Mesothelioma Lawyers Blog

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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The Eagle-Tribune is reporting that parents are putting the pressure on school officials in Haverhill to build a new middle school after it was revealed that there are issues with asbestos at the school.

Asbestos exposure in Massachusetts, even for a short period of time, can lead to lifelong consequences. Boston mesothelioma lawyers have come across many clients who were exposed to asbestos for a short period — maybe weeks, months or a year — and that was enough exposure to lead to a mesothelioma diagnosis later in life.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is incurable. Research has shown that only a short period of exposure to asbestos — a commonly used mineral from the early 20th Century until the 1990s — can lead to a diagnosis 30 and 40 years later. That’s the scary thing about this illness; that a person can have no symptoms for decades and then it hits hard. After being diagnosed, the average lifespan is 12 months.

There have been other examples of schools throughout Massachusetts where officials have recently discovered asbestos on site. This shouldn’t come as a shock and considering many schools throughout New England were built decades ago, it should be obvious that asbestos was used. The mineral was chiefly used in insulation of buildings as well as in boiler rooms, piping and other commonly used construction materials.

That officials are still dealing with the fact that schools have asbestos means that scores of children have likely been exposed to asbestos and could be at risk.

In this northern Massachusetts town, one parent told the Eagle-Tribune that her eighth grade daughter tried to close a window recently because it was cold and her teacher told her to leave it open because of asbestos. The parent is a licensed asbestos remover who is now an auto mechanic because of the dangers of the job.

School officials told the parent that it doesn’t have a “dangerous” asbestos level, but has ventilation problems. Officials said recently that students were moved to a different school because the middle school’s structural problems risked that the floors would cave in.

Parents at a meeting recently urged school officials to build a new school and stop wasting time. Officials are working with engineers to see if they can fix the school structurally. The most recent story didn’t address the asbestos issues.

Let’s hope that Haverhill school officials do the right thing and find a grant, state money, federal money or fundraising to put together a new school that is structurally sound, but also built without asbestos. Simply restructuring the school to save money isn’t going to get rid of the asbestos issue. While there are removal services, that doesn’t guarantee all asbestos will be removed. It can linger and who knows the extent of the asbestos in that building. In order to ensure our children have a future, officials must eliminate asbestos from their lives.
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The Maine Campus, student newspaper of the University of Maine, is reporting that a heated public debate erupted recently over a proposal to triple the amount of waste a landfill there would be authorized to accept.

Residents were understandably upset that officials were considering accepting up to 32 million cubic yards of waste, up from the 10 million cubic yards it currently holds. Orono residents argued that they don’t want the waste in their backyard.

These concerns are no different than when cases of asbestos in Boston and other areas of the state arise. Take for instance the story of one the people to speak out at the landfill-expansion meeting. A woman related how her daughter recently moved to Massachusetts to attend college. She also bought a home whose basement was covered in asbestos, costing her some $16,000 clean up. The news article said daughter asked the driver where he would be taking the asbestos.

“You don’t have to worry about this,” the driver told her. “It’s going to Maine.”

Every state has guidelines for safe removal of asbestos and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection is no different. It has a 72-page guide for asbestos cleanup and removal.

There are several facts in this story that have caused some Massachusetts mesothelioma lawyers to stand up and take notice. Primarily, it is striking that asbestos could be dumped at landfill sites that are close to homes. While it must be removed from buildings, it may be just as dangerous to be sent to a dump where it gets pounded and mashed, allowing asbestos toxins to get into the air and atmosphere.

Secondly, home-buyers must do their due diligence when purchasing a home in New England. Most homes are older and many have asbestos in their basements, in insulation, in piping and in other parts of their house, which can pose health risks. Inspectors, appraisers and homeowners must do their research before possibly putting themselves at risk if the house contains asbestos.

About 100 miles away from Orono in Wilton, the department of environmental protection is planning to fine private companies that broke asbestos removal laws at a demolition site that was contaminated with the mineral, the Morning Sentinel reports.

According to the newspaper report, asbestos cleanup started at a demolition site in August and asbestos-laden material was removed from the century-old buildings. Because of sloppy state rules about asbestos cleanup and removal, many workers may have been exposed to high levels of the hazardous material.

Construction workers were removing the asbestos without the proper gear or equipment. While the state’s DEP looks at possible fines, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is investigating for possible criminal charges.

If companies violate rules, they not only open themselves up to fines and possible criminal charges, but they put their workers at risk. That’s not right and it’s not fair Continue reading

Medford officials may want to start taking asbestos exposure more seriously.

As The Medford Transcript recently reported, the Medford Police Department has ignored for years the health risks associated with exposed asbestos, which was found in its building years ago. Boston mesothelioma lawyers have noticed the department’s safety issues and how city officials are finally looking to take action to correct the situation. But the police department is not alone when it comes to concerns about asbestos.

As Boston mesothelioma lawyers reported in October, the Medford School Department was fined $30,000 for improperly disposing asbestos at Curtis Tufts Alternative High School.

According to The Boston Globe, officials in 2009 were supposed to properly remove asbestos-laden tiles based on guidelines and standards determined by the state. But instead, they took the tiles and dumped them in a trash container behind the school. The container was then moved to Columbus Elementary School before being brought back to the high school and decontaminated.

Now, the police department has come under fire because state officials mandated that problems such as exposed asbestos in the building’s boiler room be addressed five years ago, but nothing has been done.

City council members recently toured the building, which is fraught with other problems as well. Among the concerns are that jail cells are unusable, the firing range has been condemned, equipment and evidence rooms are cramped, and there are no gyms or showers for female officers in the building, which was built in 1962.

A photo from the newspaper shows council members walking in the boiler room, unmasked, to inspect it. Knowing that the pipes are coated with asbestos, people shouldn’t be walking around it without protection.

Aside from it being old and not up-to-date, it also poses other health concerns. According to council members, there is widespread mold because of water leaks, especially on the roof.

There are examples of people who worked in the trenches of asbestos dust or in factories or mines where they breathed it in all day who get mesothelioma later in life. But there are also many cases of people who were exposed over a short period of time. And they find out decades later that they, too, have formed mesothelioma.

Researchers don’t know enough about mesothelioma to figure out how much exposure is needed to cause it. The disease varies based on the victim, duration of exposure and conditions. But it is clear that even a small amount of exposure can kill.

Medford officials must take this seriously and take action on the asbestos situation in the police department and other buildings in the city that likely were built with asbestos. Its schools have put children at risk and now its police officers have been at risk for decades. Let’s hope officials do the right thing, and do it now.
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