Mesothelioma & Asbestos Cancer News: October, 2008
In CONNECTICUT, a contractor had a scare in late September 2008 when working at Bethel High School. He had gotten a powdery substance, which appeared to be asbestos, on his shirt,. As a result, the school was contacted and subsequently shut down, sending students and staff home.
A new device for treating mesothelioma is being studied by the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research. To be conducted, the trials will need patients suffering from mesothelioma to volunteer. The device — the Electronic Tool for Monitoring Symptoms and Syndromes Associated With Advanced Cancer (nicknamed E-MOSAIC) — is being tested to see whether or not its use in monitoring mesothelioma symptoms helps to control them. The goal of the study is to determine if the E-MOSAIC is an effective means of communication of symptoms between doctor and patient. If it is, better courses of treatment can be sought.
In AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, Royal Philips Electronics NV is forced to pay 241 million Euros ($353 million US) to cover the costs of asbestos claimed filed against one of its American subsidiaries. Insurance companies are anticipated to return 105 million Euros to Royal Philips Electronics NV.
Could the United States government be putting the public health at risk due to costs? That is a question Senator Baucus and others are asking. News was revealed in a September 2008 hearing in Environment and Public Works committee in the Senate that the government chose to not declare Libby, Montana, an emergency site from asbestos contamination due to the potential costs that could accrue if other sites sought the same distinction around the country.
The Premier of Victoria, John Brumby, made a public apology to all of the workers exposed to asbestos from the state-controlled power plants.
In a 5 to 2 ruling, the Ohio Supreme Court recently ruled it constitutional for the lower courts to apply a 2004 law that made filing asbestos lawsuits more difficult to suits filed prior to that law being passed. More than 40,000 asbestos victims and their families were affected by the ruling, and many of them will likely not see any recompense for their suffering and anguish from being exposed to the known carcinogen, asbestos.
In GILBERT, AZ, five Valley charter schools and the Edu-Prize charter school were all fined for violations regarding adhering to rules to reduce asbestos exposure dangers to students and staff. The schools reportedly did not test the schools for asbestos prior to opening for the school year. Against EPA regulations, the schools also did not have asbestos management plans created.
A 5-1/2 acre site, once the home of the Metrolina Warehouse, was the topic of discussion at an October 3rd town hall meeting at the Senior Nutrition Center in Davidson, North Carolina. Proposed for the site is a commercial and residential development from a Raleigh company.
A supplier of electrical fuses and lighting fixtures, Cooper Industries Ltd., found a federal bankruptcy court’s decision not approving a settlement in an asbestos lawsuit to be a good thing.
People who worked at the Flintkote Co. plant in Fremont, California, between 1967 and 1979 should inform health officials if they develop any asbestos-related diseases. Low levels of asbestos exposure were experienced by those working at the plant, and such exposure has been linked to fatal ailments such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. These illnesses often do not appear until ten to twenty years after exposure, so now would be the time when former workers would be developing symptoms of these ailments.
Alimta, a new first-line drug to treat non-squamous mesothelioma, has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Its approval is based upon its combination with cisplatin to aid those with locally advanced, metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Those with squamous non-small cell forms of lung cancer do not have FDA approval to take the drug, but the majority of new lung cancer cases are NSCLC.
In the UK, due to the lengthy process of filing in civil courts, the Department of Societal Development has made available £10k to those suffering from mesothelioma. The life expectancy for those suffering from mesothelioma is only 9 to 18 months following diagnosis. With this prognosis, most mesothelioma patients might not live to see the settlement of a civil lawsuit. The funds will be given within weeks after diagnosis to provide compensation to assist in treating the deadly form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure.
Cancer Monthly has given James O’Connor the opportunity to have his story told in their publication of his book: They Said Months, I Chose Years: A Mesothelioma Survivor’s Story. The paperback book was published in early September.
Property owners with Zonolite Attic Insulation in their homes or businesses have until October 31st to file claims against the manufacturer, W.R. Grace and Co., in order to be able to collect removal compensation. Zonolite is easily spotted by its gray-gold color and granular texture. Since it contains asbestos pieces embedded in it, it poses a danger to those who might be exposed. Asbestos exposure leads to deadly diseases in humans such as the rapidly fatal cancer mesothelioma.
In TORONTO, CANADA, officials held a meeting with residents of the neighborhood surrounding the Sunrise Propane plant hoping to allay fears of asbestos contamination. Residents were told that testing of the interior and exterior of homes in the area for asbestos showed that the area can officially be declared safe.
In PITTSBURGH, PA, due to a two-week estimate to finish asbestos reduction at Park Elementary in Munhall in the Steel Valley School District, students will have to attend half-day classes at Barrett Elementary in nearby Homestead.
Alfacell Corporation, maker of the mesothelioma drug Onconase, has entered into discussions to secure a stronger financial future. Oppenheimer and Co. has been listed as the approved financial advisor for Alfacell Corporation as it seeks to increase its value to shareholders. One possible option being discussed is a company sale.
The President’s Cancer Panel was recently told that the government has been lax in protecting workers against the hazards of known cancer-causing substances. Jeanne Mager Stellman, PhD, professor and chair of environmental and occupational health sciences at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, addressed the panel in a meeting in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in mid-September. She holds that rather than due to help from the government, voices from the private sector in the form of trade unions and health advocates were the real driving forces behind the effective reduction in asbestos use over recent years. Other carcinogens such as PCBs have no private sector champion as of yet and hence continue to cause problems due to government oversight in preventing the public, especially workers, from being poisoned by them.
A lawsuit filed by a Pennsylvanian beautician was recently settled out of court for $100,000. Mary Ann Gruzs sued the York County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and the county for total damages of $350,000 for allegedly firing her for speaking out about asbestos at the facility.
In ROCHDALE, UK, the Greater Manchester Association of Trade Unions Councils argues that the site of Turner Brothers’ asbestos factory should not be redeveloped. This is due to information concerning the dangers of asbestos which could still contaminate the site.
In Maryland, a man was convicted of conspiracy to remove asbestos in the Woodville State Hospital in Collier. The man was sentenced to six months of home detention.
Hurricane Ike has passed, but its effects can still be felt by citizens of Galveston Island which suffered a direct hit from the category two hurricane early September 13th. While many residents fled the island for shelters on the mainland, others chose to stay, they all now must deal with the aftermath of the storm and the clean up it will require.
In GALESBURG, IL, a report to the Galesburg School Board could call for the closure of the learning center wing of the high school. According to the report, tiles damaged by water in the building would result in closing the building if they fall. The fallen tiles would pose a hazard to anyone in the building by breaking and releasing asbestos fibers and dust into the air. This dust could lead to the development of asbestosis or mesothelioma in those exposed.
Settling out of court might have sounded like a profitable idea for Canadian homeowners whose properties were contaminated by Zonolite (an insulation product containing asbestos), but it appears that the homeowners will not reap the benefits for which they hoped. Instead, fees paid to their attorneys will render their earnings nil.
Amanda Satterfield died in 2005, at the age of 25, from malignant mesothelioma. According to the Tennessee Supreme Court, her parents are allowed to sue Alcoa on her behalf. Her father, Doug Satterfield, had worked for Alcoa hauling asbestos.
The Belchertown State School needs $10 million to remove asbestos from the school buildings, and four legislators from the town are petitioning the state governor for a grant to the school to cover the costs. The economy of the town relies upon the renovation of the school site, the representatives argue.
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