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According to a recent news article from the Cape Cod Times, a meeting was recently held that more than 100 parents attended.  The topic of this meeting was what about the more than 300 students who cannot return to the Teaticket Elementary School where they are registered. The reason they cannot go to their normal school is because it is closed due to asbestos hazards.

schoolAs is the case with many of the schools on the Cape and in the greater Boston area, this one was built at a time when asbestos was heavily used.  Asbestos has the natural ability to resist heat, fire, caustic chemicals, and electricity, but it also has the ability to work as a chemical binding agent.  This ability to work as a chemical binding agent means that it is good to be used in epoxies, glues, and other joint compounds such as drywall cement.  It is not flammable and the joint would break down due to exposure to normal conditions in the short term.  It will eventually break down over time, and that is where the problem starts. Continue reading

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The asbestos abatement process is serious business.  In order to safely remove asbestos from a renovation or demolition job site before work can be completed, a certified contractor, using trained workers, must remove all of the asbestos pursuant to an asbestos abatement plan that was approved by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MASSDep).  At various times during the abatement process, abatement reports must be submitted and air quality must be monitored for particulate mater (asbestos fibers) in the atmosphere, which is not allowed and can be very dangerous to those in the general area.

vermiculiteAll workers must be trained in asbestos abatement and must be provided with proper safety equipment.  This typically includes coveralls that will be destroyed once a shift is completed and ventilators or respirators. In addition to preventing asbestos-related injuries to themselves, it is also important for the workers to make sure they are not taking asbestos dust home to their families at the end of the day. Continue reading

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There is no denying the space program in the United States is not like it once was.  The shuttle program ended years ago, and neither NASA nor the U.S. government currently have any ability to send manned rockets into space.  For any manned space flights, NASA must rely on Russia’s space agency to take astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) using their aging Soyuz rockets.  While it is true that without the shuttle program, ISS could never have been built, the remaining shuttles have had their engines removed and were sent to museums for permanent display.   There are three remaining shuttles which are the Atlantis, Discovery, and Endeavor, which are now all tourist attractions.

rocket-1449226This is not to say there will never be manned space program, as a Mars mission capable rocket is currently being developed, and two private companies are handling unmanned space flight for the time being. Continue reading

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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) or, as it more commonly known by locals as the “the T,” is suffering a major setback in an effort to restore and refurbish its green line trolley cars, according to a recent news feature in the Boston Globe.   The green line is one of the older parts of the system and, with its street level trolley cars (also called Ts), is one of its most well known aspects to those who do not live in the city.

trolleybus-by-night-1518660Unlike in Europe, trolley cars are not very popular in most cities in the Untied States.  There are a lot of reasons for this, but it is primarily because General Motors purchased the right-of-way to much of the trolley tracks in the U.S. following the Second World War.  The reason the company did this was so they could destroy them leaving their bus manufacturing business with little competition in terms of public transportation options, and most trolley lines were replaced with bus lines.  In some cases, these were actually electric bus lines that used the same power lines as the trolleys, and examples of this can be seen in Boston and Cambridge today. Continue reading

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According to a recent news feature from the Dorchester Reporter, a major construction project at University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston) will not likely be ready when school starts next month.  The reason for this is because asbestos discoveries have seriously delayed the process.

asbestosThe project involving moving all utility infrastructure located on the Columbia Point section of the UMass Boston campus to another location as part of an effort to improve the campus. While performing scheduled demolition work last December, inspectors located what they suspected to be asbestos.  After their discovery, the called in a certified asbestos abatement firm to collect soil samples and send them to a hazardous materials testing laboratory to confirm the presence of the deadly asbestos fibers. Continue reading

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While those in the asbestos industry went to great lengths to prevent the general public from learning about the dangers of asbestos and that the deadly fibers could cause malignant mesothelioma, it is now a well-known fact.  It is for this reason that many companies over the years have been sued in connection with the tens of thousands of deaths connected with the toxic material.

ussupremecourthallwayDue to the fact that the deadly asbestos fibers often take between 20 and 50 years to metastasize into the cancer to a point where people know they are sick, there are still thousands of new cases being diagnosed each year in the United States alone. Continue reading

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According to a recent news feature from WTAE, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has levied a fine against a major American steel producer after an investigation confirmed that the company had allegedly exposed its workers to deadly asbestos fibers.

valveWhen asbestos dust is inhaled, the fibers can become trapped in a layer of tissue known as the mesothelium.  The mesothelium is made up of a special type of cells that form the layer which lines most internal organs in the body. Once the fibers become trapped in the mesothelium, they can metastasize into a deadly form of cancer known as mesothelioma. Continue reading

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Malignant mesothelioma is considered a rare disease.  Compared to the number of people that get diagnosed with diabetes, for example, it is a very rare disease.  However, to the roughly 3,000 people who are diagnosed in the United States with malignant mesothelioma and told they only have a short time to live, the fact that it is rare is of little comfort.  In fact, the opposite is generally true.  With malignant mesothelioma being so rare, it is considered an orphan disease, which essentially means there is little profit in working towards a cure.  If more people got malignant mesothelioma each year, and the drug companies smelled profit, we might be a lot closer to a real cure.

mlJATEQHowever, before we can discuss a cure, it is important to understand what malignant mesothelioma actually is.  A recent news feature from Healio takes a look at this issue. As discussed in this article, malignant mesothelioma first occurs in a layer of cells known as the mesothelium.  This layer of cells is present in most internal organs of the human body.  We typically see the cancer occurring in the pericardial mesothelium, which is in the chest, the peritoneal mesothelium, which is in the stomach, and pleural mesothelium, which is in the lungs.  However, we can also find malignant mesothelioma in the mesotheliomas of the tunica vaginalis, which form the beginning of the testicular lining. However, it should be noted that once mesothelioma forms in one of these areas, it can quickly spread to the rest of the body. Continue reading

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We have recently been hearing about asbestos and mesothelioma a lot lately in terms of how President Barack Obama and some members of Congress are using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finally ban the sale, manufacture, and importation of asbestos. Now, the latest asbestos trouble may be hitting close to home for our federal lawmakers.

openpitmineWhile many people believe asbestos was banned in the U.S. in the late 1970s, that is not exactly accurate.  There was a ban on the use of all asbestos products to be enforced by the EPA, but it was not done with the full assistance of Congress.  There was a lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of this asbestos ban, and the Supreme Court ultimately overturned the asbestos ban on grounds that it was unconstitutional.  This is not to say that Congress could not create such a ban, but the manner in which it was done back then was not constitutional.

Now, officials are trying to do something to close this regulatory loophole.

Continue reading

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In recent years, we have been seeing more and more cases of malignant mesothelioma where the victim did not necessarily have direct contact with traditional sources of asbestos but did have contact with talcum powder.  It is believed the talcum powder contained asbestos, and this is due to a variety of sources.

anthophyllite-with-talc-and-do-1539018As discussed in a recent news feature from the Montgomery Advertiser, natural talcum powder has been shown to contain asbestos in some cases.  Talc is a mineral that is made up of magnesium, silicon, hydrogen, and oxygen.  While many people think asbestos is man-made, it is also a mineral and is also made up largely of silica.  It also formed in the Earth in the same conditions and locations as talc and vermiculite.  Vermiculite has also been shown to contain detectable and dangerous levels of asbestos. Continue reading

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1 International Pl Unit 1810
Boston, MA 02110
Phone: (617) 777-7777Fax: (617) 722-9999
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60 Court St
Taunton, MA 02780
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Quincy, MA 02171
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Worcester, MA 01609
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