Articles Posted in Asbestos Exposure

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection recently penalized a Salem construction company nearly $40,000 because it hired an unlicensed asbestos contractor to work on two sites in 2010, the Boston Globe reports.

Our Massachusetts mesothelioma lawyers have reported many times before about problems contractors have had in properly removing asbestos from the historic homes and buildings throughout New England.

Sadly, companies haven’t done nearly a good enough job of taking this problem seriously. Construction companies decades ago regularly used asbestos in building structures when they didn’t know the ill-effects of asbestos, despite its usefulness. Years later, researchers found that asbestos was dangerous, yet some companies still used it or didn’t warn employees or residents of the dangers, leading to asbestos exposure in Massachusetts.

And today, the problems continue. The government has developed methods that companies must adhere to in order properly remove asbestos from buildings that were built years ago. But licensed and specifically trained asbestos removal companies must be used, not just any general contractor.

When asbestos is removed improperly from a building, it can be released into the air, which can lead to people ingesting it. And that’s when it becomes dangerous. People today are being diagnosed with mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos decades earlier. Because asbestos is no longer used in the United States, companies improperly removing asbestos may be the only way that a new generation of people ends up suffering from this rare and incurable form of cancer.

According to The Boston Globe, the contractor was fined by the state environmental agency for work done on two separate work sites. The first was at a school in Marblehead from January to March 2010 and in April 2010. The second was at Bolton’s public safety building in April 2010. In both cases, asbestos abatement work was done on those buildings.

The company used to remove the asbestos was not licensed in the state to remove asbestos and none of the companies involved notified the state about the work, as required by state law.

The Salem company paid $8,700 in fines and another $30,450 will be suspended for a 12-month period. Four of its workers will have to go through 16 hours of asbestos training in the next six months. One worker will be required to take 40 hours of asbestos training to act as an asbestos supervisor.

The inherent problem with the situation is that companies make hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars to take a contract to work on a building. If they are looking at a measly $8,000 fine versus hiring another company for much more, it makes more fiscal sense to take the fine. Despite the health risks, to some people this makes better business sense and often that’s what happens.

Our environmental experts must be diligent to ensure that our communities are protected and not exposed to dangerous asbestos, which can lead to a painful and certain death from mesothelioma.
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The city of Mobile, Alabama, is dealing with an old city hall building built with asbestos, a cancer-causing mineral found throughout the United States. A website of Alabama news, The Press-Register, reports that it will cost $240,000 to remove asbestos and other contaminants that have been found inside. This can happen anywhere. Just look at the New England cities and school districts that have been in the news lately regarding their dealings with asbestos in key buildings, including many schools.

Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers have reported many instances in recent months of school districts and cities facing fines for improper asbestos cleanup and for taking years to discover asbestos, a mineral that can cause deadly illnesses.

Asbestos exposure in Boston is a major issue, though it rarely gets the same media coverage or advertising campaigns as other forms of cancer. It is deadly and causes the fatal cancer mesothelioma in Boston and worldwide.

Many old factories, city-owned or not, were built with asbestos. And over time, due to shifting in the ground, natural disasters or damage to the buildings, asbestos can break apart and become airborne and affect many people unknowingly.

For people who worked in those old buildings or live there to this day, they could be put at risk. Asbestos is microscopic and breathing it in can happen to anyone. The odd thing about mesothelioma, though, is that it can take years or decades to be diagnosed.

A person may have no ill-effects from exposure for a long time and not think twice about his or her experience from decades earlier. But when they begin feeling the effects, including chest pain, fluid build-up, trouble breathing and other symptoms, it may take a while for a medical professional to properly diagnose it. By then, the average person lives nine to 12 months.

That’s why city officials and school districts shouldn’t grapple with the issue at all. Despite the bad economy and many municipalities facing budget cuts, the health and safety of people should take precedent over less-important issues.

Our Mesothelioma Lawyers Blog has reported how school officials have wrestled with parents over the issue of whether a school with asbestos should be rebuilt; a city has had asbestos-filled buildings and done nothing about it, and real estate developers and officials have been fined or imprisoned for not properly handling asbestos.

In the Mobile, Ala., issue the old building has become an “eyesore” but still appraises for nearly $1 million, according to The Press-Register. An assessment of the building recently confirmed the building has asbestos. It has been for sale for four years. City officials say they are seeking a federal grant to help with the cleanup. The grant is run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The building was built in 1940s and was designed as a hotel for seamen. It was used by different owners through the years, but the city bought it in the 1980s and used it for office space. Since then, vandals and vagrants have made their home there.
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A former boiler room worker died of an “all too familiar” way — mesothelioma, a coroner in England said recently.

Mesothelioma in Massachusetts and elsewhere is a fatal illness, and it’s not just a problem in New England. Other countries, England included, also has had many reports of mesothelioma that have lead to deaths.

Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers have seen many relatives of clients die. We have also met many people who have suffered because of mesothelioma and die as a result of it.

Asbestos in Massachusetts has put many people at risk of its harmful effects. That’s because many homes throughout New England, as well as factories, boiler rooms, mills auto parts companies and other locations were built using asbestos in parts of the buildings. Because it was affordable and fire-resistant, it was the material of choice in many common products and industries.

Exposure to asbestos can lead to mesothelioma, a fatal form of cancer that is rarer than other cancers such as breast, colon, mouth, lung and prostate. Sadly there is no known cure.

According to the Reading Post in England, a 71-year-old man, who worked in boiler rooms, died recently after having been exposed to asbestos as a member of the Merchant Navy and while working at a power station.

His son called him a “devoted family man.” The area coroner concluded that it was exposure to asbestos during his working years that led to his death. He said he had rarely seen mesothelioma spread as far and as quickly as it had in this man’s case.

Many people who spent decades dedicating their lives to a company to make a living wage found out later in life that their health was at risk because of the asbestos in the parts or equipment they worked with or around. It is a form of cancer that has been researched for decades, but not with the same vigor as the more popular and common forms of illnesses.

In many cases, their companies, or companies that manufactured products used in their field of work, knew that asbestos was dangerous and did nothing to stop using it. And despite learning that workers were getting sick as a result, many bosses chose profits over health and didn’t tell their employees. Years and decades later, the dedicated employees found out that they were now closer to death because that knowledge wasn’t spread.

Research has shown that the median life span after a person is diagnosed with mesothelioma is about 12 months. That’s a short time to live after finding out you are set to die. That’s what makes the cancer so devastating — it takes decades to develop and then kills within months of discovering it. Let’s hope the cancer can get more exposure to help people in the future.
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The Connecticut Post is reporting that a legislative panel is working on changes to the state’s disclosure form used in residential real estate transactions that would inform people whether asbestos is or has been inside the house.

Boston mesothelioma lawyers believe this is a good step in helping to prevent more people from being exposed to asbestos in New England.

Asbestos is a dangerous mineral that was used for most of the 20th century as insulation in buildings, in coating pipes to keep them warm and stave off fire, and in common consumer products such as ceiling tiles and brake pads. Construction crews have used it mixed with other materials in road projects.

It wasn’t until around 1990 that mining and shipment of the product stopped, though it was never formally banned in the United States. Other countries, including Canada and Russia, still export asbestos to third-world countries.

Because of its pervasive use, you can see how many older buildings, especially in a region of the United States as old as New England, may still contain asbestos. Sadly, researchers have found asbestos to be extremely hazardous and can not only cause illness, but death.

Mesothelioma in Massachusetts is a rare form of cancer and there is no cure. Despite decades of research concluding that asbestos exposure causes mesothelioma, medical professionals haven’t been able to figure out how to cure it.

That’s why the efforts being made in Connecticut are important for everyone. According to the newspaper, the panel didn’t recommend making homeowners list hazardous waste on the property because many household items are deemed hazardous. But the panel instead recommends that sellers must say whether there have been any citations filed on the property.

That question aims to answer whether any clean-up agencies have been to the property to do work. The panel’s work may benefit the town of Stratford, where more than 100 homes have been declared toxic dump sites. They weren’t told of the toxicity of the property before buying.

The panel of lawmakers is also considering adding a question that requires sellers to list the age of the structure and tell potential buyers whether an older home may need repairs and could contain asbestos or lead paint.

This is an important step because education is one thing that has been lacking regarding asbestos exposure. Because it can take years or decades to turn into mesothelioma, many people simply didn’t know they were being put at danger when they worked in shipyards, in factories or in other places that contained the hazardous material.

That’s why many people are stuck in such a bad situation. Their companies didn’t tell them they were dealing with asbestos even after they knew it was hazardous. This caused many people to get sick even though they didn’t realize it until later in life.
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As our Massachusetts mesothelioma lawyers blogged about in September, our neighbors to the north in Canada have come under fire in the international community because it makes hundreds of millions of dollars from exporting asbestos to other countries.

An article in September reported that investors came up with $25 million to continue the asbestos industry in Canada after it was beginning to die out. Despite backlash from the public because asbestos is known to be a deadly mineral, investors hope to ship the dangerous material to third-world countries, where there are fewer regulations and where people have less of a voice to stop it.

It has been reported that more than 50 percent of deaths in one village in Turkey are because of asbestos-like exposure in materials used to build houses. Canada’s efforts, along with Russia as the two largest exporters of asbestos, could very well lead to many diagnoses of mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is incurable. It is caused by exposure to asbestos. Strangely, the exposure can happen years and even decades before a person is diagnosed. That’s one reason many military veterans, especially those who served in the U.S. Navy, are now being diagnosed with and dying from mesothelioma. The Navy used asbestos to coat its warships and submarines for decades.

Canadian officials, who were virtually alone last year to block a United Nations treaty that would have added asbestos to a list of restricted hazardous materials, have faced criticism both inside the country and worldwide. Critics say exporting the material to less-developed country is akin to profiting off death.

Supporters say that the new, modern asbestos is more tightly bonded and won’t flake apart and cause damage. The man leading the charge to export Canada’s asbestos is Indian and has said he doesn’t feel that this new asbestos is damaging like the asbestos of days gone by.

A recent article out of Toronto looked at Canada’s asbestos situation, including the fact that 125 million people are exposed to asbestos in their workplace, and more than 100,000 people die every year from cancers related to asbestos exposure.

The most shocking issue reported by the article is that asbestos is banned in Canada and yet it is a large exporter. In the United States, asbestos isn’t actually banned, but it hasn’t been used for decades.

Officials in towns where asbestos is a major industry seem oblivious to the harmful effects of asbestos, the article states. The towns have used asbestos to salt roads during snow storms and have used piles of it at ATV parks primarily used by teenagers.

They point out that smog, highway accidents and tobacco use are far more dangerous than the asbestos that is keeping their towns afloat and their people working. Sadly, money has overrun common sense.

And the article goes on to report that money — and politics — is the reason Canada’s dangerous asbestos industry is coming around, even in 2011. It’s because India’s government has far fewer regulations on asbestos and other dangerous materials and its people — poor and with little voice — can’t resist. Apparently making money with little to no regard for human life has driven the rebirth of Canada’s asbestos industry.

Thankfully, American companies aren’t attempting this. But residents still are at risk because many buildings and products were created with asbestos, which remains there to this day. That’s why mesothelioma will continue to be a risk until all asbestos is removed from our schools, houses and buildings.
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As our Massachusetts mesothelioma lawyers have reported recently on the Mesothelioma Lawyers Blog, parents and state officials have become more active in their efforts to eliminate asbestos from hindering our children.

Schools in Medford, Haverhill and North Reading have been in the news in recent months either for improperly removing asbestos from a school or because asbestos was just discovered. It’s unbelievable that 40 years after asbestos was first being investigated and after scores of people have been diagnosed with mesothelioma in Boston and nationwide, schools are just now looking into this deadly mineral.

Remember, schools that were built in New England were built 100 years ago, in some cases. At that time, the ill-effects of asbestos weren’t known and the material was fire-resistant, which gave it great value. But over the years, its negative effects have been well documented and yet officials apparently haven’t taken notice.

Even a little bit of exposure to asbestos can lead to a lifelong illness that kills. Mesothelioma has no cure and it is fatal 100 percent of the time. Once diagnosed, a person will die within 12 months, on average.

Our school-aged children must have all the educational opportunities in the world if they are to succeed. And that includes being healthy at school. They shouldn’t be put at risk simply to have the right to learn and improve their future.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, officials there have also just discovered asbestos in an elementary school. Officials planned on using the Thanksgiving holiday break to dig in and remove asbestos from the school, WSOC TV reports.

Officials have found 3,600 square feet of ceiling tiles that have asbestos. The school district called it a “preventative measure.” Asbestos not only was used to coat pipes and brake pads and insulate buildings, but it was also used in the creation of floor and ceiling tiles. It’s less of a “preventative measure” and more of a necessity.

Officials are saying the ceiling tiles aren’t a hazard, but could be a future hazard. Yet, any asbestos is a hazard. If it flakes apart, it can be ingested and could lead to a mesothelioma diagnosis years down the road. Children, who may have a less-developed immune system, could be affected more rapidly than adults.

Schools mustn’t delay removing asbestos from the premises. Asbestos was used in gym floors, cafeterias, classrooms, boiler rooms and everywhere else during construction decades ago. That means children can be exposed every day. If a school was built with asbestos, it must be removed and removed safely to ensure that it isn’t stirred up and left in place.

School officials must be more proactive and parents should be, too. Ask questions and make sure the pressure is on authorities to keep our children safe at school.
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In recent months, officials have been looking into the fact that wood chips distributed from the Libby, Montana, area may have been tainted with the same asbestos that has caused illness and death across the country.

As our Mesothelioma Lawyers Blog highlighted for several months during the summer, environment officials spent months investigating and testing soil at more than dozen sites nationwide that received asbestos-tainted vermiculite for processing.

Vermiculite, like asbestos, is a natural mineral that was used for insulation and in the production of many consumer goods. In the United States, it was primarily shipped from Libby, Montana, which produced a large percentage of the asbestos shipped across the country. The mine there was the region’s main employer, as reports stated that a mist of asbestos covered the town at times.

It was used in buildings all over New England from the early 1900s until 1991. It has been a leading cause of asbestos exposure in Massachusetts and nationwide. Exposure to asbestos, even a little, can lead to a diagnosis of mesothelioma, a rare and incurable form of cancer.

Massachusetts mesothelioma lawyers have seen the devastation caused by mesothelioma. People who are diagnosed typically were exposed to asbestos years ago, sometimes 30 to 40 years ago, and are just now feeling the symptoms — coughing, chest pain, fluid build-up — to get checked out. After diagnosis, the median lifespan is only 12 months, which makes this form of cancer that much more frustrating.

In July, The Associated Press reported that more than 15,000 tons of wood chips and bark were distributed nationwide, possibly including New England, despite knowledge that it was tainted with an unknown level of asbestos. Even two decades after the mine in Libby closed due to health hazards — thousands fell ill and hundreds have died — the town still is dealing with the backlash.

Major retailers sold the bark, which was used for decorative purposes or for erosion control. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tested samples of the wood chips in 2007, but didn’t quantify how much asbestos was present, the news service reported.

In March, sales of the wood chips were halted by the agency after concerns were raised and The Associated Press began investigating. Recently, initial tests of the wood chips show low levels of asbestos, but that means it’s still present.

It’s unclear where the bark was shipped or whether it was recalled. But it isn’t a typical consumer product like a child’s toy that can just be returned. If these wood chips cause a health risk, more must come out to protect consumers. Officials are still examining samples of the wood chips to determine if the level asbestos on the chips is considered “dangerous.”

Our Massachusetts mesothelioma lawyers would say any level of asbestos is dangerous because even a small amount of exposure can last a lifetime and end tragically.
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