Articles Posted in Asbestos Exposure

Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers for years have been following the tragic news out of Libby, Montana, where thousands of people have gotten sick and many others have died as a result of heavy exposure to asbestos.

For most of the 21st Century, that city produced a large majority of the vermiculite, which was tainted with asbestos, used in the United States. The natural mineral was mined and shipped to different plants throughout the country, where it was processed and then turned into insulation, coating for pipes and in boiler rooms as well as on common products, such as brake pads and crock pots.

Research has shown that asbestos exposure has been linked to and is the leading cause of mesothelioma in New England. This natural mineral can get into a person’s body and form the cancer over a period of decades. In some cases, the exposure to asbestos occurred 50 years before a person was diagnosed.

Sadly, once a person is diagnosed, the typical time they have left to live is only 12 months. So, mesothelioma is not only incurable, but takes decades to manifest itself and by then the cancer is so advanced it is unstoppable.

And many people in this country have been diagnosed with mesothelioma after being exposed to Libby asbestos. This mine was churning out 70 percent of the country’s asbestos between 1920 and 1990. Books and news articles on the subject have described a dusty film that coated the town, causing everyone around to be exposed.

At the time, people didn’t know the ill effects of asbestos. But as people began getting sick, researchers found that asbestos was the root cause. Lawsuits have claimed that the company that ran the mine, WR Grace & Co., found out about the problems but did nothing to stop them or tell their workers. A federal prosecution was unsuccessful and living workers and their relatives have been trying to get any money they can to try to help with medical bills.

According to a recent article in The Daily Inter Lake, a bankruptcy case between the company and those who got ill as a result of the asbestos in the city could result in a $19.5 million settlement in favor of the victims. Grace filed for bankruptcy in 2001 after being slammed with asbestos-related claims.

The mine has been shut down for more than two decades, but people are still being diagnosed today. Grace set up a medical program in 2000 and has funded it voluntarily, the newspaper reports. The settlement would provide some stability, since the company could fold the medical program at any time.

Grace has been named in more than 110,000 asbestos personal injury claims. The money for the settlement will come from cash, insurance proceeds, common stock and other sources. Asbestos victims have also been receiving checks from the state of Montana, which agreed to a $43 million settlement to compensate victims. The federal government has also earmarked funds.
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New England is a historic place — perhaps one of the most historic in our country. With our colonial-era buildings and national treasures, it is a favorite for tourists.

But with the older buildings come inherent problems with asbestos exposure in New England. Asbestos was used in many old warehouses, factories as well as in construction of homes and offices for decades and decades.

Most estimate that asbestos was used heavily in construction from around 1900 until 1990, when production was finally stopped. That was decades after research first began into why people who were exposed to this natural mineral were becoming sick and dying.

Our New England mesothelioma lawyers believe researchers have made great strides in their efforts to identify the problems with asbestos and keep the public informed about the illnesses. Government agencies have also done work in this area, by regulating the removal of asbestos.

Even non-historic buildings have faced problems with asbestos. It is an issue that all six New England states have had to deal with.

In Maine last summer, OSHA officials shut down a demolition site after it was revealed that workers were being exposed to asbestos found on the site. According to the Daily Bulldog, the company had been doing work on the site for months before officials took air samples on the 235,000 square foot complex and tested them.

They returned after samples were tested and told officials that they had to stop the project of demolishing the old mill. The newspaper also reported that a police officer and firefighters that responded to a fire there were also put at risk of asbestos exposure after welders cutting pipes created sparks that caused a blaze.

The Connecticut Post recently reported that officials are looking at spending $40 million to implement thermochemical conversion, which would neutralize asbestos waste on the site of a former automobile parts plant that operated from 1919 to 1989. Environmental groups, however, are fighting the efforts, imploring the EPA to determine whether this technology could potentially contaminate the neighborhood around the site.

The technology is designed to heat asbestos to destroy the atoms that make it up and product clean fill. Officials are still trying to figure out whether this would be a safe way to dispose of the waste.

In Pittsfield, a group is attempting to stop the city from razing a community center, using the court system to fight. Those who want to demolish the building believe it is unsafe, in part because there has been asbestos found throughout the structure.

But a contractor has been hired to remove asbestos-contaminated materials. A donor recently dedicated $100,000 to fix the building, which was burned badly in a 2007 fire.

Many older buildings in New England were built with asbestos, which can lead to a diagnosis of mesothelioma, a deadly and incurable form of cancer. Asbestos exposure is a serious problem and those living or working in buildings made with it should be aware of the negative affects. Building owners should be doing a more thorough job to remove this hazardous toxin.
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Here we are in 2012 and companies are still not taking proper precautions to remove asbestos from buildings, despite detailed regulations about how it should be taken out.

As our Mesothelioma Lawyers Blog has reported time and time again, schools throughout New England have been discovering that they were built with asbestos and are now attempting to remove it from the premises. That’s certainly a good step, but one that is long overdue.

Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers believe that asbestos removal from buildings is one of the most important parts of a remodeling or construction job. While there are obvious issues relating to the structure of the building that must be addressed, if asbestos isn’t properly removed, it can lead to major medical problems not only for the workers, but for the people who frequent the building as well as the environment.

While contractors have a lot on their plates and many responsibilities, they cannot let down their guard and overlook the dangers of asbestos exposure in Massachusetts. If this natural mineral is improperly removed and gets airborne, many people can be put at risk, especially if it gets into a water source.

When asbestos becomes airborne, that’s when it’s at its worst. When people ingest asbestos, usually without knowing it, it travels through the person’s body and attaches to major organs. That’s where the cancer forms and stays hidden usually for decades and sometimes up to 50 years before the symptoms arise.

By that point, the cancer is so advanced little can be done to help. Surgery is too risky and most treatments are unlikely to make a substantial difference. Yet, some contractors don’t take things like this into consideration. They are more focused on finishing the job quickly rather than following all the rules.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection recently announced that it was fining a Southbridge company $18,187.50 because of improper asbestos removal procedures.

According to the department, the company removed asbestos-containing siding from a residential property that the company owns. When department officials inspected the site in November 2009, they allegedly found that the company removed the asbestos without providing prior notification to the department, as required. They also failed to properly handle, package and dispose of the asbestos. Inspectors found many pieces of shattered asbestos shingles on the ground and in dumpsters on the property.

The company was required to immediately hire a licensed asbestos contractor to remove the asbestos. The department fined the company $4,000 and agreed to waive the remainder as long as there are no violations in the next year.

Contractors often will pay closer attention to the issue when they get hit in the wallet. But, sometimes money isn’t going to make up for the potential hazards done by asbestos exposure. Even a quick amount of exposure can lead to deadly affects years or decades down the road. That’s why construction crews must take the time to follow the law.
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Mississippi television station WAPT is reporting that a man who got an asbestos-related illness while working for an oil company recently was awarded more than $15 million by a jury.

While these kinds of jury awards are impressive, they don’t change the fact that a man was severely injured and has been made to suffer because of exposure to asbestos.

Our Massachusetts mesothelioma lawyers have seen many people just like this man who worked for decades for a company, dedicating their lives for the good of the company only to discover that they weren’t told they were working with dangerous chemicals or minerals.

In the case of asbestos, people can work with it or around it for decades without knowing the dangers. While the company may have known the ill effects of the product, they may not have told their workers.

And now, after decades, the workers end up with a debilitating or possibly fatal disease. In these cases, the jury awards — if they make their way through seemingly endless appeals — will mainly go toward years of expensive medical treatments and the pricey bills that follow. These cases are about justice, not profit.

In this case, a Jones County, Mississippi jury found in favor of a man named Troy Lofton, who was an oil and well drilling worker for a division of Conoco Phillips Corp. He worked for CP Chem for more than 20 years and part of his job was to ship a product that contained asbestos.

The product was used throughout the oil and well drilling industry and he was exposed to it every day for more than 20 years. In 2004, he was diagnosed with asbestosis, a lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos.

Asbestosis, like mesothelioma, isn’t typically diagnosed or discovered for years or even decades. Both illnesses have similar symptoms, including chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and a tightness feeling in the chest. Like mesothelioma, asbestosis has no cure, though there are measures that can help remove fluids from the lungs and chest cavity.

The condition worsens over time and can develop into mesothelioma, which is fatal and has no cure. Both illnesses are dangerous and are the result of exposure to the dangerous mineral asbestos.

Mesothelioma tends to affect the lungs, but can also be centered around the heart or the lining of the abdomen. In each case, the cancer can be deadly. And because of the location, it can be difficult to treat. That contributes to its status as a fatal illness 100 percent of the time. The median age span after diagnosis is about 12 months. These are serious illnesses that could be avoided with the proper awareness given to employees by corporations that knew of the ill-effects of the product it routinely used. When that didn’t happen, justice must still be done.
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Newton school officials took a major step toward helping their students stay healthy and it wasn’t through new lunch choices or the removal of soda vending machines.

The Boston Globe is reporting that officials spent more than $190 million to build the most expensive school in the state, but it was because the old Newton North High School contained asbestos.

It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone in New England that our schools are being found to have been built with asbestos. Most schools in Massachusetts were first built decades ago and while many have been improved through the years, the base for these structures likely contained asbestos.

Our Massachusetts mesothelioma lawyers certainly recognize the high cost involved in building new schools. School districts must come up with the money, find land that will support such a large project and also implement plans to transition from one school to the other. It is a huge undertaking, but one that must be done to ensure our children stay healthy.

Old buildings have a historic feel to them and they can look amazing. Growing up or living in New England brings a special appreciation for the past and our nation’s history. But what also must be considered is that these older buildings can do harm to us today.

Asbestos was used for decades throughout the 20th Century because it proved fire resistant, an extremely important quality for building material. But what it also did was prove to be a health hazard.

As asbestos flakes off and gets into the air, people can breathe it in and the asbestos can sit inside and attach to major organs, such as the heart and lungs and even the lining of the stomach. Over decades, the asbestos can turn into cancer, manifested as the rare and incurable mesothelioma.

The process at Newton North High School has seen its ups and downs. It started as a $40 million renovation more than a decade ago in 2000. Within six years, however, it became a project designed around a brand new school costing $141 million. Because of delays, construction costs and unforeseen problems, the price tag increased. Some called for the project to be scrapped.

Adding to the cost of the project was a $7.2 million demolition of the old high school after workers discovered asbestos in the exterior walls. They had to take down the old school brick by brick instead of just bringing in a wrecking crew. That’s because the state has specific rules to follow for dismantling a building with asbestos.

But officials believe they will save about $4 to $5 million from what the anticipated cost would be after all the problems. Officials think they can use that money to make other last-minute repairs or address other needs.

While taxpayers can’t dismiss the high price tag in this economy, the cost of our children’s lives is priceless. We can’t sacrifice their health for money.
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It happens time and time again and yet it appears that real estate officials seem to never learn their lesson when they knock down buildings that contain asbestos in Massachusetts either incorrectly or without proper regard for the dangers of this natural mineral.

This time in happened in Holliston, The MetroWest Daily News reports, and town officials are livid because the demolition of a shed likely violated local and state wetlands protection laws in the process.

Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers have noted again and again on our blog that developers have continuously violated state and local laws when they tear down buildings or renovate buildings without taking proper precautions to remove asbestos, which has been well documented to cause mesothelioma.

Some builders have been put in jail because they put their workers at risk. Others have faced steep fines from environmental protection agencies because they put not only people, but the surrounding area, at risk because of their sloppy and unlawful work.

In this case, a truck hit one wall of the shed during the spring and water officials decided to knock down the shed, which is located on a well access road. But town officials raised concerns that the shed, built in 1958, could contain asbestos.

Because of the way the shed was torn down and that it was left unattended for more than six months, it is a clear concern to the environment. The Conservation Commission and Board of Health is planning to fine the water department.

Water officials said they didn’t realize they needed a demolition permit or specially trained asbestos removal teams. That’s hardly an excuse in 2012, some 40 years after researchers first began looking at the ill effects of asbestos on the human body.

While officials are saying all the right things — that there is no proof that there is asbestos in the building and that they are having it tested — a building created in 1958 could easily have been built with asbestos.

The fact that it was torn down so flippantly shows a disregard for the potential harm that asbestos can do to people. Even a small amount of exposure in a short time period can lead to major long-term health problems. People who are around asbestos can later in life be saddled with a mesothelioma diagnosis.

Mesothelioma is a rare and incurable form of cancer that strikes people decades after exposure to asbestos. It goes largely unnoticed, but once diagnosed, kills typically within 12 months. Many military veterans and older workers are now facing this difficult illness because of work with asbestos before people knew it was dangerous. In some cases, however, companies ignored the dangers and used it anyway, not informing employees how it could be harmful.

The fact that town officials aren’t treating asbestos as dangerous and aren’t doing a sound job removing it is disturbing. Even a little exposure to asbestos can put a person at risk for major health problems years down the road.
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Local developers in Whitman have plans to take a nearly 200-year-old church and turn it into an apartment complex. But officials have pointed out that there are risks of asbestos exposure in Massachusetts if it’s not removed properly, The Boston Globe reports.

Our Massachusetts mesothelioma lawyers worry that when old buildings are being renovated or significantly altered that contractors won’t take the necessary steps to ensure that asbestos is properly removed. If a structure is hammered at and picked away in places, especially during a major renovation, asbestos that is deep within the walls or used as insulation can come loose.

Once that dormant asbestos comes loose and gets into the air, workers and the general public can be put at risk for exposure. Once ingested, the asbestos can stay in a person’s body for decades before they feel the typical symptoms associated with mesothelioma:

• Fluid build-up
• Chest pain
• Heavy coughing
• Breathing problems

What makes mesothelioma even more dangerous is that many of these symptoms are hidden by other ailments or simply old age. Many people don’t take the necessary steps to try to detect an asbestos-related illness until it’s too late.

Research has shown that once a person is diagnosed with mesothelioma, they only live about 12 months. This is in stark contrast to the fact that a person can be exposed to asbestos decades earlier and not be diagnosed until they are much older.

In fact, this is how most cases occur. A young adult takes a job that involved working with or around asbestos, not knowing the effects of it or perhaps he or she wasn’t told they would be working with asbestos. Decades later, they find out they have mesothelioma, a rare and incurable form of cancer that is directly tied to asbestos exposure.

According to The Globe, a Whitman developer wants to turn First Baptist Church of Whitman, which closed in 2009 because of a dwindling congregation, into an apartment complex after purchasing the property for $200,000. The town passed on a chance to buy it for $425,000 after taxpayers were concerned that renovating the church into a senior center would cost of $1.1 million because of the presence of asbestos and other problems.

The developer told the newspaper that he is attempting to turn the 12,000-square-foot church into 15 one-bedroom apartments after obtaining permits and adding a floor. The developer said he intends to keep the exterior the same.

The article doesn’t address the asbestos issue, but it is assumed that the developer will go to great lengths to ensure no asbestos is left in the building, especially because of his plans to convert it to housing. Given that the church is located in the town’s center, it will also be important to ensure that others aren’t exposed during asbestos removal procedures.
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