August 27th, 2008 waterman
A Toronto neighborhood was evacuated recently because of feared asbestos exposure after an explosion in a Sunrise Propane facility. Some 12,000 people were evacuated as a precaution against exposure to airborne asbestos, a known toxic substance that can cause mesothelioma, a deadly lung cancer.
Cleanup crews found asbestos residue in streets near the explosion site and in a park several blocks away. Sunrise Propane is funding cleanup crews and is continuing the search for asbestos contamination. Some 120 city workers are also participating in cleanup.
Mesothelioma attorneys caution citizens not to attempt cleanup themselves because careful precautions are needed to prevent exposure that can lead to pleural mesothelioma, a deadly lung disease. Asbestos fibers are easily airborne, are invisible and have no taste or smell. They can remain in the air for weeks.
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August 19th, 2008 waterman
The results of a new study conducted by scientists in Italy may lead to new and faster methods of diagnosing mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer in the lining of the lung due to asbestos exposure.
Researchers in the department of Molecular Pathology and Innovative Therapies at the Institute of Occupational Medicine at Polytechnic University of Marche (Ancona, Italy) released the study, entitled “Assessment of Biomarkers in Asbestos-Exposed Workers as Indicators of Cancer Risk.” It appeared in the June 2008 issue of Mutation Research.
The scientists examined 119 people with a history of asbestos exposure, interviewing them and analyzing their cells for specific biomarkers related to asbestos exposure. They discovered several biomarkers and found that participants who had more cumulative asbestos exposure also had higher levels of ‘biomarkers,’ biological tags that distinguish mesothelioma cells from normal cells. It is a promising new diagnostic technique because it will lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma can also affect the lining of the heart, abdominal cavity or testicles. It has a long latency period so that early detection is vital for effective mesothelioma treatment.
The conclusion is that people who have been exposed to asbestos could be monitored regularly for signs of the disease so that treatment can begin early.
Links to additional information:
Blood Test May Spot Asbestos-Linked Cancer
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August 19th, 2008 waterman
The Waukegan, Illinois Asbestos Puzzle
A complicated mix of challenges is unfolding in Waukegan, Illinois. Midwest Generation, operator of a coal-fired plant, has obtained a permit to sift through some 15,000 cubic yards of sand to determine whether asbestos can be removed from it in order to make it safe to sell. Asbestos is known by mesothelioma attorneys to be a major cause of a deadly asbestos cancer that requires difficult and expensive cancer treatment.
Through the years, the sand has been dredged from a nearby canal that uses lake water to cool the plant. If the asbestos can be screened from the sand the utility is hoping to sell it to road builders.
However, state EPA ordered Midwest Generation to cover the screening operation with a tent because officials were worried about microscopic asbestos fibers blowing into the surrounding area, increasing the chance of mesosthelioma cancer in residents. The utility must also test the filtered air.
Midwest Generation’s sand pile is next to an abandoned Johns Manville factory, manufacturers of asbestos shingles and pipes for more than sixty years. It is also close to a city beach that Waukegan, Illinois officials want to protect as part of a lakefront preservation effort. The sand pile is sprinkled with bits of shingles and pipes that if inhaled can potentially cause asbestosis, an incurable thickening of the lungs, and mesothelioma, a devastating form of lung cancer that can take years to develop, according to mesothelioma attorneys.
The filtering project is the latest effort to resolve long-standing frustration with asbestos that washes up on Illinois Beach State Park and other area beaches. Officials fear that beach sports such as tossing Frisbees, playing volleyball or making sand castles can put dangerous levels of asbestos in the air.
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August 13th, 2008 waterman
- Asbestos Tile Cleanup in Vermont School
The Main Street Middle School in Montpellier, VT, will be closed until authorities conduct a $50,000 cleanup of asbestos tiles. A health department inspector discovered the tiles were improperly removed from floors fearing the release of asbestos fibers in the air.
Mesothelioma attorneys know that asbestos can cause a deadly form of cancer since people who inhale asbestos dust can suffer lung ailments years after exposure. It is not known whether the decontamination will affect the start of school this year.
- School Children at Risk in Asbestos Exposure
Two school districts in New York State may have put children at risk for asbestos exposure. The Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology, an Albany School district elementary school, has been closed for the coming year because of extensive asbestos remediation. Crews working on asbestos removal found previously undetected locations of asbestos required school closure until the work is successfully completed.
In Cherry Creek, New York, a code enforcement officer filed a lawsuit against Cherry Creek Village because he claimed he was fired for not signing papers to allow demolition of the school using non-certified workers. Frank Watson, a former code enforcement officer, said he refused to sign demolition permits because schools must adhere to federal guidelines in school demolitions. The state Department of Labor’s Asbestos Control Division had notified Cherry Creek Village of code violations regarding the school building.
Mesothelioma attorneys have long known that exposure to asbestos causes lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma, a disease of the lining of the lung that is fatal.
- Asbestos Warning in Fingerprint Examination Kit for Kids
Public Justice has filed a suit in California against CBS Broadcasting, Inc. and several retailers for insufficient monitoring of asbestos in the CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit, a toy based on the CBS hit series “CSI: Crime Investigation Unit.”
According to mesothelioma attorneys, the kits allegedly contain tremolite, a dangerous form of asbestos. Some of the CSI kits were made in China and the suit alleges there was insufficient testing before the kits were distributed. Planet Toys, one of the distributors, has withdrawn the kits and placed a ‘stop sale’ until further information is forthcoming on their safety.
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August 11th, 2008 waterman
A new, targeted radiation and chemotherapy protocol for pleural mesothelioma is underway at the Mesothelioma Center at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center. “We will investigate whether a combination of chemotherapy and radiation targeted directly to the lung’s lining can improve outcomes while avoiding surgery,” according to Dr. Robert Taub, director of the centers. Currently the standard treatment is to remove the affected lung.
“Current surgical and chemotherapy treatments of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma are unsatisfactory and have not been shown to significantly prolong survival,” Dr. Taub said. Pleural mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung’s lining, is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos, according to mesothelioma attorneys.
It’s expected the targeted radiation will kill cancer cells on the surface of the lung while sparing other parts of the lung and surrounding vital tissues.
Patients aged 18 and older who have not had recent radiation therapy or chemotherapy and have not received prior Alimta chemotherapy will be considered for the study.
Patients enrolled in the study will receive several rounds of targeted chemotherapy using the drugs cisplatin and doxorubicin via surgically implanted catheters. Some patients will be randomly selected to receive additional systemic (intravenous) chemotherapy using the drugs cisplatin and pemetrexed.
All patients will receive targeted radiotherapy using the P-32 radioisotope. Patients may elect to receive additional surgical treatment, including removal of the affected lung lining or lung.
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August 10th, 2008 mesoatty
Asbestos-saturated lot found on Marco Island, Florida.
This is a video clip of the NBC news coverage of the asbestos criminal activity on Marco Island, Florida. It was aired October 26, 2006.
Click the arrow above to start the broadcast
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