Mesothelioma and Asbestos News - August 2006

Grace Trial Delayed
August 31, 2006 - The September 11th start date of the trial of Montana’s W.R. Grace and Company and seven of its executives has been postponed. 

EPA Releases New Guidelines for Mechanics
August 31, 2006 - In an attempt to update its guidance aimed at protecting the health of auto workers, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has released the draft of a new brochure...

EPA to Remove 6,500 Tons of Asbestos in NJ
August 31, 2006 - The United States Environmental Protection Agency has announced that they will supervise the removal of approximately 6,500 tons of asbestos-contaminated soil at the former W.R. Grace...

Bakersfield Hotel Full of Asbestos
August 29, 2006 - Construction workers who’ve performed renovations at a Bakersfield (CA) hotel protested this week amidst allegations that they had been exposed to dangerous asbestos...

California Woman Files Meso Suit in Illinois
August 29, 2006 - The wife of a long-time mechanic and truck driver has filed a lawsuit in Madison County, Illinois, noting that one of the corporation’s she’s suing...

Texas Man Faces Long Prison Sentence for Asbestos Issues
August 28, 2006 - Last week, a federal jury in Dallas convicted Dallas-area resident Melvin Eugene Riecke II on four counts of a superseding indictment charging him with Clean Air Act violations...

U.S. Seeks to Delay W.R. Grace Trial
August 28, 2006 - The U.S. attorney for Montana announced that he will seek a delay in the trial against asbestos manufacturer W.R. Grace, expected to begin on Monday, September 11th.

Alaska Pipeline Workers Encounter Asbestos
August 24, 2006 - More than 200 workers stripping insulation from troubled BP Oil pipelines in Prudhoe Bay may have been exposed to asbestos, notes Alaska’s state labor board. 

Japan Opens First Center for Asbestos Diseases
August 24, 2006 - The Hyogo College of Medicine in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, has announced that Japan’s first medical center dedicated to the research of mesothelioma – asbestos-related cancer – will open this fall.

Indiana University RAs Warn New Students of Asbestos
August 23, 2006 - In a scripted presentation that Indiana University resident assistants will read to new students entering the college’s dormitories, incoming freshmen and transfer students will learn that they are living with asbestos.

Hospital Employees Fear Worst
August 23, 2006 - Long-time employees at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem, under fire for the excessive presence of asbestos, are starting to grasp the scope of their exposure to the hazardous material.

Dock Workers Subject to Years of Asbestos Exposure
August 22, 2006 - A group of 80 dock workers who were employed at England’s busy Hull docks are all suing for asbestos exposure. 

Asbestos May Delay School Opening
August 21, 2006 - Asbestos was recently discovered in the ceiling of a Klamath Falls, Oregon elementary school that had already been under fire by parents for its poor air quality.

Denver Apartment Dwellers Filing Class Action Suit
August 21, 2006 - About 50 residents of a Denver, Colorado apartment complex that was evacuated more than 2 months ago have filed a class action suit against the complex’s owners...

Lawyer Uses Old RV to Prove Asbestos Exposure
August 18, 2006 - An Oakland, California lawyer is helping win her client’s case in a rather unusual manor.  Simona A. Farisse, who is currently representing a 33-year-old preschool teacher...

Canadian Town Concerned about Asbestos Pipes
August 18, 2006 - A higher than usual rate of cancer among residents has caused Springdale, Newfoundland citizens to question the safety of the asbestos-containing pipes that carry their water supply. 

Meso Research Receives Federal Appropriations
August 17, 2006 - For the first time in history, mesothelioma researchers will be receiving federal funding to aid in their efforts to find better treatments and a cure for this asbestos-related cancer...

Property Manager Gets Prison Term for Illegal Asbestos Removal
August 16, 2006 - A New York City property manager was sentenced by a Federal Court to 27 months in prison, charged with conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act. 

Florida Neighborhood Fears Asbestos Contamination
August 16, 2006 - The residents of a Brooksville, Florida neighborhood are protesting the planned demolition of the Hernando County public works site, fearing that the destruction of the building will spread contaminants...

Cheyenne Residents Worry about Asbestos
August 15, 2006 - A group of concerned Cheyenne (WY) residents who fear contamination from asbestos waste hope the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will soon hear their pleas and come to their aid.

Asbestos Delays Demolition in Louisiana
August 15, 2006 - Nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina ravaged many cities along the Louisiana coastline, demolition work on houses destroyed by the storm is still not complete.

Asbestos Removal Begins at Abandoned Powerhouse
August 14, 2006 - Nearly 30 years after it ceased operations, asbestos and other toxic materials will finally be removed from the former Michelin Powerhouse in Milltown, NJ, readying the building for demolition.

PA Contractor Indicted for Asbestos Violations
August 11, 2006 - A demolition contractor in northeastern Pennsylvania has been arrested and charged with ignoring asbestos regulations while tearing down buildings in the city of Hazleton. 

San Francisco Jury Awards $10.3 Million to Meso Victim
August 11, 2006 - This week, a San Francisco Superior Court jury awarded $10.3 million to a man suffering from mesothelioma. 

Widow Files Suit Against Illinois Central
August 10, 2006 - A Madison County (IL) woman is suing the Illinois Central Railroad for the untimely death of her husband caused, she says, by his work at the railroad.

Michigan Supreme Court Orders Single Hearings on Asbestos Cases
August 10, 2006 - In a vote of 4-3, the Michigan Supreme Court has order judges around the state to handle asbestos-related lawsuits individually rather than bundle them together for collective settlement agreements.

Meso Foundation Gets New Board Chairman
August 9, 2006 - The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, a.k.a. the Meso Foundation, has announced the appointment of a new chairperson for its Board of Directors.

Kansas Revitalization Project Becomes Asbestos Dump
August 8, 2006 - A project that was supposed to revitalize a downtrodden neighborhood in Kansas City has turned into a nightmare for area residents. 

USGS Releases Asbestos Map of Central U.S.
August 8, 2006 - Nearly a year after the United States Geological Survey produced a map of naturally-occurring asbestos deposits along the eastern seaboard, they’ve done the same for the central United States.

NYFD Workers Risk Lung Disease from Asbestos Exposure
August 7, 2006 - A study of 12,000 fire personnel from New York City who worked at the World Trade Center on the day of and after the 9/11 attacks shows that these men and women are at risk...

NJ Housing Complex Plagued by Asbestos
August 4, 2006 - The discovery of asbestos at a Long Branch (NJ) Housing Authority Site has local citizens worried. 

Alimta Drug of Choice for Mesothelioma
August 4, 2006 - The most recent issue of Journal of Thoracic Oncology has proclaimed that “treatment with the chemotherapy agent Alimta® (pemetrexed) with or without the chemotherapy agent Platinol® (cisplatin)...

Turkish Fishermen Oppose Toxic Ship
August 3, 2006 - Members of Turkey’s fishing industry say they will appeal to the country’s highest court in order to fight a decision made by the Minister of Environment...

Developer Sentenced for Asbestos Violations
August 3, 2006 - The corporate owner/developer of a West Palm Beach (FL) renovation project and its general manager were sentenced in a Florida court for violations...

Michigan Considers Asbestos Bill
August 2, 2006 - The Michigan House of Representatives Committee on Tort Reform, by a vote of five to one, recently recommended House Bill No. 5851..

Turks Allow Asbestos Ship to Enter Waters
August 1, 2006 - In the continuing saga of the breaking of asbestos-laden ships, which has reached the waters of places like India and Poland, the Turkish government has allowed the Mexican ship Otapan to enter its waters.

Business Owner Imprisoned for Improper Asbestos Removal
August 1, 2006 - A Philadelphia-area business owner was fined $5,000 and sentenced to 24 months in prison for failure to comply with federal and state requirements...