According to the National Cancer Institute, mesothelioma is cancer of the tissue that lines your lungs, stomach, heart and other organs.  It is a rare but serious type of cancer. It usually starts in the lungs, but can also start in the abdomen or other organs. Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, although can be caused by secondary exposure as well. 

Symptoms of the disease can take 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos to develop. Treatment usually includes surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or all three.  

Recently researchers from the U.S. and Britain have discovered a gene that may play an important part in protecting someone from developing mesothelioma and other forms of cancer.  The gene known as the LIMD1 has been found to be missing in patients who are suffering from lung cancer.   Researchers believe the gene may act as a tumor suppressor in the body, defending against changes in the cells that lead to cancer.

Sufferers of mesothelioma and their families are hopeful that this breakthrough might help protect people against the disease and provide a way to finding a cure for the illness.

Given her circumstances, Anita and her partner, Patrick Lemmens, could hardly believe when they were told that the cancer was in remission in January. They were even more surprised when they were told that Anita was pregnant! Despite worries over the health of the fetus, a healthy baby girl was born on December 4^th. A very happy ending to a story that usually ends with sorrow and loss!

For more information, you can visit Anita’s blog at http://blog.anitalive.com/.

The survey is being offered in hopes to better understand and meet the needs of people who are currently coping with the disease or anyone who’s life has been affected by the deadly disease.  The BLF is also hoping to use information gathered to help form campaigning messages for 2009 Action Mesothelioma Day, which will be held in several regions February 27.

For those in the UK, to complete the survey please visit the BLF website at www.lunguk.org/mesosurvey.  The survey only takes 10 minutes to complete.

Several weeks ago, soldiers in Fort Bragg, North Carolina were instructed to remove floor tiles in an old barracks storage room. One of the soldiers told his dad, Evon Colchiski, about their assignment to remove the tiles. His father immediately became concerned about the soldiers scraping the old floor tiles and removing the debris. His concern was that the tiles may contain asbestos, a fibrous mineral which was widely used in building materials prior to the 1980’s.

Exposure to asbestos damages the lungs and can cause cancers such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. Asbestos isn’t considered hazardous in it’s stable form, but when damaged or broken up, as in the case of demolition work, dust can be released creating a health risk to all those in the area.

Pvt. Jason Colchiski’s father is skeptical that the Army’s did not know about the potential danger, and claims that one of the sergeants warned the soldiers to be careful when removing the tile because it may contain asbestos. Evon Colchiski tested a sample of the tile, which showed the backing to contain asbestos above the level considered to be safe.

Jason’s father and cousin have both spoken out about their concerns and are asking for on-going monitoring of the soldier’s health, that proper training be done, and that more safety precautions be taken while performing demolition.

View the ABC news report -  Father Of Soldier Speaks Out Over Asbestos Exposure

Expert speakers will discuss how to prevent asbestos exposure, identify when exposure has occurred, and recognize early warning symptoms of asbestos-related diseases, such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis.  This year there will be a special emphasis on prevention and early detection both nationally and globally. 

There are still many places internationally, especially developing countries, where exposure rates are rising. The conference hopes to further awareness about the dangers of asbestos and prevention and treatment options.

For more information or to register, go to www.AsbestosDiseaseAwareness.org.

Fines are being handed out to those removing asbestos improperly.  A little over a week ago, Brooklyn developer State Assets LLC faced a fine of $48,100 due to allegations of serious violations of health and safety standards at a New Haven site.  The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited State Assets for 18 violations.  One of these citations was for willful violation, an act where the employer knew of a work hazard and acted with intentional disregard for employee safety and health.  It is alleged that unprotected workers were removing asbestos from an unventilated property, that piles of asbestos-coated debris had been left unsecured outside, and that illegal immigrants had been unloading the asbestos laden material out at night without any training, proper protection, or safe disposal. 

Another developer in Oregon also faces fines for improper asbestos disposal.  The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) cited two contract construction companies for violations made during demolition of three mobile homes in Bend.  The Hoviss Build Group LLC and Willamette Builders Group LLC were cited for performing unlicensed asbestos abatement and failing to deposit asbestos-containing waste material at DEQ- approved sites.

This week, the retailer Woolworths is being fined after improper removal of asbestos during renovations at two Devon stores caused hazardous exposure to staff.  For more details, read the headlines news at Clapper, Patti, Schweizer, and Mason.  

In all three situations, surveys had been previously conducted before demolition that detected the presence of asbestos and yet the removal of the dangerous material was not removed properly nor according to set health standards.  Licensed asbestos abatement contractors must handle asbestos-containing materials, especially those that are “friable” and can easily release asbestos fibers into the air.  Licensed contractors who perform removal according to health standards prevent exposure to others and prevent ongoing emissions of asbestos into the air.

Frank Ham was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in 2006. He contacted the law firm of Clapper, Patti, Schweizer & Mason for legal representation. Mr. Ham worked as a pipe fitter in Nevada and California from 1954 until 1985. He was exposed to asbestos-containing products while doing this work. Ecklund Insulation, Inc. was an insulation contractor that worked on many of the same jobs as did Mr. Ham in the 1960s. A lawsuit was filed in the San Francisco Superior Court in 2006 on behalf of Frank and Dana Ham (Superior Court number 455063). It named a number of asbestos manufacturers and suppliers, including Ecklund Insulation, Inc. The owner of Ecklund promptly notified CNA, his insurer that the lawsuit had been filed and that CNA’s predecessor had insured Ecklund during the entire time it was in business.

CNA conducted a search for the insurance policies and when none were found, closed its file on the case. In the meantime, an investigation by Mr. Ham’s lawyers discovered that a certificate of insurance had been issued by CNA on behalf of Ecklund for a job performed in the 1960s. Ecklund notified CNA, but never received a response. No answer to the complaint was filed on behalf of Ecklund.

All of the other companies that had been named in the Superior Court lawsuit settled for several million dollars prior to trial, thus allowing Frank to seek the best of medical treatment for his mesothelioma.

On June 28, 2007, a default judgment was obtained in Superior Court in the amount of $2,671,000 in favor of Frank and Dana Ham.

In 2008, an insurance bad faith complaint was filed on the Ham’s behalf against CNA by Clapper, Patti, Schweizer & Mason in the San Francisco Superior Court. CNA removed the case to Federal Court and it is now assigned to Judge Samuel Conti (Case No. CV081551SC). At the status in November, Judge Conti set a trial date of July 27, 2009.

Pleural mesothelioma is a terminal cancer of the lining of the lung that is caused by breathing asbestos fibers. Although there is no cure for mesothelioma, chemotherapy and radical surgery have been successful in slowing the progress of the disease. Mesothelioma treatment is very expensive.

About Clapper, Patti, Schweizer & Mason - The law firm of Clapper, Patti, Schweizer & Mason, headquartered in Sausalito, California, has been representing clients with mesothelioma for more than 25 years. Founded on the belief that people diagnosed with mesothelioma deserve the very best, most responsive legal assistance possible, the firm provides free case evaluations to anyone who has contracted mesothelioma.

School officials have closed part of Bozeman High School in Montana after discovering pieces of asbestos roofing material in some of it’s classrooms. Superintendent Kirk Miller says the material fell into an art room and custodial garage-storage room while a new roof was being installed as part of a renovation project. Although some of the samples were found to contain a small percentage of asbestos, the material was found to be non-friable. This means that it wouldn’t normally release asbestos fibers into the air.

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that was once used widely in construction but is now known for long term risk of causing cancer and fatal lung scarring, such as pleural malignant mesothelioma. Intact, undisturbed asbestos-containing materials generally do not pose a health risk. These materials may become hazardous and pose increased risk if they are damaged, are disturbed in some manner, or deteriorate over time and release asbestos fibers into building air. Since there was some disturbance in roofing material that was determined to contain asbestos, the school district has closed the rooms and hired a cleanup firm to eliminate any risk.

Results from the examination confirmed that asbestos was used to make the penguin, but Local Mayor Mike Downie says any asbestos cement used is surrounded by a complete layer of polyester resin and a fiberglass reinforced mat.  “Asbestos containing construction materials can not escape from beneath this layer unless the outer resin/fiberglass covering is destroyed or opened,” he said.  He went on to say that no asbestos fibers were detected in the exterior sampling and does not pose a public health danger.  According to the American Cancer Society,  ”There is no risk to human health if the asbestos is bonded into intact finished products, such as walls and tiles. As long as the material is not damaged or disturbed, for example by drilling or remodeling, there is no way for the fibers to be released into the air and inhaled.”

Regular inspections of the paint and fiberglass encapsulation will be conducted to make sure there is no cracking on the outer shell.

Stephen Bolon,  54, was one of the earliest people in Sydney, Australia to use the early detection test for exposure to asbestos.  While a previous biopsy showed no cancer present in his lungs, the soluble mesothelin-related peptide that measured raised levels in his body told doctors otherwise.  After two radical surgeries and now two years later he is now cancer free.

Australia has one of the highest of mesothelioma, the asbestos-related illness in the world therefore is at the forefront of research. Read the article in the Daily Telegraph Dad Cured of Deadly Cancer and see pictures of Stephen and his family.