Articles Posted in Asbestos Exposure

According to a recent article from Wicked Local Boxford, Massachusetts State Police troopers arrested a 46-year-old man on charges stemming from an alleged home improvement scam. He is currently being held on $750,000 cash bail and is scheduled to be arraigned in the Salem District Court.

hand-cuffsProsecutors specifically charged Defendant with two counts of larceny over $250, which is felony larceny (theft) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, larceny on person older than 65 (theft from an elderly victim), working as a home improvement contractor without a license, forgery, utterance of a false document, perjury, and various other financial and theft crimes related to his home improvement business. Continue reading

While the asbestos mining industry and the production industry took large steps to insure the general pubic did not learn of the dangers of asbestos and asbestos-laden products, these days the public is very much aware of how lethal asbestos exposure can be.

graph12However, for a variety of reasons, it may difficult to accurately calculate how many people have been killed as a result of asbestos exposure over the years. According to a recent news feature from Vox, finding out the true number of mesothelioma victims may be a lot more difficult than most people would think. Continue reading

For a variety of reasons, Australia has many more cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma each year than most other nations. There are constantly government investigations into asbestos use and asbestos abatement violations, especially in relation to a home insulation material known as Mr. Fluffy.

syringe-1238929-mDue to the high frequency of asbestos related illness diagnoses in the country each year, it should come as no surprise the government has put a considerable amount of resources into finding better treatment options and eventually a cure for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Continue reading

According to a recent news article from The Courier Post Online, a man was just sentenced to three years in prison for his alleged conduct during a recycling project where highly dangerous asbestos waste material was left all over the site of a former hospital campus.

hand-cuffs-12754-mProsecutors say the 57-year-old defendant used untrained and unlicensed day laborers, some of whom were inmates living at a halfway house, to conduct an asbestos abatement operation and did not even provide them with the correct equipment to do the job. They are alleged to have illegally buried asbestos-laden titles and dumped large contractor-size trash bags full of asbestos in the floor of the boiler room at one of the buildings in the old hospital campus. Continue reading

According to a recent news feature from Mass Live, the town of Wilbraham, Massachusetts plans to foreclose on the old Belli’s nightclub, which has been closed for more than 15 years. The building on the site was first constructed in 1920 and has housed various restaurants over the years, but it is most famous to local residents as the site of a nightclub that featured dancing women.

paperworkThe property in its current state is valued at around $190,000, but the current owner owes more than $70,000 in back taxes. The town administrator has announced his desire to proceed with a long rumored foreclosure and tax sale of the property. Continue reading

When we think of asbestos and asbestos-related illness, we primarily think of mesothelioma and asbestosis. However, asbestos exposure has been linked to other forms of cancer and respiratory illness besides mesothelioma. Many of these medical conditions are often deadly too.

hospital-room-449234-m.jpgAccording to a recent article from Outbreak News Today, asbestos exposure can also cause victims to develop lung cancer, bowel cancer, ovarian cancer and laryngeal cancer. While lung cancer is typically linked to smoking, credible research has proven long-term exposure to asbestos has been demonstrated to cause lung cancer. What may be more surprising is that, worldwide, more cases of lung cancer resulting in fatalities are linked to asbestos exposure than cigarette smoking.
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In New England, we are fortunate to have a rich history and many older structures to connect us to it. Some of these buildings have been extensively remodeled and re-purposed for modern usage, but others must unfortunately be razed to make way for new construction. One of the problems with many of these old buildings is they were constructed during a time in which asbestos was heavily used in virtually all aspects of the residential, commercial and industrial construction process.

tires.jpgIn order to rehabilitate an aging building, or even demolish it, it is first necessary to remove (abate) all of the asbestos in a safe manner, so as not to expose workers, neighbors and the community in general to any unnecessary risk.

However, proper asbestos abatement is not a quick and easy job, and it is by no means cheap, so many of these beautiful old buildings are allowed to deteriorate into a complete state of crumbling disrepair, where they can no longer be used or repaired, and demolition is the only viable option – once they can find someone willing to foot the bill for asbestos abatement.
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According to a recent news article from the Legal Intelligencer, while companies are not strictly (automatically) liable for mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illness caused by products they did not manufacture, they may still be liable under a traditional negligence cause of action with proof of duty, breach, and causation being required.

gavel21.jpgThis is according to a recent ruling by a federal judge in Pennsylvania. While this is not United States Supreme Court precedence, many industry experts believe it may be foreshadowing a similar ruling from the high court. In Tincher v. Omega Fox, the case over which the federal judge presided, plaintiff had worked as a propeller mechanic on airplane engines manufactured by defendant.

While defendant manufactured the airplane engines, many of these engines contained aftermarket insulation made by other companies and installed in the engines.
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Today, most everyone is aware of the dangers of asbestos to people who inhale the deadly asbestos fibers. While they may not know the exact manner in which people get sick or the difference between mesothelioma and lung cancer, people know inhaling this toxic substance can be fatal.

gavel21.jpgMost people are aware asbestos and all asbestos-containing products were entirely banned in the United States at some point in the 1970s. What they may not know is the ban on asbestos products was actually found unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) and is no longer in effect.
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Abutahoun v. Dow Chemical Co., a case from the Supreme Court of Texas, involved respondent chemical company, which entered into a contract with victim’s employer to install insulated pipes at respondent’s Texas factory.

rustypipes.jpgClaimant worked on the pipe insulation installation between from 1967 to 1968, and the project involved insulation of thousands of pipes. The pipes on which victim worked contained asbestos-laden insulation material. The pipes also carried acid and vented steam. Victim alleged that, during the course of his employment, he was exposed to deadly asbestos dust. Some of this exposure was a result of respondent’s workers, who were sawing and cutting the pipes in his vicinity. He was also exposed due to his work involving the pipe insulation materials.

During a trial, one witness, a former coworker of victim, testified he was constantly sawing the pipes and that workers who were within 20 feet of his location were in the “asbestos dust area.”
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