asbestos attorney

May 8, 2017

MS Drug May Help Mesothelioma Victims

Mesothelioma is a devastating disease that affects and kills thousands of people each year in the United States. However, while the pain and suffering caused by malignant pleural mesothelioma and other types of mesothelioma rival those of any other type of cancer, the number of victims for mesothelioma are much lower. This is because mesothelioma is a rare disease, and it is virtually always caused by the victim being exposed to deadly asbestos fibers.

On the one hand, nobody would want to complain that more people are not stricken with this deadly illness. However, the fact that the numbers remain relatively low means that there is not big money for the major drug companies to work on a cure. As is often the case, it takes money to cure a disease, and drug companies are mainly for-profit companies that are far more concerned about their respective profit statements to shareholders than they are about helping people with a rare disease no matter the cost. Continue reading

April 26, 2017

CDC Still Classifies Asbestos Deaths as Public Health Concern

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that has been used by humans for around 2,000 years. However, it was between the 1850s and the 1980s that asbestos was used in virtually every aspect of residential, commercial and industrial construction, as well as in countless production operations. This primarily began during the Industrial Revolution and continued until the EPA attempted to ban the use asbestos.

The reason we say attempted to ban the use of asbestos is because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations that outlawed asbestos use in the late 1970s was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court as being unconstitutional a few years after it was passed. The reason being not that Congress couldn’t outlaw asbestos, but that EPA couldn’t do it through regulations without Congress first passing a law and the president signing that law. Continue reading

November 11, 2016

Sen. Dick Durbin Asks EPA to Protect Americans from Asbestos

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent article from E News Park Forest, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, (D-Ill.,) has called on the federal Environmental Protection Agency to give top priority on the list of chemicals it will be reviewing under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21^st Century Act. This act is a reform to the Chemical Substances Control Act of 1976.

The act was signed by President Barack Obama in June of this year. The law gives the EPA authority to regulate chemicals based upon how they affect vulnerable groups of people like small children, older Americans, pregnant women, and industrial workers who are often required to be around potentially hazardous chemicals on a frequent basis. Continue reading

November 4, 2016

Asbestos Certification Company Owner Pleaded Guilty to Making Fake Certifications

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

There is no question that being an asbestos abatement professional is a hazardous job. Workers in this industry are at high risk of inhaling asbestos fibers that are too dangerous for anyone else to be around. For this reason, the industry is heavily regulated and employers must ensure workers have all the proper protection and training. This can be costly, but it’s necessary.

Unfortunately, as a recent incident revealed, even asbestos abatement firms sometimes cut corners to save costs, putting workers – and the public – at risk.

If a property owner suspects that there is asbestos on his or her property, the first thing that must be done is for a certified asbestos inspector to come and take samples. Once these samples are collected, they will be sent to a materials testing lab for microscopic analysis. The lab will not only determine if there are asbestos fibers present, but what kind of asbestos fibers they are, which is important, because some are even more dangerous than others. Continue reading

September 27, 2016

A Look at Whether Asbestos Can Move in Soil

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

While it may seem like a strange thing to study, a recent news feature from Science Daily looks at whether asbestos can move in soil, and there is a very important reason for this study. The general belief, as it has been for many years, is that asbestos fibers cannot move when they are in soil. As the new study suggests, this may not be true, and that is a serious problem.

In many parts of the country, there is soil that is filled with deadly asbestos fibers. Some of these contaminated areas are a result of landfills at a time when asbestos was regularly thrown away with ordinary trash and construction waste. Today this is illegal and a violation of the federal Clean Air Act. Continue reading

September 11, 2016

Demolition of Rocket Factory Brings Asbestos Concerns

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

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.

This 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

August 25, 2016

Talcum Powder Linked to Cancer

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

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.

As 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

July 5, 2016

Grant v. Foster Wheeler, LLC – Proof of Asbestos Defendants’ Products as Proximate Cause of Injury

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Asbestos litigation is complex. There are often more than a half dozen defendants. You’re dealing with facts and details that go back decades. Memories have faded. Records are lost. It’s a challenge to say the least. That’s why it’s imperative that you hire an asbestos injury law firm that is experienced and has a history of success on this front.

A recent case before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court illustrates some of the pitfalls that can arise in asbestos litigation.

In Grant v. Foster Wheeler, LLC, plaintiff – the estate of a man who died from mesothelioma due to exposure to asbestos – appealed a trial court grant of summary judgment to defendants on claims of failure to warn of defective products, unreasonably dangerous goods, negligence and loss of consortium. Continue reading