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Many people associate a Rolls-Royce with extreme luxury and wealth. Much like a Lamborghini or Ferrari, many have never seen one driving on a highway or on a city street. These are cars we see on TV shows, movies, and in museums.

rolls-royce-1453901One thing we do not generally associate a Rolls-Royce with is asbestos exposure and mesothelioma. However, according to a recent news story for the Derby Telegraph, an electrician for Rolls-Royce recently died of mesothelioma due to occupational exposure to deadly asbestos fibers. Continue reading

There is no question that asbestos was dangerous to the seemingly countless factory workers and construction workers who worked in asbestos-laden environments for decades of the last century. When these workers would breathe in the deadly asbestos fibers, these fibers would become embedded in the layer of tissue know as the mesothelium, where they could develop in into an aggressive form of cancer known as malignant pleural mesothelioma.

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While most people associate mesothelioma with lung cancer, it is actually a different form of cancer, though it often does form in the lungs. However, it can also form in the stomach, chest, and other internal organs. Wherever it initially forms, it can quickly spread to other organs in the short period time a patient has left to live following a mesothelioma diagnosis. It should also be noted that asbestos exposure can cause lung cancer, asbestosis, and other forms of serious respiratory illness. Continue reading

Many schools in Boston and across New England were built during a time when asbestos was heavily used in construction. The asbestos was deadly to the miners who unearthed the material and to the workers who installed it in the schools, but, generally speaking, asbestos is no longer harmful to occupants of a building. The reason for this is because asbestos was used in wall joint compounds and many other things, but, unless it is being disturbed, there is not a great risk of inhaling the deadly fibers.

warning-icon-45-1023139-mHowever, if a building is not properly maintained and is allowed to fall apart, the risk of asbestos exposure skyrockets for anyone inside. Unfortunately, due to budgetary shortcomings, it is fairly common for schools to end up in very bad condition to the point where students are at a high risk for asbestos exposure. Continue reading

Representative Blake Fernthold (R-Texas) is speaking out about problems with the mesothelioma victims’ fund for first responders and veterans exposed to deadly mesothelioma fibers.   The funds were set up by Congress in the 1990s, and money was reserved for future victims, since it typically takes between 20 and 50 years after first being exposed to deadly asbestos fibers before they metastasize into malignant pleural mesothelioma, lung cancer, or cause other forms of serious respiratory illness.

u-s--capitol-building-918333-mThese funds were designed to provide fair payments as compensation for present and future victims, but instead there have been many funding problems with the systems and payments, which have been reduced since the 2000s, and in some cases multiple times to the same victims or their families.   Fernthold says the reason for this is because of recurring incidents of fraud and abuse of the system. He, along with a group of advocates, is supporting the Furthering Asbestos Claims Transparency (FACT) Act. They hope that with greater transparency, there will be less fraud, and victims and their families will finally get the compensation they deserve. Continue reading

By now there have been a lot of news articles about German-based multinational chemical giant BASF unknowingly inheriting significant liability for the pain, suffering, and ultimately death of what seems like countless asbestos exposure mesothelioma victims. This company assumed this risk when it acquired Engelhard Corporation nearly 10 years ago for a purchase price of $10 billion.

shotEngelhard operated mines in which they removed talc from the ground to process for industrial and consumer use. While talcum powder does not necessarily have to contain asbestos, it is often found with asbestos and asbestos-laden vermiculite. The reason there is such a problem with liability in this company’s history is because of a mesothelioma lawsuit in filed against the company in the early 1980s according to a recent news article from the Insurance Journal. Continue reading

As many know too well, there is not much doctors can do for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. This is not say there aren’t a multitude of FDA-approved treatment options, because there are, but even in the best case scenarios, patients undergo invasive and painful procedures and may only be given an extra few months to live.

syringe-1238929-mThere is, however, hope that, one day, there will be real treatment options for mesothelioma patients that can actually arrest the growth of tumors or even force them into remission. One drug that people thought might help doctors and patients achieve these goals was known as VS-6063, being developed by Verestem Inc. pharmaceuticals based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company had recruited patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma in 2011, and, by 2012, the company had announced it was closing enrollment in the study because it had enough patients with the deadly disease to complete the study. Continue reading

A recent news article from Dr. Tipster takes a closer looks at mesothelioma. As many people know, mesothelioma is a very rare from of cancer that is almost exclusively caused by exposure (usually at the workplace) to deadly asbestos fibers. Once inhaled, it can take between 20 and 50 years for these fibers to metastasize into a deadly form of cancer known as malignant pleural mesothelioma.

questionOne of the first questions many people ask is how is mesothelioma diagnosed? Unfortunately, mesothelioma is very difficult to diagnose until the disease is in an advanced stage, and the patient has only very short time left to live. Many people who finally do start noticing symptoms do not go to the doctor right away, because they mistake the symptoms, such as stomachache and shortness of breath, for a less serious illness. The vast majority of patients are diagnosed with mesothelioma within a few months after they first start experiencing symptoms. Continue reading

According to a recent news release from Nasdaq News Service, Aduro Biotech has just announced the results of Phase 1b mesothelioma trials for its new immunotherapy drug, CRS-207.

1158314_nurse_1Phase 1b is part of the process of clinical trials to test new medications on human patients. In this phase, multiple increasing dose studies are performed on human patients to determine safety and tolerability. The patients are given multiple low doses of the drug during the study, and multiple tests are performed to determine how the human body processes the new drug. In the next group of patients, the dose of the experimental drug is increased, and then increased again in future groups, until a preset limit has been reached. Continue reading

According to a recent public letter from the United States Office of Special Counsel to President Barack Obama, a whistleblower’s claims of asbestos safety violations at a Veteran’s Administration (VA) hospital have been substantiated.

whistle-1505616The reason the letter was addressed to the president is because, as president, he is technically in charge of all executive agencies. According to the release, federal investigators responded to a whistleblower’s claim that, as long-time maintenance employees, he and his co-workers, which included pipefitters, HVAC workers, and plumbers, had to work every day in areas VA knew to contain asbestos. Whistleblower also said he and others were required to perform their work without the use of certified or approved asbestos protection equipment or respirators or ventilators. It also seemed to whistleblower that they were taking this toxic asbestos-laden material and throwing it in an ordinary dumpster. Continue reading

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.

mSdaKbYAccording 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

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