Mesothelioma Health News

In the township of New Lenox, Illinois, voters have recently shot down a proposed bond referendum that would have paid for asbestos removal for the Union School District. The $6.1 million building bond referendum would have also financed the construction of three classrooms (including a science lab), a gymnasium, washrooms and a bus barn. The proposal was defeated with 63.6 percent of voters in opposition. The proposed measure would have increased taxes for local residents, to the tune of $24 per year for a homeowner with property valued at $200,000.

Exposure to airborne asbestos particles has been conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that often affects the lungs, heart, and other vital organs and tissues. Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year, as well as thousands more worldwide. While there are palliative treatment methods available, including chemotherapy, there is no known cure for mesothelioma. The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years, but when symptoms do finally emerge, the cancer can kill rapidly, sometimes in as little as a few weeks after being diagnosed.

Superintendent Barb Littlejohn said that the current state of the economy was the major reason that voters turned against the proposal. "The board decided to see if it would pass and it didn’t. The constituents told us what they feel, so that’s fine," she said. "The board of education and administration definitely wanted to thank those who did support it. We will be all right. That was the whole purpose of trying to maybe get a little bit ahead, but we’ll be fine."

A Foxboro, Massachusetts widow has dedicated over 2,000 hours of her time to a local hospital. Working as a health care volunteer, Geraldine "Gerry" Parker, age 79, has now volunteered for the equivalent of 84 24-hour shifts. Gerry knows the value of good health care. In addition to being a cancer survivor herself, she also lost her husband Milton “Pete” Parker to mesothelioma back in 1984.

Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, is most often caused by exposure to asbestos, a mineral once used in a wide array of home goods and building materials. Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year, and while there are palliative treatment methods available. The majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years after being diagnosed by a physician.

The cancer can take multiple decades to manifest and be detected, and most patients exhibit no symptoms during this time. However, this often means that the cancer goes undiagnosed for many years until the cancer has reached an advanced stage. As with all cancers, mesothelioma patients stand to fight back against the cancer with an increased rate of success if the condition is caught early.

Parker, who first volunteered at the former Southwood Hospital, now works in the mammography department of Caritas Foxboro. "I’ve been fortunate in my life," Parker said. "It just makes me feel good to do something for someone else. It’s not much."

Five years ago, after she underwent surgery for colon cancer at Norwood Hospital, and had chemotherapy at Caritas Foxboro, she decided to give back. "When that happened, I made up my mind I was going to volunteer there," she said.

Asbestos dumped at Garnet Jackson Reserve in Australia has been left in place for a three week period while the Botany Bay Council discusses options and awaits the final environmental assessment. This lack of action has been criticized by University of New South Wales professor of toxicology and occupational health, Chris Winder, who argues that the land should have been capped with soil to keep the material from becoming airborne.

“It wouldn’t be that hard to do, so if it’s still open someone is not doing their job properly,” he said. “It is a material that is feared by the community so it is only right for the responsible people to take all practicable steps to ensure no exposure occurs. Asbestos is very light and the merest breeze will lift the particles up and send them downwind. They are fibers, they are not like a grain of sand - they are not solid - they are a long thin thing which can be picked up by the wind.”

Asbestos exposure has been repeatedly linked to the development of mesothelioma. The majority of patients lose their battle with this rare cancer in under two years. The cancer affects thousands worldwide every year. The asbestos at this particular site is believed to have been dumped illegally by a local building company.

Botany Environment Watch President Nancy Hillier said, “We have had some terrible winds of late. The council need to put resident’s minds at rest and act immediately to ensure the dust is not carried.”

A new report has declared that asbestos contamination from two buildings that were removed from

the University of Wyoming’s campus in Cheyenne likely posed little to no health risk to people on campus. However, the report was quick to point out that the incident could have been easily avoided. The report was compiled by a consultant for the university, Kenneth White, with IHI Environmental in Salt Lake City.

White’s report evaluated the health risks that might have been caused by this asbestos incident. When the buildings were hauled away from campus, asbestos was detected at the site. The asbestos came from fragments of old pipe insulation left behind. The buildings were removed in early spring, and were cordoned off since June when asbestos was first detected.

According to the White report, it is unlikely that anyone entered the contaminated area, and those passing by the blocked off area could not have gotten within 15 feet of the asbestos-tainted debris. In addition, the asbestos was not disturbed, and was dampened by wet weather conditions, minimizing the risk of the material becoming airborne. Inhaling or ingesting airborne asbestos particles may lead to the development of mesothelioma later in life.

Mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the abdominal cavity’s tissues and organs, often takes decades to develop. However, once symptoms emerge, the disease moves rapidly throughout the body.

“Wetting of asbestos material is known to greatly reduce fiber release, and wet removal is a requirement and standard practice in asbestos abatement,” White wrote in the report.

“The third-party purchaser apparently did not take steps to determine that the material was (asbestos-containing material) and did not follow legal requirements that would have assured the proper removal and disposal of these materials,” White added.

A Texas man has filed suit against 38 corporations, arguing that they are to blame for his asbestos-related illness. The man, Cleveland J. Savoy, says that during the course of his career as a carpenter, he was exposed to products that contained asbestos, a material linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer.

Asbestos exposure can also lead to asbestosis, pleural plaques, and lung cancer. Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year, and the disease can progress rapidly after being diagnosed. The majority of patients lose their battle with this form of cancer in less than two years after being diagnosed.

This is the second asbestos lawsuit Savoy has filed against the companies. The former suit claims a different asbestos-related illness. According to Savoy, the companies were negligent inasmuch that they failed to adequately test the asbestos-laden products they were selling, and also failed to release the information related to health risks associated with asbestos exposure.

The 38 companies named in the lawsuit include the following: A.O. Smith Corp., A.W. Chesterton Co., American Optical, Ametek, Babcock Borsig Power, Bayer Cropscience, Bechtel, CBS Corp., Certainteed, Cleaver Brooks, Coltec Industries, Crane Co., Crown Cork & Seal, D&F Distributing, Exxon Mobil, Fluor Enterprises, Fluor Maintenance Services and Foster Wheeler, Garlock Sealing Technologies, General Electric, Georgia Pacific, Goulds Pumps, Green Tweed, Henry Vogt Machine Co., Honeywell International, Industrial Holdings Inc., Ingersoll Rand, John Crane, Kelly Moore Paint Co., Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, Pneumo Abex Corporation, Sepco Corp., Treco Construction Services, Uniroyal Holdings, Washington Group International and Zurn Industries.

Savoy claims he has suffered physical pain and impairment, as well as diminished financial capacity. He is seeking damages, trial costs, and whatever judgment the court decides is just. The trial will take place in Jefferson County District Court in Texas.

190 people who claimed they were injured during the remodeling of the courthouse in Salinas, California have received a settlement after filing a lawsuit. The plaintiffs were a motley crew of courthouse employees, attorneys, and even a judge who say that they were exposed to asbestos and other materials during the courthouse renovation. "All the plaintiffs are getting something. Everybody is being compensated," said Anne Kepner, a San Jose attorney who represented 181 of the plaintiffs.

"The terms of the settlement are confidential, which is a condition that is not atypical," she added.

While the terms of the settlement are confidential, one estimate placed the total amount of the settlement around $5 million. The settlement has been years in the making, with the incident that sparked the lawsuits occurring between 2005 and 2006.

Originally, three separate lawsuits were filed. These suits were later combined into a single case before Judge Barry Hammer of San Luis Obispo County. The defendants in the case, Nova Partners and Skanska USA Building were found to have covered up warnings that dangerous materials like asbestos would be released during the work. Exposure to asbestos can lead to mesothelioma later in life. Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, may not develop until many decades after asbestos exposure. Yet the cancer can kill within months of the onset symptoms in some cases. The cancer affects thousands each year.

"Everyone had an interest to settle. We had litigated for about a year-and-a-half before the special master got involved. No one was resistant to mediation," Kepner concluded.

An £85 million (about $138 million in US currency) asbestos compensation fund has been set up in the United Kingdom. Many experts have predicted that the number of asbestos-related medical claims will double in the next decade. The London Pensions Fund Authority set up the fund.

The agency also believes that by 2035, the number of asbestos claimants may rise even higher than double the current number of claimants.

Exposure to asbestos can lead to asbestosis, pleural plaques, lung cancer, and the rare cancer mesothelioma. Mesothelioma affects thousands each year, but there is still not a cure. Mesothelioma symptoms can take decades to develop, but once the symptoms have emerged, the average patient perishes within 24 months.

The London Pensions Fund Authority will also face an increase in claims after a landmark court case caused the organization to compensate a teacher who was not shown to have had direct contact with asbestos. The widower of teacher Joan Henry, who died from mesothelioma, received an out-of-court settlement in July. Mrs. Henry died in 2007, and had worked for 30 years in two schools in east London, both of which contained asbestos.

Mrs. Henry’s husband Stephen, told reporters: "I hope that this case will help others receive compensation if they suffer similar tragedies.”

The village of Potsdam, New York has been steeped in asbestos-related controversy for months. First, a series of cancer-related deaths of long-time village officials who worked in the civic center raised concerns about asbestos in the air.

Asbestos exposure can lead to lung cancer, as well as mesothelioma, a rare cancer that can manifest initially in the lungs, abdomen, or pericardium. A series of asbestos air quality tests were performed, with each test failing to detect asbestos. Then, a village worker raised concerns about the safety of her workplace that were published in a local paper. The next day, she was fired.

Now, asbestos is still a major concern for the people of Potsdam. The village is currently seeking grant money to renovate a facility to upgrade offices and move the courtroom elsewhere. The current courtroom is known to contain asbestos mastic adhesive in the ceiling. Officials are applying for a $600,000 historic preservation matching grant through the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Potsdam Supervisor Marie C. Regan said at the Town Council meeting last week that she hopes to get support for the town’s applications from state and county legislators. "Everybody knows we need to rehab this building. No one’s arguing that part," Mrs. Regan said.

The village has yet to determine how it will use the current courtroom in the civic center, which is currently undergoing an asbestos abatement project. Atlantic Testing recently took 80 samples of flooring and walls and tested the air for a number of substances in the town hall.

In Rockford, Illinois, construction crews are getting ready to conduct asbestos abatement and demolish a group of vacant homes in the Churchill Park neighborhood. This neighborhood was badly devastated by flooding two years ago, and the homes have deteriorated. Asbestos abatement must occur in some of these homes prior to demolition; otherwise, the asbestos in the structures could become airborne during the demolition process. Exposure to asbestos can lead to mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that can lie dormant for years before emerging and rapidly spreading throughout the body.

Local resident Craig Springer is glad that some of the homes are finally coming down, but he says that the process has been too slow, and that further work is still needed. A lifelong neighborhood resident, the 22-year-old has confronted vagrants and drug dealers in the area who took advantage of the vacant buildings. “I figured the city would be on it a lot quicker,” he said. “It’s past time for these houses to come down. They should have come down a long time ago.”

Rockford Local Development Corp. used a $10 million line of credit backed by the city last year to acquire 102 of the 128 flood-damaged homes in the area, says storm water manager Brian Eber. Additional help came in the form of a $3 million Hazard Mitigation Flood Grant awarded in June by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This was enough to deal with 36 of the properties.

“We didn’t make the citizens wait until FEMA gave us the grant,” Eber said. “If we had done that and forced them to wait, then more of the homes would have been foreclosed on and walked away from and ruined their credit. The city took unusual steps to try to salvage the situation for people who sustained significant damage a number of times.”

In Moss Point, Mississippi, it has been announced that repairs and improvements at the City Hall building should begin before the end of the calendar year. The building was damaged during Hurricane Katrina, and city workers have been doing their jobs out of trailers for some time while they wait to be able to use their building again. Leo Wood, project manager with Broaddus and Associates, said that architects on the project have been talking with companies that specialize in mold remediation and asbestos abatement. Once those two hazards have been dealt with, work might begin as early as next month. "We’ve got to pull out sheetrock and repaint," added Wood.

Asbestos exposure, in some cases, causes mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Mesothelioma originates in the lining of the lungs, abdomen, or even the pericardium. Mesothelioma affects thousands of new patients each year in America and all over the world. Chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy can all help a patient battling mesothelioma, but the cancer is incurable. The majority of patients succumb within two years.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is funding the project. Mayor Aneice Liddell is eager to get this project completed, telling reporters that "We’ve got to move and we’ve got to move quickly."

In addition to FEMA funds, the city of Moss Point is also reportedly in line to receive nearly $12 million from the Mississippi Development Authority. This money must be earmarked for downtown redevelopment projects. This could include a new City Hall and fire station, river boardwalk and marina repairs.