Australian Electricians Fear Mesothelioma Risk
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Australian Electricians Fear Mesothelioma Risk

ByAlex Strauss

Calling the modification of electrical meter boxes a “game changer”, an official from Australia’s largest electricians union says workers should refuse to do it until the dangerous boxes have been inspected. Allen Hicks, Assistant National Secretary of the Electrical Trades Union, told the Sydney Morning Herald that asbestos-containing meter boxes are being modified more frequently because of renovations and that too many workers are not adequately protected against mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases. The warning, which centers on the meter boxes in homes built before 1983, was issued after a New South Wales electrical company instructed its workers to wear masks around the boxes to minimize asbestos and mesothelioma risk. When the Electrical Trades Union learned of the warning, they advised…

Maryland Asbestos Law: Beginning of a Trend?
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Maryland Asbestos Law: Beginning of a Trend?

ByAlex Strauss

The state of Maryland is cracking down on asbestos removal companies that put their workers and the public at risk for mesothelioma by cutting corners. State lawmakers have raised the fine from $5,000 to $25,000 for companies that do not follow government guidelines for safe handling of asbestos. Asbestos is a toxic mineral that has been used in decades in insulation and thousands of other products.  By the time its link to mesothelioma was discovered, it was already too late for many workers and consumers who had inadvertently inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers and triggered the physiological changes that would lead to mesothelioma or other asbestos related diseases. Even second-hand exposure, such as coming into contact with asbestos-covered clothing, can raise…

Mesothelioma Death: Asbestos Was Climber’s Greatest Risk
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Mesothelioma Death: Asbestos Was Climber’s Greatest Risk

ByAlex Strauss

An Australian mountain climber who made headlines in 2006 by surviving a harrowing experience on Mt. Everest has died of mesothelioma. Fifty-six year old Lincoln Hall had climbed many of the world’s highest peaks, including Mt. Everest in 2006.  But when he developed serious symptoms of oxygen deprivation on the way down, he was left for dead by his climbing team. An American guide and his two clients found Hall the next day and sacrificed their own summit experience to save his life.  After treatment in a Nepal hospital for a chest infection, fluid on his brain and frostbite, Hall eventually returned to Australia where he was hailed as a hero. Despite the risks Hall took in his life, including his…

Italy Verdict May Have Worldwide Mesothelioma Impact
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Italy Verdict May Have Worldwide Mesothelioma Impact

ByAlex Strauss

Advocates of better protection for workers from mesothelioma and other occupational diseases have won a major court victory. A Swiss billionaire and a Belgian executive – both former managers in the Italian affiliate of the Eternit cement company – have been sentenced to 16 years in jail and ordered to pay millions of Euros for negligence that led to more than 2,000 deaths from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. The Reuters news agency predicts that the decision, announced in Turin, Italy, could “set a precedent for proceedings worldwide about safety in the workplace.” Stephan Schmidheiny was a former owner of the cement company and Jean Louis Marie Ghislain de Cartier de Marchienne was a shareholder and former manager in the…

Genetic Mutation Linked to Mesothelioma
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Genetic Mutation Linked to Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Medical science may finally be a step closer to understanding why some people exposed to asbestos contract malignant mesothelioma and others do not. A new study funded by the National Cancer Institute and conducted by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia and the University of Hawaii Cancer Center has found that people who have a genetic mutation on their BAP1 gene are more susceptible to mesothelioma and several other types of cancer. The study, published in a recent issue of Nature Genetics, followed two families that have an unusually high incidence of mesothelioma, which is typically very rare. In the U.S., mesothelioma affects fewer than 3,000 people each year. This, despite the fact that tens of thousands of…

Legal Settlements Highlight Mesothelioma Risk
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Legal Settlements Highlight Mesothelioma Risk

ByAlex Strauss

Recent large legal settlements in the Northeast highlight the continuing legacy of mesothelioma and asbestos exposure for U.S. industrial workers. Courts in New York and New Jersey have awarded more than $8 million dollars in recent weeks to workers who contracted mesothelioma from working around asbestos. A naturally occurring mineral once mined by the ton, asbestos can become deadly when inhaled or ingested.  Its tiny rock-like fibers lodge in the lungs or other organs, triggering inflammation that can lead to asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma over time.  Mesothelioma can take 20 to 50 years to develop and is very difficult to cure. Asbestos was used in many products including the roofs and wallboard of houses, oven mitts used in kitchens, the boiler…

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…

Mesothelioma Risk from Limited Asbestos Exposure
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Mesothelioma Risk from Limited Asbestos Exposure

ByAlex Strauss

Doctors have long known that asbestos exposure in the workplace significantly increases the risk for mesothelioma, but now they’ve discovered that even workers who have had relatively low exposure to asbestos are at increased risk for this deadly cancer, according to a study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The study also suggests that the man-made fibers often used to replace asbestos in manufacturing may also be increasing workers’ mesothelioma risk. Most asbestos cases including mesothelioma have been linked to occupational asbestos exposure, and particularly from exposure to the amphibole type of asbestos. Still uncertain is the risk from man-made vitreous fibers (MMVF), which are often used as a substitute for asbestos. MMVFs are similar in structure to…