Mesothelioma Resources and Information About Types of Asbestos Cancer

July15th

Asbestos Found In San Francisco's Pier

Posted in: Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos News, Asbestosis
The historic Pier 70 in San Francisco is under consideration for renovation by the city. City officials hope that they will be able renovate the pier and develop the area around the structure, however there is also asbestos in the pier which needs to be dealt with.

The area is home to numerous waterfront properties that city officials hope they can use developers to clean up. The dream is to building a museum, restaurants, retail and office space in the area. There are also 20 historic buildings in the area that will need to be renovated.

The manager of the project, David Beaupre, hopes that the renovation will reinvigorate the economy of the city, stating, “I think eventually this could become a significant new neighborhood that provides thousands of jobs while retaining the character and the historical integrity of the site.”

The initial project is expected to cost around $635 million, and that’s just to prepare the land for new construction. Many of the buildings on the site have asbestos in them, which will cost $70 million to clean up. The site also needs new roads.
July15th

DuPont Company Sued Over Asbestos Exposure

Posted in: Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos News, Asbestosis
The DuPont company, which provides agricultural products, electronic products, apparel, electronics, and construction, safety and transportation products, to 70 countries around the world, is being sued.

DuPont is being sued due to asbestos-related illnesses that three workers have come down with from the company’s former nylon fabrication plant in Argentina. DuPont sold the Argentina plant in 2004 to an energy and chemicals company called Koch Industries for $4.4 billion.

The workers, Cristian Dematei (35-years-old), Juan Carlos Laborda (68-years-old), and Ceferino Ramirez (76-years-old) believe that DuPont knew the dangers of asbestos exposure, yet the company continued to keep up a type of work that made it dangerous for workers.

The production of nylon involves polymerization, which means combining base polymers, which require a chemical reaction inside a specially designed machine that can reach extremely high temperatures. Because of this, the pipes must be insulated, and in this case they were insulated with asbestos, and the high heats released the fibers.

Dematei has come down with asbestosis, which is a chronic and debilitating respiratory disease, while Laborda has both asbestosis and a form of lung cancer, and Ramirez also has asbestosis and cancer of the throat.

The DuPont owners are arguing that they were always concerned for their workers safety.

What do you think about this case?
July14th

Housing Council In The UK Fined For Asbestos Evacuation

Posted in: Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos News
A housing council and building maintenance company in the United Kingdom has been fined after they evacuated 12 residences for asbestos exposure. The council and building maintenance company have been fined for putting tenants of the buildings at risk.

The Health and Safety Inspector, Alastair Brown, has said, “Fife Council failed to keep an understandable register of asbestos and failed to ensure that a full survey for asbestos was carried out prior to any work starting, so the information available was not sufficient to alert persons to the immediate danger from the asbestos prior to the work beginning… In view of the council’s previous experience of managing asbestos, this was a very disappointing incident.”

Another member of the Fife Council stated, “This was a very serious and traumatic incident for the tenants concerned who had and who still have our full sympathy for what happened to them.”

Have you or anyone you know ever been evacuated from a building due to asbestos exposure? If so, please share your story.
July14th

Mesothelioma In Australia Is On The Rise

Posted in: Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma News
A recent government report released by Safe Work Australia predicts that Mesothelioma will continue to rise in Australia until the year 2017.

The company Safe Work Australia develops national policy on occupational health and safety issues. They claim that the number of new cases of Mesothelioma has risen from 156 cases in 1982 to 597 cases in the year 2005.

Click here to find out which states in the United States have the highest percent of Mesothelioma deaths each year.
July14th

A Man Will Walk 102 Miles For His Friend

Posted in: Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma News, Mesothelioma Patients
Retired police officer Grahm “Len” Hutton, passed away in 2008 from Mesothelioma and now his friend John Barnes will walk 102 miles in England in order to raise money for Mesothelioma patients and caregivers and to raise awareness for the disease.

Barnes will begin his walk on August 26, 2009, and will start tackling the journey 20 miles a day, and will stay at local bed and breakfast’s along his route. The end goal for Barnes is to raise over $8,000, currently having raised almost $3,000.

Barnes is hoping that others will join him along the way and participate in the walk with him along with offer donations: “I am hoping my walk will not only increase the awareness of mesothelioma, an asbestos-related disease, but also give some of Len’s friends a chance to remember him.”
July14th

Asbestos Forces People Out Of Their Homes In California

Posted in: Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos News
People living in the Americana apartment complex in Mountain View, California were forced to move out of their residences due to asbestos dust in the building.

Prometheus Real Estate Group is planning to install new roofs on 5 out of the 22 apartments, and the apartment owners did not want a liability so they asked all residents to leave so that the asbestos dust could be cleaned up before they returned. Why the asbestos in the building? Well it turns out that the building was built in the 1970s and have fire-retardant ceilings (”popcorn” ceilings) and these contain asbestos.

Each of the roofs will take 3 weeks to install, so it looks like the residents of the apartment complex wont be coming home anytime soon. The apartment owners are also giving renters the option of terminating their lease early if they choose not to come back.

It also seems like the residents are already upset with the building owners. One resident stated, “They are asking us to move our lives over (in one weekend). But they’ve been planning this for months.”

The building owners are required by law to get everyone out of the building before performing renovations if there is suspicion of asbestos.
July14th

How To Turn Mourning Into Education

Posted in: Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos News, Mesothelioma, Mesothelioma News, Mesothelioma Patients
Many families who are mourning the loss of a love one never think about the powerful message they could be sending out to others while they are grieving. Not only would others be helped by the messages, but the individuals who lost loved ones could find it easier to grieve while helping others.

Families of Mesothelioma victims can raise awareness about the disease by setting up fund raisers and charities, and distributing information packets in their towns and school systems.

recently, Mick Keogh’s life was taken by Mesothelioma and his partner Ann Parkinson had an interesting memorial for him. She gathered with friends and family to celebrate Keogh’s life as well as to educate everyone on the dangers of asbestos and Mesothelioma.

From here, she will work to fight against Mesothelioma and to help other families who are suffering as she and Keogh did.

Do you know anyone who has started a charity because of the loss of a loved one?