Mesothelioma & Asbestos Cancer News: February, 2009
More than twenty years of civil lawsuits against W.R. Grace have plagued the civil court system of Lincoln County, Montana.
A new treatment option has been studied at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Nation Cancer Institute (NCI) that showed initial promise in its effectiveness on mesothelioma tumors in mice. Human studies on the therapy await further animal testing, but it could prove to be a lifesaver for the thousands of mesothelioma victims each year.
The bankrupt Asarco was bought by Sterlite Industries Ltd., the largest producer of copper in India, in an agreement to be finalized March 6, 2009. A completion of the buyout process was set pending the approval of the sale by a bankruptcy court in July 2009.
In MALTA, a total of 7,000 cubic meters of asbestos waste needs to be dealt with, and of the 7,000 cubic meters, 5,000 still sit within buildings waiting removal and disposal. The remaining 2,000 cubic meters is in storage until proper disposal procedures can be taken with it.
A licensed asbestos removal company took out the asbestos material surrounding the pipes of a Champaign, Illinois, office building set for demolition.
In GREENBURGH, NY, three weeks after a leaky pipe caused an asbestos scare at R. J. Bailey Elementary School, tests were conducted to see if the air was safe for students and staff.
Immediate testing of the area around the pipe both before and after its removal showed no signs of asbestos contamination in the air. These initial tests were conducted by the district and the Labor Department, but the third round of testing was done by Public Employees Safety and Health division of the state Labor Department.
Anderson-Wilcox Corp. and Cutting Edge Concepts II LLC have reached a settlement with the EPA and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut to pay $300,000 in fines for asbestos violations.
The City Manager and City Supervisor for Elk City, Oklahoma, were sentenced to serve at the Big Spring Prison Camp in Texas for violating the Clean Air Act.
After an initial asbestos trial in February and March of 2008 found in favor of DuPont, a new trial was granted to the plaintiff originally set for a year after the first one began, but that projected February date was pushed back until April.
In TOKYO, JAPAN, counseling to cancer patients is being offered by a researcher and professor at Juntendo University’s School of Medicine in Bunkyo Ward.
During his 30 years of cancer research, Okio Hino had developed a new method to diagnose mesothelioma. He also had tried to avoid patient contact, but he changed his aloof policy toward patients in 2005 when he was the head of an outpatient treatment facility for mesothelioma patients.
In a ruling from the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Liberty Mutual Group must pay the full cost of lawsuits filed against Plastics Engineering Co., based in Sheboygan.
The result of the ruling will be a boon to companies who clean up contaminations or who have been sued for asbestos exposure. These groups will benefit from a greater extent of insurance coverage.
Union Pacific and government lawyers agreed for the company to pay over $200,000 in a settlement for mishandling of asbestos.
Investigation costs of $28,202 and a payment of $200,000 were sought from Union Pacific in the settlement deal, but before it could be enforced, it needed the approval of a U.S. District Court judge.
In BOZEMAN, MT, a sum of $830,000 has been sent to the city by the DEQ to remove toxins from the public library.
Michele Carbone M.D., PhD., was awarded the first Landon Foundation-AACR INNOVATOR Award for International Collaboration. This award is given to those who work on an international level in their cancer research. The professor and chairman of the Department of Pathology at the University of Hawaii was given the award for his team’s work in examining mesothelioma of epidemic proportions in villages in Turkey. Awards were presented at a ceremony on January 23, 2009 at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
A Phase II SBIR grant of $1.88 million was offered to ZenBio, Inc., to commercialize human peritoneal mesothelial cells. With the grant money, the company will further study the applications and commercialization potential for these cells in research for cancer, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that Alfacell have its drug ONCONASE undergo one more clinical trial before having its rolling New Drug Application (NDA) submitted. The drug is used to treat those with unresectable malignant mesothelioma (UMM) who have failed at least one other chemotherapy treatment in the past.
Pretrial proceedings for the criminal trial against W.R. Grace moved forward as an 80-person jury pool was selected, and an evidentiary hearing was held.
The latest point of contention in a massive lawsuit against several Maryland insurance companies is whether the 10,000 plaintiffs will have separate trials or a single class action suit. Defendants opt for individual trials based upon the medical condition of each plaintiff, while the plaintiffs would like to see a more expedited class action lawsuit. The insurance companies in this case are being sued for misrepresentation of their level of asbestos coverage.
In COLUMBUS, OH, three fourths of the classrooms were flooded at Moler Elementary School after a water pipe burst. The flooding lifted some asbestos-containing tiles from the floor, which prompted at least one parent to keep her child at home.
In WORCESTER, MA, the Mayo Group Development LLC was indicted by a grand jury on charges of violating the Clean Air Act. Charges against the company included the improper disposal of asbestos at Bancroft Commons, failing to notify the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and failing to control emissions from the asbestos removal.
A $12 million asbestos institute at Sydney’s Concord Hospital is the first of its kind in the world.
Named for the late Bernie Banton, the research center was opened on January 21, 2009, by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who has pledged $5 million to go to the facility.
Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF) has awarded five $100,000 grants to fund mesothelioma research. One of the recipients was Haining Yang, MD, PhD, with the Cancer Research Center of Hawai’i’s Thoracic Oncology Program. She has also won a $120,000 from the Hawai’i Community Foundation’s Leahi Fund. The more than $200,000 earned by Yang will go toward continued studies in mesothelioma research.
In ABILENE, KS, ACM Removal LLC from Wichita won the bid to remove the asbestos from an older section of the Abilene Public Library. Their bid to remove and dispose of the asbestos found in the floor tile, carpet, and black mastic was for a low cost of $5,510. Four different places in the library were found to have asbestos materials in them that would be removed by ACM.
In PLATTSBURGH, NY, asbestos discovered in the Maintenance and Storage Building of Plattsburgh State University of New York has brought the demolition of the building to a halt.
The building was being torn down to allow for a new parking lot at the school when, in November 2008, workers found non-friable asbestos.
In SIKESTON, MO, Midwest Environmental Studies of Cape Girardeau was awarded the bid to remove the asbestos for the renovation of the C building of Sikeston High School.
A new combination therapy to treat lung cancer has been approved by North of England Cancer Drug Approvals Group.
Lung cancer from asbestos exposure brought down former World Series pitcher Dave Roberts at the age of 64.
The culmination of his 13-year career in the major leagues was when he played for the 1979 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates. He began in 1969 playing for the San Diego Padres. Over the next 13 seasons, he would pitch 103-125 with an ERA of 3.75 over his career with eight different teams. He retired from baseball after playing in 1981 for the New York Mets, but his problems arose from his work in the off seasons.
For years, the town of Libby, Montana, has had to contend with the disastrous health effects of an asbestos mine located nearby. It has sought funding for its many health care programs to attend to residents with asbestos-related diseases, and with a new presidential administration, Libby could get more assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
After an initial ruling against three men killed from asbestos from industrial brakes, a Maryland asbestos attorney appealed to the Court of Appeals for a reassessment of the case.
An exclusive distribution agreement was signed between Rosetta Genomics and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. on January 8, 2009. This would allow Rosetta’s new mesothelioma test to be used in both Turkey and Israel.
Without support from the state of Montana, the many asbestos agencies in Lincoln County will not be able to last through 2009.
In HUYTON, UK, a 48-year-old woman sued the Knowsley council for exposing her to asbestos when she attended school.
The unidentified woman said that as a girl going to Bowring Comprehensive, she was exposed to asbestos, which resulted in the mesothelioma from which she is dying. As of the lawsuit, she had already undergone chemotherapy, surgery, and an admittance to the intensive care unit.
In DES MOINES, IA, parents were unaware of the removal of asbestos from Indian Hills Junior High because it occurred when students were away on holiday.
Four people have been chosen to be recognized by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Day Conference for their roles in changing policies and supporting victims.
These honorees will receive their awards during a ceremony at the fifth annual Asbestos Disease Awareness Day Conference held in California from March 27-29, 2009.
Sailors serving to keep Australian waters safe in the Navy are being put at risk from the asbestos still in use years past its being outlawed.
According to a report from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) chiefs, thousands could be exposed to asbestos, a known carcinogen.
Alimta, one of the few successful mesothelioma drugs, has its inventor backing a new venture, a chemistry research fund.
A 63-year-old UK man, Billy Lavender, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2008. Now, he is seeking others who labored along side him at the former Rank Flour Mill during the 1960s and 1970s to help him to file a claim before he loses his life.
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