Mesothelioma and Asbestos News - June 2006

Australia Warns James Hardie Co. to Halt Delays
June 30, 2006 - The government of Australia has issued a stern warning to James Hardie Co., the country’s number one producer of asbestos siding...

Toxic Asbestos Ship Docks in India
June 30, 2006 - Despite protests from environmental groups such as Greenpeace, the Blue Lady, a former cruise ship, has been docked in the waters of India and is awaiting a process known as “ship breaking.”

Exxon Mobil to Pay $5 Million to Asbestos Widow
June 29, 2006 - A jury in Baton Rouge, Louisiana recently awarded $5 million to a widow whose husband was a contract worker at Exxon Mobil’s plant in the capital city. 

San Francisco Air Quality Agency Collects Huge Fines
June 28, 2006 - The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has reported that they’ve collected nearly half a million dollars in fines for asbestos violations, the largest fine ever collected by the agency.

Canadian Mine Workers Call for Compensation
June 28, 2006 - Former workers at Newfoundland’s defunct Baie Verte asbestos mine are disgusted with the call to perform yet another study to determine whether sickened mine workers are eligible for compensation.

James Hardie Co. Tries to Shift Asbestos Burden to Taxpayers
June 27, 2006 - Asbestos disease sufferers in Australia and around the world reacted angrily last week when the Australian Tax Office (ATO) ruled that the $4.5 billion payout...

Texas Site Could Be Contaminated with Asbestos
June 26, 2006 - In yet another chapter in the infamous case of W.R. Grace and Company and their many vermiculite plants located throughout the United States...

Wisconsin Man Names 49 Defendants in Asbestos Case
June 23, 2006 - Donald Crawford, a Fairview Heights, Wisconsin resident, has filed suit against nearly 50 companies for failure to warn him of the dangers...

Forty-six Defendants Named in West Virginia Asbestos Cases
June 22, 2006 - In mid-June, attorneys filed suits on behalf of three plaintiffs in Kanawha County, West Virginia circuit court, naming 46 defendants who they claim are all partially responsible...

Government Says NJ Town not Cooperating with Asbestos Probe
June 22, 2006 - U.S. Representative Chris Smith (NJ) is concerned that a central New Jersey town that was once home to a W.R. Grace vermiculite processing plant...

House of Lords Asbestos Ruling to Be Overturned
June 21, 2006 - Succumbing to pressure from the United Kingdom’s many trade unions, the government of Britain agreed to amend the compensation bill...

Preservation Group Wants to Warn Public of Asbestos Dangers
June 20, 2006 - An environmental organization concerned with asbestos pollution on the beaches of Illinois State Park is going to court to receive permission...

New Meso Drug in Clinical Trials
June 20, 2006 - On June 19, TopoTarget A/S and CuraGen Corporation announced the initiation of patient dosing in a Phase II clinical trial evaluating the activity of PXD101...

EPA Finds No Remaining Asbestos near New Jersey W.R. Grace Plant
June 19, 2006 - After searching a two-mile area surrounding the former W.R. Grace vermiculite processing plant in Hamilton, New Jersey...

Future Casino Site Asbestos Concerns Negated
June 19, 2006 - After many individuals raised concerns about the presence of asbestos dust at the site of a future Buffalo, NY casino...

USG to Pay Asbestos Liability Claims
June 16, 2006 - The USG Corporation, at one time the top-producer of gypsum wallboard in the United States, has received court approval for a plan that will require the company to pay $3.95 billion...

Judge Denies W.R. Grace Trial Extension
June 16, 2006 - Chief U.S. District Justice Don Molloy has told attorneys for W.R. Grace and Company that they’ve had ample time to prepare their case...

Judge Dismisses Criminal Charge Against W. R. Grace
June 14, 2006 - In a partial victory for the defense, a federal judge in Montana weakened the criminal prosecution of W.R. Grace & Co., ruling that prosecutors...

Real Estate Firm Guilty of Years of Illegal Asbestos Removal
June 14, 2006 - A Syracuse, New York real estate management firm pleaded guilty to felony charges related to 15 years of illegal asbestos removal from nearly 100 buildings owned or managed by the company.

CSX Asbestos Suit Gains National Attention
June 13, 2006 - CSX, one of the nation's largest rail companies, often a target of asbestos claims, recently filed a lawsuit in Wheeling (WV) federal court against a Pittsburgh law firm...

Olympic Wrestler Dies of Mesothelioma
June 12, 2006 - Terrance J. McCann, a 1960 Olympic gold medal winner in the sport of freestyle wrestling, died of asbestos-related cancer on June 7th..

Capitol Tunnel Workers Speak Out on Asbestos
June 8, 2006 - At a recent event sponsored by Public Citizen, a liberal watchdog group opposed to the passing of the Fairness in Asbestos Resolution (FAIR) Act...

Debate Continues Over Asbestos Bill
June 8, 2006 - Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa) organized a hearing on Wednesday, June 7th, hoping to rally support...

Research Links Asbestos to Larynx Cancer
June 7, 2006 - The Institute of Medicine has recently issued a report that links exposure to asbestos to other kinds of cancer, most notably laryngeal cancer.

New York Man Jailed for Illegal Asbestos Removal
June 6, 2006 - In the northern New York town of Syracuse, the former supervisor of an asbestos removal company was sentenced to fourteen months in prison...

Three States Sign Medical Criteria Bills
June 6, 2006 - Following a host of other states who have already done the same, the governors of the states of South Carolina, Tennessee, and Kansas recently signed bills...

Asbestos Victims Organizations Oppose FAIR Act
June 5, 2006 - In a statement issued by the national Committee to Protect Mesothelioma Victims (CPMV) and with sentiments echoed by other such organizations...

Saga of W. R. Grace Trial Continues
June 5, 2006 - In yet another attempt to stall or divert the trial of a number of W. R. Grace executives accused of conspiracy to conceal health risks...

Alfacell Corporation Launches New Program to Explore Potential of ONCONASE® in Preventing Mesothelioma
June 2, 2006 - The makers of the drug Onconase® have announced a groundbreaking program to evaluate the potential of ONCONASE...

Massachusetts Asbestos Removal Firms Fined
June 2, 2006 - Two Worcester, Massachusetts contractors were fined $40,000 each for the improper removal and disposal of asbestos from an area high school.

Mississippi Clean-Up Causing Asbestos Hazards
June 1, 2006 - Workers involved in the continuing clean-up of the Mississippi Coast following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are concerned that asbestos is being handling improperly...

New Blood Test for Mesothelioma
June 1, 2006 - This week, Australian researchers have announced the development of the world’s first blood test for malignant mesothelioma..