Australia’s Mesothelioma Fight Comes to Television
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Australia’s Mesothelioma Fight Comes to Television

ByAlex Strauss

Australia’s ongoing mesothelioma problem will soon be the subject of a two-part television miniseries. Produced by Australia’s ABC network and starring some of the country’s most respected actors, “The Devils Dust” tells the story of mesothelioma victim Bernie Banton.  Banton was a long time employee of James Hardie, an Australian manufacturer of fiber cement building products.  For years, the company added asbestos to its cement to increase its strength and durability.  After Banton was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in 1999, he became an advocate for mesothelioma sufferers throughout the country. Although mesothelioma cases like Banton’s are tragically common in Australia, Banton’s case was brought into the national spotlight largely because of the book “Killer Company”, by journalist Matt Peacock.  It was Peacock…

Navy Can Be Blamed for Mesothelioma Death
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Navy Can Be Blamed for Mesothelioma Death

ByAlex Strauss

A California Appeals Court says the U.S. Navy can legally be blamed for failing to protect one of its shipyard workers from the asbestos that eventually took his life. Ulysses Collins died of mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos, in 2005 at the age of 65.  Collins had spent 30 years working as a welder and pipefitter in various California Naval shipyards.  Collins and his family brought suit against 17 companies, including Plant Insulation, one of the major manufacturers of the asbestos insulation heavily used by the Navy.  A jury found in the Collins’ favor and awarded them $10 million, but the jury questioned why the Navy was not named as one of the entities at fault. At the time, the…