Mesothelioma & Asbestos Cancer News: March, 2009
Disturbing results of a study conducted by the British Lung Foundation (BLF) do not bode well for victims of asbestos-related mesothelioma who are dying of their disease. The study found that 40 percent of those dying from mesothelioma did not receive the proper end-of-life care. These mental, emotional, and physical health issues were being neglected for both terminal mesothelioma patients and their families.
Near Zion, Illinois, sits the Illinois Beach State Park. This beach has been the site of fear and controversy since a finding in 2008 reported that the area might have been contaminated by asbestos. After a year of studies, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta stated in their 36-page report, “recreational use of the beach is not expected to harm people’s health.”
Those living in the western half of North Dakota were asked to participate in a study to examine the effects of erionite on the lungs. Erionite is a naturally occurring mineral that is similar in structure to asbestos. Health officials with the state and the Environmental Protection Agency wanted to see if erionite has the same detrimental effects on the body as asbestos, a known carcinogen.
In SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND, UK, a solicitor raised a call for a national asbestos research center. He was spurred by a report that showed 1 in 17 carpenters from the UK who were born in the 1940s would perish from an asbestos-caused form of lung cancer.
The body of a mesothelioma victim, Harold St. John, was refused burial by a New Jersey judge due to the request for an autopsy posed by the defense team in the asbestos case filed two days before St. John died.
While the Superior Court in New Brunswick decided the fate of St. John’s body, his family only desired to give him a decent burial.
Asbestos lawsuits across the United States could be affected by the ruling of a Corpus Christi judge’s interpretation of an insurance clause. The result could mean thousands of dollars in insurance claims would have to be paid to those suffering from asbestos-related diseases.
In MINOOKA, IL, renovations, including extensive asbestos abatement, to the central campus of Minooka High School were scheduled for the summer of 2009.
In SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, it took four years after notifying residents in public housing riddled with asbestos until they were informed that the asbestos would be removed.
A combination therapy for mesothelioma is the subject of a new study launched by Morphotek Inc. The study will examine a primary treatment regime that wevaluates the effects of Morphotek’s antibody MORAb-009 coupled with chemotherapy drugs cisplatinum and pemetrexed.
Trial proceedings on Wednesday, March 5, 2009, in the criminal trial for W.R. Grace were hallmarked by an emotional testimony from an asbestos victim and a physician who had diagnosed thousands of asbestos-related diseases in the people of Libby, Montana.
The surviving family members of a 93-year-old mesothelioma victim were awarded $2.6 million by a McLean County, IL, jury in a rare case of secondary asbestos exposure.
In PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, a high school drama performance scheduled for March 7, 2009, was canceled after asbestos was discovered in the auditorium of Bristol Borough Junior-Senior High School.
The biggest copper producer in India, Sterlite Industries Ltd., agreed to purchase the bankrupt copper miner Asarco LLC for $1.1 billion in cash and a $600-million note.
Initially, $2.6 billion was offered by Sterlite to buy Asarco, but that was withdrawn in 2008 by Sterlite due to the falling price of copper at the time.
In JAIPUR, INDIA, a private clinic began asbestosis testing in 13 people from Netaji Ka Bada in the Udaipur district. All of the patients shared a history of working in asbestos mines sometime in their pasts.
Jan Egerton of Old Eldon, County Durham, United Kingdom, had already beaten the odds by surviving with mesothelioma for eight years after her diagnosis. Most patients with her condition are only given a few months to live, but Egerton wanted to not only live with her mesothelioma, she wanted to be rid of it.
Alpha, New Jersey’s post office was closed after the discovery of a possible asbestos contamination at the facility, and the public was not informed of a date for reopening.
Alan Sheppard was torn from his wife only a month after being diagnosed with mesothelioma. His death prompted his widow, Jan, 55, to join with the Derbyshire Asbestos Support Team in the group’s fight to raise awareness for asbestos related diseases.
In YONKERS, NY, Emerson Middle School closed on Friday, February 27, 2009, following the discovery of tiles loosened by a water leak.
In two patients who had exhausted all other possible treatment options, the newest cancer treatment that is being considered for mesothelioma was able to stop the growth of the aggressive tumors.
A proposed community of 135 homes raised questions about the risk of asbestos that occurred naturally in the surrounding environment around El Dorado Hills, California. Scientists were on hand to answer questions posed by a reporter from the Sacramento Bee.
The Utica City Hall was closed on Wednesday, February 25, through Monday, March 2, 2009, after contractors “disturbed” asbestos in the building. During that time, some city services were temporarily suspended.
In AUSTRALIA, victims from the bushfires of early February were offered some relief by 800 caravans headed their way.
Thaddeus Alpough worked as a supervisor, welder, and laborer when he came into contact with asbestos, which led to his illness years later.
Inhaling those fibers over the years resulted in his development of non-malignant asbestos-related disease which he previously filed suit for. In 2009 he filed another suit for a different disease caused by asbestos, which was malignant in that case.
In ILLINOIS, the asbestos plaguing the interior of Northview School in the Peru School District was scheduled for removal during the summer of 2009. Then renovations will convert the school into an early learning center for students in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade.
The Aerovox mill in New Bedford, Massachusetts, was acquired by the city when the limited liability corporation that owned it did not pay taxes. Since getting the 10-acre industrial site in December 2008, the city has increased the security to prevent a fire at the PCB- and asbestos-riddled complex.
Years of delays for the victims of asbestos in Libby, Montana, have culminated in the final trial date set to begin on February 23, 2009.
Lawyers were to give their opening statements on the 23rd of February, 2009, in the criminal trial against W.R. Grace and Co. and five of its executives, a case that had been subject to dozens of setbacks and complexities.
A new mesothelioma test, approved in December 2008, faced use over 2,000 times in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania lab of Rosetta Genomics. At its approval, the miRview meso test began to be distributed to the public in both Israel and Turkey and on a commercial basis throughout the United States.
A woman was sentenced the third week of February 2009 for a conviction in 2008 of 28 charges for using 800 illegal immigrants under her employ to remove asbestos without proper training, giving them falsified identifications, and evading tax payments.
In VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, searchers were slowed in their search for bodies of victims of the early February 2009 bushfires.
Public housing buildings in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, were scheduled to have asbestos insulating their pipes removed, but no residents past or present were put at risk from the asbestos in their homes since it was still intact.
Officials from the Vermont Health Department were convinced by public opinion and a Vermont legislature resolution to reexamine the effects a closed asbestos mine had on health of nearby residents
In MORRISVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, school was closed on February 10 and 11 for students at Morrisville Middle/High School.
Free case consultation
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, contact us using the form below to speak with a mesothelioma consultant, free of charge.
News By RSS