A team of researchers at the University of Minnesota have begun a five-year study to determine if our definition of asbestos is currently too broad.

The study will look at the health effects of taconite dust by looking at 1,200 taconite miners and their spouses.

Most of the time researchers just look at asbestos as the cause of Mesothelioma, but it seems that tanconite plays a huge part as well.

We can’t wait to see the results of this study!

The International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health have found a way that it might be possible to use imaging software to help with Mesothelioma Cancer. The journal discusses how researchers at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute’s National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos-Related Cancers (NCVAC) have found what may be a reason for the chest pain that is associated with asbestos related diseases, especially Mesothelioma Cancer.

There is a new radiography process where researchers can find and document pleural plaques in the body as well as document the erosion of the interior wall of the ribs when an individual is diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease.

This new process can enhance images from a high resolution CT scan, and with the clarity of the picture doctors will be able to diagnosed asbestos-related diseases at an earlier stage.

River Junction Mobile Home Services, LLC, and the man who owns the company, Randall Cornford, were charged with violating a number of asbestos laws and regulations.

The company was caught burning mobile homes on a rural property in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources filed a complaint against the company and its owner after finding traces of asbestos in the burn piles.

Randall did not check the mobile homes for asbestos before burning them and did not notify any authorities about the burning before it took place.

So far Randall and his company have been ordered to pay $65,000 in fines. Do you think this is fair?

In Israel the Ministerial Committee on Legislation has approved a new bill to regulate the cleanup of Asbestos. The bill was crafted by the Environmental Protection Ministry.

The bill will regulate the cleanup of Asbestos completely – and will put aside funds for treatment and cleanup as well.

The bill will also regulate the licensing required to remove or deal with Asbestos. The goal of the bill is to look at the removal of Asbestos from not only a safety perspective but also from an environmental perspective.

In the United States there is already a bill in place when it comes to the regulation of Asbestos work.

There is a list of around 200 war veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq have joined together to file a lawsuit against the company KBR.

KRB contractors overseas created burn pits which led to the veterans receiving many diseases. The burn pits are open air pits that are used to incinerate human body parts, plastics, gas cans, rubble, lithium batteries and more.

While the veterans have developed numerous diseases, it is unsure whether or not they may come down with more illnesses in the future, including Mesothelioma or other asbestos related diseases. This would be due to the fact that the rubble burned in the burn pits would have been from buildings insulated with asbestos fibers.

So far the veterans have received illnesses including skin conditions, chronic bronchitis, kidney disease and heart disease as well as neurological problems.

Residents in Libby, Montana have received a grant to deal with their asbestos-related diseases from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

The grant is for the amount of $6 million and will be dispersed through the area within the next two years, starting on August 1, 2009 and ending on July 31, 2011. The HRSA supplied $4 million while the remaining $2 million is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Numerous individuals in the area have been affected by asbestos fibers that have been released into the air from the mine that was once operated by W.R. Grace & Company. Other individuals have found asbestos in their homes and have become ill from the exposure.

The individuals in the county have come down with numerous illnesses, including Mesothelioma cancer and lung cancer.

A team in the UK is planning to carry out secret tests on dozens of schools in the country this summer to highlight the threat of asbestos to both students and teachers.

The tests have been arranged by families of teachers killed by asbestos related diseases, including Mesothelioma cancer. The goal of the tests is to prove that asbestos is in the schools and to have it removed safely.

Sadly, the majority of schools in the country are thought to contain asbestos fibers. These fibers were used to insulate the buildings during the years they were built (1940-1980). Over the years the fibers come loose and can become lethal to individuals spending a lot of time in the vicinity.

Documents obtained by the campaign group Asbestos in Schools shows that ministers in the area were warned more than ten years ago that looking into asbestos in the school system could spark panic and would be expensive – therefore no testing was ever done.

The current tests will look into up to 100 schools in the next couple months – and from there depending on the number that contain asbestos the rest may be tested as well. The tests will be brought to the UK government for review.

Two men in North Attleboro, Massachusetts have been charged with the improper removal of asbestos. The men were part of a demolition project and did not remove the asbestos as regulated by state.

The men have been charged with violating the Clean Air Act after an investigation by the Massachusetts Environmental Crimes Strike Force.

The men are set to appear in court this week to be arraigned on the charges.

What kind of punishment do you think they should receive?

The Citadel Plaza in Kansas City is heavily contaminated with asbestos, to the point where something as simple as mowing the grass could pose serious public health risks. There are dangerous asbestos fibers that would cause anyone in the area to have to wear protective masks and respirators if any of the fibers were to become airborne.

The reason these fibers may be disturbed is that the Kansas City officials are hoping to develop the area, however they are not sure they want to spend the huge amount of money, around $300,000, it may cost to remove the asbestos from the area. Currently the City Council has been meeting to debate the development project.

Do you think Kansas City should spend the money to tear down the buildings and put new buildings up, or do you think they should leave the potentially dangerous building up and save money?

It looks like Kansas is having the same problem as San Francisco…click here to read that story.

Indiana school teacher Terry Nelson recently handed in her resignation and retirement letter after backlash resulting from her exposing students to asbestos in the school.

Nelson was a journalism teacher and an advisor at the Central High School in Muncie, Indiana. During her time there she had two students conduct tests to determine the presence of loose asbestos on the school property so they could write a story about it. The asbestos was brought into the science classroom and therefore the students were exposed to the fiber without the proper safety precautions. This put the students at risk of developing asbestos-related diseases, including Mesothelioma cancer.

The school board and administrators thoroughly reprimanded Nelson and she believed that it was best for her to leave the school system. She was afraid she was going to get fired, and instead decided to leave on her own terms.