Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

Our second week in relaying relevant news regarding asbestos and mesothelioma, the following article summarizes this past week’s news.   Asbestos is known to cause serious diseases, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer. There is no safe level of exposure and preventing and avoiding exposure is the best defense. Mesothelioma is a cancer that forms in the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart cavity, and has no cure. Time of survival from time of diagnosis is usually very short, often less than a year. Asbestos related diseases claim the lives of thousands of people worldwide every year.

 

Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason are dedicated asbestos attorneys and mesothelioma lawyers who work to educate the public about the dangers of asbestos exposure and to provide information to those who are at risk of developing or have already developed an asbestos related disease. A whole website has been created to help mesothelioma patients, helping-mesothelioma-patients.org, to offer assistance, important resources, and support to clients and their family members.

 

The weekly news summary is offered to keep those interested informed of the latest legal, medical, and environmental developments surrounding asbestos and mesothelioma.

 

On March 29, a fire at the Fleet Industrial Supply Center at the old Alameda Navy base caused almost a day of black smoke and debris. Fire and city officials claim that the fire did not pose a health hazard, however residents fear that debris in the air and ground was contaminated with asbestos and may cause future health problems. 

 

Residents concerns prompted them to test the debris, and results came back positive for asbestos contamination. They are now asking the city to seriously consider their claims and take proper action. 

 

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is urging the Federal Government to take precautionary measures with nanotechnology. Their concern is that products using nanoscale chemicals could cause serious diseases such as those caused by exposure to asbestos. They are calling for product labeling and the creation of a registry of all companies using nanotechnology.

 

Nano-particles are about one ten-thousandth of the width of a human hair, smaller than microscopic particles that could be inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Nanotechnology is used in many everyday products, such as sunscreens, food, bed sheets, cosmetics and building materials. 

 

Nanotechnology is seen as the miracle product, just as asbestos was once thought of. Asbestos was used in hundreds of industrial, building, and automotive products due to its high fire, corrosion and heat resistant properties. The production and use of asbestos is now banned in many countries and is known to cause serious diseases.

 

The ACTU hopes that the government will respond to their requests for more investigation and safety measures, and avoid repeating the same tragic mistake that was created by the use of asbestos.

 

Asbestos was discovered in four shops at the Cooleman Court Shopping Center near Canberra in Australia. Upon discovery of possible asbestos contamination, air-conditioning ducts were sealed, the shops were closed, and decontamination measures were taken.

 

The large shopping center is under a major refurbishment, and it is likely that construction being performed during the project disturbed intact asbestos, causing it to become airborne and then dispersed through air-conditioning ducts into four shops. 

 

After decontamination by experienced asbestos removal workers, the shops were retested and results came back negative from asbestos. Shops have reopened, and it is believed that exposure, if any, was minimal.

 

After nearly a month of being closed due to suspicion of asbestos contamination at the rock quarry, Ash Grove gets approval to reopen. On March 16, the Montana based company shut down all operations when a rock from the quarry was discovered to contain tremolite. 

 

Tremolite is a form of asbestos that, when inhaled, can cause mesothelioma, asbestosis or serious lung cancer. The company took immediate action to protect the safety of their workers, and cooperated fully with all investigative efforts and testing.

 

Hundreds of samples were taken from and around the quarry, with all results showing little (less than 1 percent) or no sign of asbestos. With assurances of safe work conditions, workers get to return to the plant and mine operations have resumed.

 

The defense for W.R. Grace says that the “integrity of the trial has been irreparably tainted” by allowing the witness testimony of a former Grace executive who was given informal immunity. The former executive, Robert Locke, earlier testified against Grace and its executives, saying they knew about the health hazards caused by the asbestos at the mine and yet suppressed any knowledge and failed to ward workers or the community. 

 

The judge in the widely-publicized trial will hold a hearing tomorrow to see if other key witnesses have been granted undisclosed immunity and if prior testimony from former Grace employees should be stricken from the record.

 

More than 2000 people a year in the UK die of mesothelioma, and thousands more from other asbestos related diseases. The National Union of Teachers is lobbying for the removal of all asbestos from their schools within three years. Many teachers claim that the level of asbestos present in the schools is causing mesothelioma, an aggressive, terminal form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. 

 

Many of the schools in the UK were built between the 1940s and 1980s, when asbestos was widely used in construction products such as ceiling tiles, wall lining, and pipe insulation. Asbestos was well known for being heat and fire resistant, and also used for insulating and sound proofing. Schools built decades earlier are now in need of repair and being remodeled as part of the governments Building Schools for the Future program. In the refurbishing, asbestos can become damaged and disturbed, causing it to become airborne. Once inhaled, asbestos fibers lodge in the lining of the lung or other body cavities and cause serious, fatal illnesses.

 

Several teachers who are dying of mesothelioma and the teachers union are calling upon the government to ensure that school registers are up to date and accessible and to remove all asbestos to prevent other children and school staff from contracting illnesses.