Asbestos discovery delays jail renovation
A construction project at a Matagorda County, Texas jail has been delayed until late January 2008 due to the discovery of asbestos materials in the building under renovation. The discovery of the asbestos in some of the plumbing pipes and floor tile glue surprised at least one commissioner, who stated he never dreamed that something built as recently as 1982 would contain asbestos. The county will hire a certified asbestos abatement contractor to remove the asbestos materials, at a cost of approximately $70,000.
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ADAO Applauds Unanimous Passage of Senator Patty Murray’s Ban Asbestos in America Act by U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), an organization dedicated to serving as the voice of asbestos victims, yesterday praised the passage of Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)’s Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007 by the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The bill was unanimously voted out of Committee and will now move to the Senate floor.
The Ban Asbestos in America Act is an effort to ban all production and use of asbestos in America, launch public education campaigns to raise awareness about its dangers and expand research and treatment of diseases caused by asbestos. Murray’s legislation, which was first introduced in the 107th Congress, will also authorize additional studies to determine which commercial products today still contain asbestos, increase funding for asbestos-related diseases, and call for a national mesothelioma registry to help public health professionals track this deadly asbestos-related disease.
“Senator Patty Murray’s Ban Asbestos in America Act is critical if we are to end the asbestos epidemic and we applaud the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works for their clear recognition of its importance with today’s bipartisan effort and unanimous vote of support,” said Linda Reinstein, Executive Director and Cofounder of Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO). “We praise Senator Murray as well as Chairwoman Senator Barbara Boxer, Ranking Member Senator James Inhofe and Senator Johnny Isakson for their leadership in taking the voices of asbestos victims to a level that can no longer be ignored. We now look to the Senate to follow this Committee’s important lead by moving this monumental bill even closer to law. We look forward to the day when asbestos disease will no longer needlessly claim lives.”
The occurrence of asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis, is growing out of control. Studies estimate that during the next decade, 100,000 victims in the United States will die of an asbestos related disease – equaling 30 deaths per day.
About Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) was founded by asbestos victims and their families in 2004. ADAO seeks to give asbestos victims a united voice to help ensure that their rights are fairly represented and protected, and raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure and the often deadly asbestos related diseases. ADAO is funded through voluntary contributions and staffed by volunteers......
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Lakeview, Michigan Middle School facing $138,000 asbestos removal
Lakeview Middle School will undergo a $138,000 project to remove asbestos from the ceiling of its auditorium this summer, according to the school district’s deputy superintendent. Asbestos exposure is linked to
mesothelioma and other diseases. During the remodeling of the auditorium, asbestos was discovered in the ceiling. The school originally planned to encapsulate the asbestos with paint, but discovered that it was loose to the touch and crumbling from the ceiling. The asbestos removal project will delay the completion of auditorium renovations until September 1.
For the full article, go to www.battlecreekenquirer.com.
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Man Sues for Asbestos Related Illness...
Asbestos Allegations
Snowden is suing A.O. Smith Corp. and 68 other major corporations for distributing and manufacturing products, which contain asbestos, in Jefferson County.
According to Snowden’s attorney, Brian Belvins, this is the second suit of this kind that has been filed in the past two weeks.
Snowden, 71, who has worked as an engineer in refineries since 1964, is also naming Lockhead Martin and iron supplier Zurn Industries in his suit.
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Corp. are also named in the suit for producing defective masks that didn’t provide proper protection for employees.
The petition claims the 69 defendants were negligent and failed to test their asbestos-laced products before putting them on the market.
Compensation
Snowden is hoping that in the suit he will be compensated for his physical pain and suffering, his mental anguish, loss of wages, loss of earning capacity, physical impairment and medical expenses.....
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Algorithm selects best cancer treatment...
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., July 24 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists have created an algorithm that can sort molecular information about a tumor, helping select the best drug treatment.
University of Virginia researchers, led by Dr. Dan Theodorescu and computational biologist Jae Lee, used a panel of 60 diverse human cancer cell lines from the National Cancer Institute to devise an algorithm designed to match the best potential treatments for a particular tumor in a specific patient.
"Even though this NCI cell set wasn't an exhaustive encyclopedia of cancer cells, we found we could use the available data to draw conclusions about other cell types we were exploring," said Theodorescu. "We believe we have found an effective way to personalize cancer therapy."
In addition to predicting patient responses to therapy, the researchers said their algorithm can be used to discover effective compounds in any form of cancer.
The study, which involved scientists at GeneLogic Inc., appears in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.....
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Health commissioner at center of controversy over cancer data...
“We have spoken with Commissioner Mandernach. We've talked to her about this. We've asked that they remedy the situation, that they handle future situations properly and are prompt in releasing information. And we'll continue to follow up with them”
Criticism continues to mount against a state Health Department decision to delay the release of information about cancer cases....
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Federal Mogul seeks approval for reorganization plan, which includes trust fund for asbestos victims...
Federal-Mogul Corp. is asking the judge presiding over its bankruptcy case to approve its reorganization plan, which would resolve as much as $9.41 billion in claims for victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. The asbestos victims’ trust fund would be granted 50.1 percent of the company’s stock....
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Pemetrexed combined with cisplatin or carboplatin shows promise as a treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma...
The results of a recent medical study confirmed results from earlier studies demonstrating that the chemotherapy drug pemetrexed combined with either cisplatin or carboplatin showed promise as a treatment for previously untreated, inoperable pleural mesothelioma. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a form of cancer associated with exposure to asbestos....
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U.S. Government asks appellate court to overturn rulings in criminal case against W.R. Grace over asbestos contamination...
Attorneys for the U.S. Government asked a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals yesterday to overturn rulings that hurt the government’s criminal case against W.R. Grace and some of its executives for exposing residents of Libby, Montana and others to asbestos from its vermiculite mine. Residents of Libby and others...
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NYU Medical Center Partners With Rosetta Genomics...
Rosetta Genomics, Ltd. announced today that it has partnered with NYU Medical Center with the aim of developing a line of early detection diagnostic products for lung, and Mesothelioma cancers. The early detection test would use a simple blood test to check for microRNAs in the blood of people...
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Woman Seeks More Than $300,000 in Asbestos Lawsuit
A Minnesota woman has filed an asbestos lawsuit against 72 companies, claiming she developed mesothelioma as a result of being exposed to asbestos fibers on her husband’s clothing. Lonna Morrison was diagnosed with mesothelioma—a cancer primarily associated with prolonged or repeated asbestos exposure—on February 8, 2007. Morrison’s husband, Curwood Olson, reportedly worked as an engineer and mechanic at various places across the country.
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Early Diagnostic Tools for Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a deadly type of cancer almost always caused by asbestos exposure. Because it has an especially lengthy latency period—usually between 30 and 50 years—the disease often goes undiagnosed until it’s too late.
However, this may soon change. New York University Medical Center is teaming up with Rosetta Genomics, Ltd., a mircroRNA-based diagnostics and treatment company, to develop early detection and diagnostic products for mesothelioma and lung cancers.
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Va. Jury Awards Wife $5.5 Million for Husband's Asbestos Death
The seven jurors determined hat Kay Oney should receive the damages from two suppliers to the shipbuilding industry — John Crane Inc. and Garlock Sealing Technologies — for their role in the death of her husband of 43 years, Vaughn Oney. Jurors deliberated for two days.
The Newport News Shipbuilding worker died in November after developing mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer triggered by breathing asbestos fibers decades earlier.
Jurors actually awarded $9.25 million to Kay Oney. Sixty percent of the total — or $5.55 million — is to be paid by John Crane Inc., a multinational company that manufactured gaskets and sealants made with asbestos.
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New scientific findings could pave the way to better treatments for patients with mesothelioma
The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute of Detroit, Michigan has announced new findings that may lead to improved treatment and therapies for people with malignant pleural mesothelioma, a cancer linked to asbestos exposure. The research findings, presented at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting in Los Angeles, California on April 17, 2007....
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