Types of Mesothelioma

February 26, 2018

Appellate Court Re-Opens Asbestos Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Fertilizer Manufacturer

A new round of mesothelioma lawsuits in Massachusetts and surrounding states against fertilizer manufacturers may have gained new traction with a recent decision by the Superior Court of New Jersey Appellate Division reviving an asbestos wrongful death lawsuit.

In Brandecker v. E.B. Mill Supply Co. et al, plaintiff filed on behalf of the victim, a former cabinet maker from New Jersey who reportedly used two bags of defendant fertilizer company’s spreader fertilizer twice annually on his personal lawn in New Jersey. He did so from 1967 to 1980. In the lawsuit, filed in 2012, he alleged this exposure contributed to his development of mesothelioma, a latent but deadly cancer caused by exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. He asserted the Turf Builder product manufactured by defendants contained vermiculite ore, a substance that contained asbestos.

He had also alleged his exposure to the fibers in other settings – primarily at work – also contributed to his developing the terminal disease. He entered into confidential settlement agreements with other defendants, but the claim against the fertilizer company was still pending in 2014 when the trial court granted defense motion for summary judgment. (Plaintiff died in 2012 from mesothelioma; his estate representative carried on as plaintiff, adding the wrongful death claim.)

Now, that summary judgment has been reversed, meaning the wrongful death claim can continue. Continue reading

September 4, 2017

Asbestos in Boston Area Colleges

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

While this far from a problem that only affects the greater Boston area, many college campuses have buildings that were constructed at a time when asbestos was used heavily in the construction process. This not only includes classroom buildings and research laboratories, but also dorm rooms.

Generally speaking, if there is a asbestos in floor or ceiling tiles, which is very common for buildings constructed during the last half of the 20th century, it does not pose much of a risk to students because the deadly asbestos fibers are sealed into tiles. Continue reading

June 27, 2017

Boston Mesothelioma – Treatment Options

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, it is a virtual certainty that you were exposed to asbestos at some point during your life. While there are a lot of legal questions that you will have if you have been given that malignant mesothelioma diagnosis, the first concern of you and your family is likely what are the treatment options.

The first thing to understand is that, as discussed in a recent news article from the Law Vegas Review-Journal, is that malignant mesothelioma is a very rare disease. That is both good news and bad, but for anyone who has already been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, it is generally bad news. Continue reading

February 25, 2016

New Test Shows Promise for Early Detection of Malignant Mesothelioma

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

One of the worst things about mesothelioma diagnosis is that diagnosis normally occurs when the disease is in such an advanced stage that there is nothing much doctors can do to actually cure the patient. Doctors may be able to perform very aggressive surgical procedures followed by massive amounts of chemotherapy and radiation, which can prolong or extend life of the mesothelioma patient by several months, but the vast majority of patients die within 18 months of learning they have the disease.

The reason has to do with how asbestos affects its victims. When a person inhales deadly asbestos fibers, they become lodged in a layer of tissue known as the mesothelium. Here they can metastasize into malignant mesothelioma. If the cancer occurs in the lungs, it is know as malignant pleural mesothelioma. If the cancer occurs in the chest, it is known as pericardial malignant mesothelioma, and if it occurs in the abdomen, as is often the case, it is known as peritoneal mesothelioma. Continue reading

February 11, 2016

Bevacizumab Shown to Extend Survival of Some Mesothelioma Patients

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare and deadly form of cancer almost exclusively caused by exposure to asbestos, and it occurs in a layer of tissue lining the lungs known as the mesothelium. If the cancer occurs in the tissue lining the chest cavity, it is know as malignant pericardial mesothelioma, and if it occurs in stomach it is know as malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. However, it should be noted that all forms of malignant mesothelioma are very aggressive and can spread rapidly to other parts of the body, regardless of where the tumors initially form.

When a person first comes in contact with deadly asbestos fibers, they can become trapped in that layer of tissue known as the mesothelioma and eventually metastasize into malignant mesothelioma. This process can occur quickly, but in the vast majority of cases, it takes between 20 and 50 years for a patient to become detectably sick. Once this occurs, and the patient has noticeable symptoms, he or she is usually told there is only short time left to live. While there is no cure, there are drugs that can help extend this time period. Continue reading

November 26, 2015

Radiotherapy Not Shown as Effective in Mesothelioma Treatment

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Radiotherapy, or “radiation” as it often called by both patients and oncologists when speaking to the general public, is a common treatment option for patients with mesothelioma. Radiotherapy involves using a targeted beam of concentrated ionizing radiation aimed at the location of a malignant tumor. A modern radiotherapy machine uses laser guidance and special molds placed under the patient to determine the exact location to apply the beam. This is very important, because the ionizing radiation will kill any cells it encounters. It is not only effective against tumorous growth. Accidental exposure to healthy cells can be devastating to a patient’s health.

The specific manner in which radiation works is that it kills the DNA in any cell it interacts with, and this will result in death of the entire cell in a short amount of time. The procedure is effective but can and often does lead to serious side effects. While there is no pain at the time of the procedure, just as there isn’t during exposure to most types of radiation, side effects can linger for years and can include vomiting, nausea, heart disease, brain damage when using radiation of the brain, and even cancer. Radiation can be used as primary treatment but is often used as secondary treatment after surgery or chemotherapy. This is the case in mesothelioma patients. Continue reading

September 18, 2015

What is Chrysotile Asbestos?

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

There is no question that asbestos is harmful to humans. It would be fair to assume that most adults in America are familiar with this fact. Many people know asbestos can cause cancer, but this pretty much sums up the general public’s knowledge about asbestos, including where it comes from.

According to a recent news feature from Oregon Live, asbestos is a naturally occurring substance, and geologists estimate that anywhere between nine and 12 percent of the Earth’s crust contains asbestos. There are, however, various types of asbestos. The most common type of asbestos used in building construction in the United States is known as chrysotile. Continue reading

June 17, 2015

Asbestos Illness Beyond Mesothelioma

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

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.

According 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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February 24, 2015

Asbestos-Related Illness Inspiration for Recent Novel

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news feature from Western News, H.M. Bowker has written a novel loosely based on her life in Libby, Montana. She has lost her father, two brothers, a sister and sister’s husband all to asbestos-related illness. Much of this was incorporated into her novel.

Libby, Montana is the site of the largest and oldest vermiculite mine in the United States, and was heavily used during much of last century. W.R. Grace owned this mine and employed many workers during its operation from 1920 to the 1980s. Town residents were constantly being exposed to vermiculite, as it was literally covering much of the town. Bowker recalls there was a pile of vermiculite near a baseball field and local kids would pretend it was snow and play with, or even lie in it, making vermiculite angels with their arms.

Vermiculite, like asbestos, is a naturally occurring silica compound that is resistant to heat and fire and was often used as an insulation material and to give commercial and consumer products heat and fire resistant properties. However, due its chemical similarity to asbestos, asbestos is often found in vermiculite as the elements formed in the same environment.
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February 9, 2015

Boston Surgeon to Start New Lung Institute to Fight Mesothelioma

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news article from Houston Chronicle, a world-renowned surgeon from Harvard University is leaving Massachusetts to help start a new lung institute in Texas.

This surgeon will be heading a team of over 80 doctors put together to treat serious lung conditions including asthma and cancer. He will be using gene-based techniques to treat patients. He is known as a world-leading expert in treatment of mesothelioma. He credits this recognition to his vast experience in seeing patients suffering from the deadly asbestos-related cancer due to Boston’s once burgeoning ship building industry. Asbestos was used heavily in many aspects of the maritime industry and caused many workers to develop mesothelioma.

One reason asbestos was so common at shipyards is because a fire at sea is one of the biggest fears among sailors, because there is not where to go if a fire starts on a boat. It’s not like you can evacuate a boat at sea in rough weather. Asbestos is cheap and naturally resistant to heat, fire, electricity, and caustic chemicals. It has been used in fabricated components, joint compounds, and insulation. Asbestos was very commonly used as pipe insulation whereby sheets of the material were woven into fibers and wrapped around hot pipes to keep the heat in and prevent burns.
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