Mesothelioma Risk From Home Renovation in The Spotlight
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Mesothelioma Risk From Home Renovation in The Spotlight

ByAlex Strauss

The case of an Australian man is highlighting the mesothelioma risk from home renovation when asbestos is present.  Forty-two year old Matthew Werfel recently won a lawsuit against Amaca, the asbestos producer previously known as James Hardie. The company manufactured the asbestos-containing cement sheets that led to Werfel’s pleural mesothelioma. The record $3 million payout is an expensive warning to other DIY homeowners about the potential mesothelioma risk from home renovation. Asbestos in Construction Products Asbestos is a mineral that has to be mined from the ground. As early as the 1930’s, companies like James Hardie recognized its potential value as a construction material. Asbestos is strong, plentiful and resistant to heat and corrosion. It was used for decades to…

Rise in Asbestos Claims Not Hurting James Hardie’s Bottom Line
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Rise in Asbestos Claims Not Hurting James Hardie’s Bottom Line

ByAlex Strauss

Australian construction company James Hardie says a rise in mesothelioma claims from former workers exposed to asbestos on the job is not affecting its bottom line. The company recently released its semi-annual profit statement to the Australian stock exchange. The report shows that James Hardie has doubled its profits from the first half of 2013, despite the fact that the number of mesothelioma-related asbestos claims has risen above company expectations. Company profits were reported to be $108.3 million from April to September. Quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald, James Hardie CFO Russell Chenu said, “We have seen some concerning trends in mesothelioma claims, which we have highlighted previously. We’ve now got a better handle on the ‘what’ and the ‘how’,…

James Hardie’s Mesothelioma and Asbestos Legacy Continues
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James Hardie’s Mesothelioma and Asbestos Legacy Continues

ByAlex Strauss

Most Americans have never heard of a company called James Hardie, but to many Australians this name conjures up an enormous death toll from asbestos. It has been alleged that this company is responsible for thousands of past and future Australian deaths from mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. Founded in Melbourne Australia in 1888 by James Hardie the company produced asbestos related products such as building products, insulation, and brake linings. In March 1987 it stopped manufacturing the asbestos containing products but, it was already too late. Mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases have a long latency period from the time of asbestos exposure to disease diagnosis. Thousands of Australians who had worked for James Hardie or had come in…