Mesothelioma and Asbestos News Updates

Asbestos and Mesothelioma Lawsuits

  • Tough choice looms for people suing over 9/11 health claims: to apply for gov’t aid or not (December 25, 2011): More than 1,600 people who filed lawsuits claiming that their health was ruined by dust and smoke from the collapsed World Trade Center must decide by Jan. 2 whether to keep fighting in court, or drop the litigation and apply for benefits from a government compensation fund. Although the fund would cover ailments such as asthma, scarred lungs and other respiratory system problems, patients who develop mesothelioma or other forms of cancer are not eligible for compensation.
  • Asbestos victim awarded $2M in mesothelioma lawsuit (December 21, 2011): A New York man who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in December 2010 was awarded $2 million in a mesothelioma lawsuit filed against his former employer. Gerald Failing received the verdict after a jury found a materials company for responsible for exposing him to cancerous asbestos fibers.
  • Settlement reached in Missouri mesothelioma lawsuit (December 15, 2011): A mesothelioma lawsuit filed against U.S. Engineering Co. in Missouri has been settled for $10 million. Nancy Lopez filed the lawsuit alleging that the company failed to follow proper procedures in removing asbestos from the courthouse where she worked.

Mesothelioma and Asbestos News Updates

Here are some of the mesothelioma and asbestos stories that we are currently following:

Sept. 11 workers face lasting health risks from Ground Zero toxic dust

Emergency workers and other personnel who were present at the site of the 9/11 attacks may be at risk of developing mesothelioma or other diseases from the toxic dust that was spread by the attacks. Ten years after the attacks, Ground Zero workers have already begun to show signs of respiratory diseases and other illnesses that may worsen into cancer or other conditions as time goes on.

According to a study conducted by scientists at Rutgers University (PDF), the dust that was spread after 9/11 contained a number of hazardous substances, including asbestos, gypsum, glass fibers, lead and other metal particles. Exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma—a deadly cancer of the chest or abdomen—and many other cancers or respiratory diseases. Gypsum—which is found in drywall—has been linked to respiratory problems, while lead and other metals can be toxic to the brain.

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Mesothelioma documentary examines asbestos industry

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) has announced that it will be livestreaming the documentary "Breathtaking" on September 26th. The film examines the death of the father of Ontario fimmaker Kathleen Mullen, who directed the movie, and explores issues surrounding the continued use and mining of asbestos, despite its known health risks.

Join the free online screening and live discussion of "Breathtaking" by Kathleen Mullen on September 26 at 6:30 pm EST or watch the trailer for the film below.

Mesothelioma lawsuits numbers continue to rise in U.S.

According to a new report published by Reuters news service, the number of mesothelioma lawsuits filed in the U.S. has continued to rise in recent years. According to one estimate, the total liability for the asbestos industry could eventually stretch to $75 billion in damages and settlements to victims of asbestos-related diseases.

Although some have reported that the number of new cases of malignant mesothelioma have fallen in recent years, projections by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Center for Health Statistics show the number of deaths from mesothelioma and asbestosis continuing to rise through at least 2016.

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Canada blocks asbestos export regulations at UN convention

The Canadian government has announced its opposition to the international export of chrysotile asbestos, just days after signaling that it would accept new restrictions proposed at a United Nations convention. The UN’s asbestos regulations require unanimous consensus in order to go into effect.

The Canadian statement of opposition to the UN’s asbestos restrictions came as a consensus was forming among the member nations to place it on the international body’s Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention. Under Annex III, countries that import asbestos would have to be informed about the hazards of exposure, which include mesothelioma and other forms of cancer. Nations which believed that they would be unable to handle the asbestos safely would be able to refuse to accept the exports.

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Mesothelioma News Updates

Here are some of the latest mesothelioma and asbestos stories that we are currently following:

British asbestos victims face hurdles to receiving compensation

According to a report published by BBC News, hundreds—and possibly thousands—of British mesothelioma victims are being denied compensation for their injuries because they are unable to identify their former employers’ insurance carrier at the time they were exposed to asbestos.

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Congress passes bill recognizing National Mesothelioma Awareness Day

In November 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution (H. Res. 771 [PDF]) declaring September 26th as National Mesothelioma Awareness Day. The House resolution is the counterpart to the Senate’s National Mesothelioma Awareness Day resolution (S. Res. 288 [PDF]), which was passed in 2009.

The House resolution calls on the President to “issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States, Federal departments and agencies, States, localities, organizations, and media to annually observe a National Mesothelioma Awareness Day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.”

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Taiwanese EPA announces plan to ban asbestos by 2020

The Taiwanese Environmental Protection Agency (TEPA) has announced that it plans to completely ban the use of asbestos in that country over the next 10 years. The announcement adds Taiwan to a growing community of nations that have chosen to outlaw the use of the cancer-causing substance.

Lin Chien-hui, the director of the TEPA’s Department of Environmental Sanitation and Toxic Substances Management, states that the country’s asbestos ban will be implemented in two stages. Starting in July 2015, asbestos will not longer be allowed as a sealing material for construction projects. In July 2020, asbestos will be prohibited from use in tiles, linings and cement panels.

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California lawmakers advance law to dump asbestos mineral as official state rock

Lawmakers in California are working on a new bill (PDF) that would strip serpentine—a naturally occurring mineral that often contains a type of asbestos known as chrysotile—of its status as the official state rock.

In a recent Associated Press article, Senator Gloria Romero, who proposed the bill, states that having an asbestos-containing substance as the Golden State’s official rock sends a poor public health message due to the link between asbestos and mesothelioma:

This is a question of health and public awareness. We know that California has the highest rates of mesothelioma deaths in the nation and we don’t think it’s appropriate to be celebrating as the state rock something which contains asbestos.

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Calif. court rules that U.S. Navy can be apportioned 'fault' in mesothelioma lawsuits

On June 3, the California 1st District Court of Appeals ruled that the United States Navy could be allocated a share of “fault” when apportioning fault between defendants in a mesothelioma lawsuit.

The case, Collins v. Plant Insulation Co. [PDF], was filed by family members of former Navy shipyard asbestos worker Ulysses Collins, who died in May 2005 from mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure.

Over a period of nearly 35 years, Collins was employed at several jobs that required him to work extensively with asbestos. These included four years as a boilermaker welder at a Standard Oil refinery and more than 30 years at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and Mare Island Naval Shipyard, where he also worked as a welder.

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Obama cancer panel finds asbestos, other carcinogens still pose risk

The President’s Cancer Panel and the National Cancer Institute recently issued a new report, “Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now [PDF],” which examines the effect that environmental factors have on cancer risks. The report also contains recommendations from the Panel on lowering the risks posed by many cancer-causing substances, including bisphenol A (BPA), chromium and asbestos.

The panel found that despite efforts to reduce exposure to cancer-causing products, these substances continue to jeopardize the health of American workers and consumers:

With nearly 80,000 chemicals on the market in the United States, many of which are used by millions of Americans in their daily lives and are un- or understudied, exposure to potential environmental carcinogens is widespread.

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