• Former worker alleges asbestos safety violations by companies (November 22, 2011): A Montgomery College student has alleged that asbestos safety violations were commtted by several asbestos abatement companies where he worked. Ernest Ojito alleges six companies throughout Marlyand, Washington D.C. and Virginia put workers at risk by exposing them to asbestos while ignoring federal safety requirements.
• British university fined for alleged asbestos exposure (November 17, 2011): The University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom has been fined for failing to take adequate steps to remove asbestos from four of its buildings. The British Health Service Executive fined the university more than £22,000 after it was discovered that officials at the university took four years before ordering asbestos removal from the buildings.
• Asbestos victim awarded $2M in mesothelioma lawsuit (November 8, 2011): An Australian man who was diagnosed with mesothelioma was awarded more than $2 million in his asbestos lawsuit. The Australian Supreme Court awarded Simon Lowes the sum after he alleged that he was exposed to asbestos as a young child at an orphanage.
• High rates of mesothelioma found among Iron Range workers (November 3, 2011): An ongoing study has found 82 deaths from mesothelioma in the Iron Range of Minnesota, up from the 63 previously reported in 2010. Lead researchers for the study have found the mesothelioma rate is considerably higher than it should be for the region.

• Colorado man files mesothelioma lawsuit (October 25, 2011): A Colorado man has filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against companies he alleges are responsible for asbestos exposure that occurred during his work as a laborer and electrician.
• Colorado landlord on trial for exposing workers to asbestos (October 18, 2011): A Colorado landlord is on trial for allegedly exposing workers to asbestos on the job without their knowledge.
• British company pledges free asbestos awareness training (October 13, 2011): British company Expedient Training Services has pledged to provide free training to educate employers about the dangers of occupational asbestos exposure.
• Inhalants may ease mesothelioma cancer treatment (October 12, 2011): Scottish researches have found that administering cancer drugs via inhalants to treat mesothelioma and other forms of the disease may reduce harmful side effects of treatment. 
• Concerns rise over cancer-causing mineral (October 7, 2011): A fibrous mineral, known as erionite, that is prevalent in western states such as North Dakota, Wyoming, Nevada, Oregon, Arizona and California has been linked to cases of mesothelioma.

The researchers found that individuals who carry a mutation of the BAP1 gene are more likely to develop mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos than individuals without the mutation. The study also found that individuals with the BAP1 mutation may be more likely to develop melanoma of the eye, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer or renal cancer.

This is the first study to demonstrate that individual genetic makeup can greatly influence susceptibility to mesothelioma. People exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos or erionite, those with a strong family history of mesothelioma, or those who have been previously diagnosed with a rare tumor of the eye known as uveal melanoma, may benefit from this new discovery.

Testa said that the findings from the study could lead to new drugs to treat patients with mesothelioma and enable earlier detecting of the disease in patients who are exposed to asbestos. Patients who are diagnosed with mesothelioma during the early stages of the disease live an average of five times longer than those whose cancer is detected in the late stages, Testa said.

While genetic mutations might play a factor in an individual’s risk of developing mesothelioma, their role is small compared to the health hazards posed by asbestos exposure in the workplace or other locations. Exposure to asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma. While new drugs and other treatments are important to helping patients who are already afflicted with the disease, it is important to remember that the risk of workers developing mesothelioma would have been significantly lower were it not for the decades in which asbestos products were still sold by manufacturers who knew the health risks posed by their wares.

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.

Studies to examine the health of workers who were at Ground Zero in the wake of the 9/11 attacks have found increased risks of a number of respiratory and other diseases. According to a 2009 study conducted at Mount Sinai, 9/11 workers are twice as likely to suffer from asthma as the general population. Residents of lower Manhattan—where the World Trade Center was located—have also reported an increased asthma risk.

Health experts say that 9/11 responders have also been diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and the “World Trade Center cough” due to the redness, irritation and swelling caused by the dust from the Twin Towers. Over time, these symptoms can worsen, leading to scar tissue or chronic lung diseases.

A study of firefighters who worked at the World Trade Center site following the 9/11 attacks found that they were 19% more likely to have been diagnosed with cancer than firefighters who were not present at Ground Zero. However, because mesothelioma and other cancers are not covered under the bill, individuals develop these diseases as a result of exposure to the toxic dust from the World Trade Centers will not be able to receive financial aide for their illnesses.

Although the recent bill to cover 9/11 workers (PDF) will provide much needed health care and financial compensation to these individuals, the lack of coverage for victims of mesothelioma, lung cancer and other cancers caused by exposure at Ground Zero neglects thousands of individuals who answered the call for America in its greatest hour of need.

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

Some mesothelioma cases may be misdiagnosed as ovarian cancer (July 18, 2011): A new study has uncovered evidence that some women who were suffering from mesothelioma may have been wrongly diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The study is one of the first pieces of evidence that some ovarian cancer cases may have actually been misdiagnosed cases of mesothelioma.

Libby woodchip contamination reignites asbestos fears (July 15, 2011): An investigation by the Associated Press has revealed that officials with the Environmental Protection Agency have known about the existence of asbestos-contaminated woodchip piles in the town of Libby, Montana for at least three years, but failed to notify residents about their potential danger.

West Virginia couple names 85 companies in mesothelioma lawsuit (July 6, 2011): A West Virginia couple filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against 85 companies alleging that the man received a mesothelioma diagnosis due to workplace asbestos exposure. Vincent and Antoinette Scriptunas filed the suit in Kanawha County in June 2008.

New tests may aid in early detection of mesothelioma (July 6, 2011): U.S. researchers have discovered significant biological differences, or biomarkers, that distinguished blood samples of patients diagnosed with mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is most commonly detected at an advanced stage, leaving the possibility of a cure minimal.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine (“Rarity of malignant mesothelioma prior to the widespread commercial introduction of asbestos: The Mount Sinai autopsy experience 1883–1910”) researchers from the Department of Pathology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York analyzed the results of 2,025 autopsies that were performed at Mount Sinai Hospital between 1883 and 1910.

While the use of asbestos products has been restricted in this country, the United States remains one of the few industrialized nations that has not issued a total ban on asbestos. Although thousands of workers are still diagnosed with mesothelioma or other asbestos diseases each year, groups that have led the campaign to ban asbestos hope that with their efforts, such cases will one day be rare as they were in the time of the Mount Sinai study.

• Turkish asbestos ban goes into effect (Feb. 17, 2011): A total ban on the use and manufacturing of asbestos-containing products went into effect in Turkey on New Year's Day.
• One in five mesothelioma cases goes unreported, study finds (Feb. 12, 2011): A new study has found that nearly 40,000 mesothelioma cases may have gone unreported over the last 15 years.
• North Dakota road material may increase mesothelioma cancer risk (Dec. 22, 2011): New evidence suggests that exposure to erionite dust may be linked to an increased risk of developing mesothelioma.
• Quebec health officials criticize Canada’s support of asbestos industry (Dec. 2, 2011): Canadian health officials have criticized the government for supporting the nation's asbestos industry depite evidence of its harmful effects.

According to a February 2010 study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine by the American Thoracic Society, the new vaccine relies on immunotherapy techniques, which utilize a patient’s immune system to fight cancer cells. Scientists in the study cultured immune cells from 10 patients who had been diagnosed with mesothelioma and exposed them to chemicals produced by their own tumor. The treated immune cells were then injected back into the patients’ bodies in a three-dose regimen.

Dr. Joachim Aerts—the lead author of the study—wrote that researchers are optimistic about the potential of the vaccine for extending the lives mesothelioma patients and for the broader treatment potential of the new therapy:

We hope that by further development of our method it will be possible to increase survival in patients with mesothelioma and eventually vaccinate persons who have been in contact with asbestos to prevent them from getting asbestos related diseases.

The average patient survives for only 12 months after being diagnosed with mesothelioma. Even with chemotherapy, patients only survive for an average of three additional months. Although this new vaccine still has a long way to go before achieving its full treatment potential, scientific confirmation of its safety and effectiveness at treating mesothelioma is an important step in the race for a cure to this deadly disease.

When asbestos fibers are inhaled or ingested, they can become permanently lodged in the mesothelium, the lining that surrounds the body’s internal organs. These fibers may cause the death of mesothelial cells with which they come into contact. Since dead cells cannot form tumors, experts were puzzled as to how malignant mesothelioma cancer cells could form after asbestos exposure.

Researchers from the University of Hawaii found that when healthy mesothelial cells are exposed to asbestos fibers, they undergo a process called “programmed cell necrosis.” This process causes dying cells to release a protein called “high mobility group box 1” (HMGB1). The release of HMGB1 causes the nearby cells to release a second protein, TNF-α, which triggers inflammation and increases the risk of mutation into the malignant cancer cells that cause mesothelioma.

Scientists are planning further research to test anti-inflammatory medications that may be able to slow the HMGB1 process. If successful, these tests may help to delay or fully prevent malignant mesothelioma for those who have been exposed to asbestos.

The University of Hawaii study is welcome news for those engaged in the fight against mesothelioma, as well as workers and other individuals who have been exposed to asbestos. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 2,500 people in the United States die each year from mesothelioma.

While scientists are still a long way from being able to cure mesothelioma, this new understanding of the role that asbestos plays in its development represents a significant step forward in the search for a cure to this deadly disease.

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.

While many are aware of the health risks posed by workplace asbestos exposure, the report notes that one-third of mesothelioma and other asbestos-disease victims have no workplace history of asbestos exposure. Many of these individuals were exposed to asbestos fibers brought home on the hair or clothing of loved ones who worked around asbestos.

Although the World Health Organization and other international groups have called for a global ban on asbestos, federal regulators in this country have been unsuccessful in their attempts to fully shield the public from the health risks of asbestos. This new report is an important step in reducing the risk posed by asbestos and bringing attention to the terrible cost which asbestos has inflicted on millions of lives.