material was disturbed, he said. Instead, the remediation teams are cutting the ducts between the joints to avoid disrupting those areas.
“We will be checking at other stations before the HVAC systems are replaced but we don’t expect to see it at other stations,” he said. (Washington Examiner)
Pottsville, PA: Pottsville Area school board has voted to advertise for bids to complete an asbestos-removal project at D.H.H. Lengel Middle School. The goal is to remove chrysotile—a spray-applied acoustical insulation—from the ceilings of the three-story middle school, which was built in 1970. (republicanherald.com)
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.
Jefferson County, TX: An asbestos complaint has been filed by the son of Daniel Oney, who died on June 2, 2010, shortly after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
Ronald Oney filed his suit Feb. 25 in Jefferson County District Court, Under the Federal Employers Liability Act, The suit alleges that Daniel Oney’s employer, Kansas City Southern Railway Co, exposed him to asbestos from 1971 to 1994, while he was employed by the railway.
Daniel Oney was employed by KCSR and worked throughout Jefferson County, according to the lawsuit. During his employment, the suit alleges, he was exposed to asbestos and diesel exhaust, resulting in his being diagnosed with lung cancer on April 28, 2010. The suit alleges KCSR knew of the dangers yet still exposed workers to harmful substances.
The plaintiff is suing for his father’s alleged past and future medical expenses, mental anguish, pain, impairment, disfigurement and lost wages, plus all court costs. (SETexas Record)
Olympia, WA: Spenser Abatement Services Inc., a Puyallup asbestos abatement company, has been cited by the Washington Department of Labor & Industries for several willful Read the rest of this entry »
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.
St. Clair County, IL: Four new asbestos lawsuits have been filed in St. Clair County by Mark Nuzzo, Gloria Hale, Marilyn Grapperhaus and Joseph and Mary Bayer.
Mark Nuzzo has named 55 defendant companies in his asbestos claim, alleging they caused his recently deceased wife, Robin Nuzzo, to develop mesothelioma. Robin Nuzzo, the suit claims, was exposed to asbestos-containing products through her father, who worked as an insulator, plant worker, home renovator and shade tree mechanic at various locations from 1968 until 1992, according to the complaint. After his work, Robin Nuzzo’s father would carry asbestos particles home on his clothing, thereby exposing his daughter to the toxic substance. The suit further claims that the defendants should have known of the harmful effects of asbestos, but failed to exercise reasonable care and caution for Robin Nuzzo’s safety.
Because of Robin Nuzzo’s death on July 22, 2009, her family incurred substantial funeral and burial expenses, according to the complaint. In his 16-count complaint, Mark Nuzzo is seeking a judgment in excess of the minimum jurisdictional amount, plus costs.
Gloria Hale, who also filed an asbestos lawsuit in St. Clair County, alleges the death of her husband, Franklin Hale, from lung cancer, resulted from his exposure to asbestos containing products. Mrs. Hale has named 45 defendant companies in her suit. Because of Franklin Hale’s Read the rest of this entry »