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Asbestos removal is a complicated process. When a landowner knows or has reason to know there is asbestos present in an owned structure and has renovation or demolition plans, there are certain steps that must be taken to prevent asbestos exposure that could harm workers or cause environmental damage.

mwndY6oFirst, licensed asbestos inspector must be hired to determine if asbestos is actually present. There are a lot of telltale signs that a certain building material contains asbestos, such as nine inch by nine inch or 12 by 12 inch linoleum tiles manufactured during the 1970s. However, the only way to be sure is to have a sample of the material cut out and sent to a testing laboratory where a microscopic examination can be performed to see if the asbestos fibers are present. Continue reading

According to a recent article from Wicked Local Boxford, Massachusetts State Police troopers arrested a 46-year-old man on charges stemming from an alleged home improvement scam. He is currently being held on $750,000 cash bail and is scheduled to be arraigned in the Salem District Court.

hand-cuffsProsecutors specifically charged Defendant with two counts of larceny over $250, which is felony larceny (theft) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, larceny on person older than 65 (theft from an elderly victim), working as a home improvement contractor without a license, forgery, utterance of a false document, perjury, and various other financial and theft crimes related to his home improvement business. Continue reading

While the asbestos mining industry and the production industry took large steps to insure the general pubic did not learn of the dangers of asbestos and asbestos-laden products, these days the public is very much aware of how lethal asbestos exposure can be.

graph12However, for a variety of reasons, it may difficult to accurately calculate how many people have been killed as a result of asbestos exposure over the years. According to a recent news feature from Vox, finding out the true number of mesothelioma victims may be a lot more difficult than most people would think. Continue reading

There is no question that mesothelioma is a deadly form of cancer, and the only known cause is exposure to asbestos. When a person inhales the fibers, those fibers can become embedded in his or her lung tissue, lining of the chest, abdomen and other organs. Once the fibers are embedded, there is virtually no way to detect them.

macaflourWhen a patient presents with asbestos symptoms, a doctor may perform a lung or tissue biopsy, where a portion of the tumor is removed and examined at a histology lab to confirm the presence of asbestos fibers and mesothelioma. Doctors will generally not perform a biopsy on healthy tissues since this type of test is known as a destructive biopsy, which requires the cutting and removal of tissue. Continue reading

For a variety of reasons, Australia has many more cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma each year than most other nations. There are constantly government investigations into asbestos use and asbestos abatement violations, especially in relation to a home insulation material known as Mr. Fluffy.

syringe-1238929-mDue to the high frequency of asbestos related illness diagnoses in the country each year, it should come as no surprise the government has put a considerable amount of resources into finding better treatment options and eventually a cure for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Continue reading

An historic New England jail might become a tourist attraction if money can be allocated to handle the much-needed renovations, which include a large-scale asbestos abatement project.

prison-1319028-mThis particular jail, with its stone walls, has housed a variety of prisoners throughout its long history. For example, a tavern owner was sentenced to 60 days in prison for violating the Volstead Act in 1922, according to recent news feature from CT Now. For those who study history, or used to watch Boardwalk Empire on HBO, you will remember the Volstead Act as the federal law preventing the sale of alcohol and better known as Prohibition. Continue reading

According to a recent news article from The Courier Post Online, a man was just sentenced to three years in prison for his alleged conduct during a recycling project where highly dangerous asbestos waste material was left all over the site of a former hospital campus.

hand-cuffs-12754-mProsecutors say the 57-year-old defendant used untrained and unlicensed day laborers, some of whom were inmates living at a halfway house, to conduct an asbestos abatement operation and did not even provide them with the correct equipment to do the job. They are alleged to have illegally buried asbestos-laden titles and dumped large contractor-size trash bags full of asbestos in the floor of the boiler room at one of the buildings in the old hospital campus. Continue reading

According to a recent news feature from Mass Live, the town of Wilbraham, Massachusetts plans to foreclose on the old Belli’s nightclub, which has been closed for more than 15 years. The building on the site was first constructed in 1920 and has housed various restaurants over the years, but it is most famous to local residents as the site of a nightclub that featured dancing women.

paperworkThe property in its current state is valued at around $190,000, but the current owner owes more than $70,000 in back taxes. The town administrator has announced his desire to proceed with a long rumored foreclosure and tax sale of the property. Continue reading

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.

hospital-room-449234-m.jpgAccording 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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In New England, we are fortunate to have a rich history and many older structures to connect us to it. Some of these buildings have been extensively remodeled and re-purposed for modern usage, but others must unfortunately be razed to make way for new construction. One of the problems with many of these old buildings is they were constructed during a time in which asbestos was heavily used in virtually all aspects of the residential, commercial and industrial construction process.

tires.jpgIn order to rehabilitate an aging building, or even demolish it, it is first necessary to remove (abate) all of the asbestos in a safe manner, so as not to expose workers, neighbors and the community in general to any unnecessary risk.

However, proper asbestos abatement is not a quick and easy job, and it is by no means cheap, so many of these beautiful old buildings are allowed to deteriorate into a complete state of crumbling disrepair, where they can no longer be used or repaired, and demolition is the only viable option – once they can find someone willing to foot the bill for asbestos abatement.
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