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BoRit Cleanup Aimed to Prevent Asbestos Risk to Pennsylvania Community

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Environmental regulators are working to stabilize stream banks near an asbestos disposal site in Ambler, Pennsylvania, to prevent asbestos-containing materials from posing a health risk to the community.

The ongoing activity is occurring along Wissahickon Creek, Rose Valley Creek and Tannery Run near a 32-acre site used for decades to dispose of asbestos-containing material from a nearby asbestos manufacturing plant.

Federal environmental regulators recently put the BoRit site, as it is called, on the list of polluted lands eligible for cleanup under the federal Superfund program. The BoRit site includes an asbestos waste pile owned by Kane-Core, Inc.; a reservoir owned by the Wissahickon Waterfowl Preserve and a former playground owned by Whitpain Township.

EPA investigators say there is no evidence from testing that people are currently being exposed to asbestos. But it’s a densely populated area near Philadelphia, and residents could potentially be exposed to airborne asbestos if it is left uncontrolled. Investigators say that people may have been exposed to inhaling asbestos fibers when the asbestos manufacturing plant was still in operation. Asbestos manufacturing occurred near the site from the 1930s through the late 1980s. When inhaled, asbestos fibers can lodge in the lung and cause serious respiratory disease such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.

Health investigators with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and federal Centers for Disease Control did a study of cancer incidence in communities near the BoRit site. They found an elevated rate of mesothelioma, a rare cancer closely linked to asbestos exposure, in three zip codes closest to the BoRit site when compared to the rest of Pennsylvania. But they said the difference was not statistically significant.

Investigators said the cases of mesothelioma were most likely caused by exposures that occurred in the past when asbestos facilities were operating and exposing workers and their families. According to federal mortality statistics, Pennsylvania ranked 16th in the nation in mesothelioma deaths. Five Pennsylvania counties with the highest number of mesothelioma deaths included Montgomery County, where the BoRit site is located, adjoining Philadelphia and Chester counties, and York and Northhampton counties.

From the early 1900s to the late 1980s, the BoRit area was used to dispose of asbestos waste form the former Keasby and Mattison Company, Certainteed Corporation and Nicolet Industries, state and federal investigators say. The industries produced asbestos products ranging from electrical insulation to brake lining as well as piping, roofing shingles and laboratory tabletops

The waste pile, which contains an estimated 149,500 cubic yards, covers about six acres. The berm of the 15-acre reservoir was constructed of asbestos shingles and millboard. Other asbestos waste such as piping and tiles is visible around the reservoir and three other water bodies.

Workers are removing asbestos containing materials from the stream bank and installing concrete cable mats to prevent erosion from exposing more material.

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Labels: Asbestos, Mesothelioma, National News

posted by Wade Rawlins at 12:24 PM
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Cost of Asbestos-Related Deaths in Great Britain Projected to Double, Study Says

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

In the United Kingdom, more 2,000 people die a year of mesothelioma, a cancer associated with asbestos exposure. The numbers have been trending steeply upward since the 1960s, according to Great Britain’s Health and Safety Executive.

Asbestos-related disease exacts a steep cost in terms of lives lost, pain and suffering by Mesothelioma patients and their families and asbestos-related insurance costs. With more awareness and publicity about mesothelioma a greater proportion of asbestos-disease sufferers are filing claims against their employer after their diagnosis of cancer of the lining of the lung or abdomen.

A new actuarial study doubles the projected asbestos-related insurance claims that the UK insurance industry will pay to about £11 billion ($17.8 billion) through 2050. The previous estimate of claims cost made in 2004 was £4.7 billion ($7.6 billion), but that only covered the period to 2040. The increase in the insurance market estimate was driven primarily by a near doubling of the observed number of mesothelioma claims since 2004.

The study was compiled by the UK Asbestos Working Party, part of Actuarial Professional, an organization representing the actuary industry.

The number of insurance claims has been increasing faster than the rate of mesothelioma deaths in Britain, the report said. In the past, about one-third of asbestos-related deaths resulted in insurance claims, but now nearly two-thirds of asbestos victims make claims. Still, there is uncertainty about the number of people who will be diagnosed with mesothelioma in future decades, making the projections less reliable in the outlying years.

The study noted that mesothelioma claims accounted for more than 90 percent of the United Kingdom’s asbestos-related claims cost.

The wide use of asbestos and its danger to human health have had and will continue to have profound consequences.

Link to UK Asbestos Working Party Actuarial Study

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Labels: Asbestos, International News, Mesothelioma

posted by Wade Rawlins at 3:49 PM
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Combo Treatment for Mesothelioma in Abdomen Helps Some Patients Live Longer

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Researchers say they’ve achieved some success at extending the lives of patients suffering from peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the abdomen, with a combination of surgery and chemotherapy.

In the December 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers at eight medical research universities in the U.S., Italy, France, Germany, and Australia reported that of 405 patients treated for peritoneal mesothelioma, the overall median survival rate was 53 months, and 47 percent of the patients were alive after five years.

Mesothelioma is an incurable cancer caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. Patients usually don't experience symptoms until 30 years or longer after exposure to asbestos.

Doctors treated most of the patients with a combination of surgery to remove cancerous tumors from the lining of the abdomen and a procedure called hyperthermic interperitoneal chemotherapy. After removal of visible tumors, the patient’s abdominal cavity was bathed for several hours in a heated chemotherapy solution to treat remaining cancer cells while the patient was in the operating room.

The high temperature of the chemotherapy solution has been found to increase its therapeutic effect. Both heat and direct contact with chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells. Clinical studies have shown the hyperthermic interperitoneal chemotherapy to be more effective than surgery alone in treating gastrointestinal cancers that have spread to the abdomen. It can also help reduce pain.

Of the patients whose treatments were analyzed in the study, 372 patients or about 92 percent received hyperthermic interperitoneal chemotherapy. Researchers followed up with the patients on average about two and half to three years after their surgery.

Nine patients had died following the surgery. Sixty percent of the patients were still alive three years after surgery and 47 percent were alive after five years. Of those 187 patients had complete or near complete removal of cancerous tumors.
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The researchers said that several factors appeared to be associated with the improved survival rate, including the absence of cancer having spread to the lymph nodes, the completeness of the tumor removal and the chemotherapy treatment.

The researchers said their data suggested that surgery to remove mesothelioma tumors in the abdomen combined with the chemotheraphy prolonged survival in selected patients.

Link to Journal article

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Labels: Mesothelioma, Research

posted by Wade Rawlins at 11:01 AM
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New York Attorney Discusses How To Pinpoint Asbestos Exposure

Monday, January 18, 2010

People who get diagnosed with mesothelioma fall into two categories, said New York attorney Joseph Belluck.
There are those who know automatically how they were exposed to asbestos, the toxic fibers that when inhaled can cause respiratory diseases such as mesothelioma, an incurable cancer of the lining of the lungs or abdomen.

“They worked in a Navy ship, or they worked in a factory,” said Belluck, noting occupations commonly associated with asbestos exposure. “They were an automobile mechanic. Their father was a plumber.”

Then there are other people who are diagnosed with mesothelioma who have no idea how they were exposed. They’re looking for answers.

“In almost every case like that, we are able to find an exposure to asbestos,” said Belluck, a partner in Belluck & Fox, a nationally-known law firm that specializes in representing victims of asbestos-related disease. “We’ve represented dentists, veterinarians, physicians, laboratory technicians, teachers. A lot of times people have worked with asbestos, for example dentists or jewelers, and they’re not even aware that they did.”

A Life History

Belluck said it’s important to keep in mind that if someone has mesothelioma, then they were exposed to asbestos at some point. Identifying the exposure is a matter of thoroughly examining their background.

“We start by meeting with our client and taking a very, very thorough life history of the client that includes their occupational history, any military service that they had and any work with asbestos that they would have done at their home or on their automobiles,” Belluck said.
“ A lot of times the clients aren’t even aware that certain things they did exposed them to asbestos,” Belluck said. “So that interview is very, very important.

“We have dealt with people in all walk’s of life so we have a good idea of what questions to ask,” he said.

In addition, the lawyers gather information about the occupations of their client’s parent, children and spouses to see if there might have been second-hand exposure to asbestos through other family members.

“If the person served on a ship in the Navy or the Merchant Marine, we would get records from the Coast Guard or the Navy as to the design of the ship and what equipment was on the ship,” Belluck said. “We would hire a researcher in Washington to go to the Naval archives or the Coast Guard archives and actually pull the drawings and documents related to the specific ship that our clients were on.”

“There is a lot of investigation that goes into the case prior to filing it so we know who the proper defendants are,” he said.

New York Work Sites

For many work sites in New York, Belluck & Fox has already conducted extensive investigations and document reviews and is familiar with the equipment and types of boilers on site and possible ways workers could be exposed to asbestos.

“If someone worked at the Kodak plant in Rochester or the General Electric plant in Schenectady, we’ve already done a lot of work on those sites and the products that we were there,” Belluck said.

“We would use a lot of records and documents that we already have in house here, which is really the main reason to hire a firm like ours,” Belluck said. “We already have a lot of the information and knowledge stored here that allows us to prosecute the lawsuit.”

The number of defendants often named in asbestos lawsuits also makes the cases somewhat unusual. “There may be 15 or 20 parties that contribute to a settlement or overall recovery,” Belluck said. “The majority of defendants settle and one or two hang around and we either have to start trial or finish trial against those.”

Fast Track Docket

Belluck said most cases settle out of court, although every case is prepared as if it is going to trial. Because New York courts often grant requests to put asbestos lawsuits on an expedited schedule because of the plaintiff’s declining health, the cases are often resolved in a year or less.
“It’s a very, very fast docket.” Belluck said. “From the time that we get the case until the time that it’s over is usually seven to 12 months.”

The cases typically settle without a trial, which means the plaintiffs receive their compensation more quickly.

“There are a lot of benefits to settlement for everybody in terms of the risk involved, expense of trial, the emotional and time commitment of a trial,” Belluck said.

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Labels: Asbestos, Featured News

posted by Wade Rawlins at 11:48 PM
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Navy and Contractors Fined for Asbestos Disposal Violations

Friday, January 15, 2010

The United State Naval Station at Newport , Rhode Island and two companies have agreed to pay a penalty for alleged violations of the federal requirements for safe handling and disposal of asbestos during deolition activities, federal environmental regulators announced this week in a press release.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency complaint, the U.S. Naval Station, Goel Services, Inc., and A.A. Asbestos Co., Inc., each violated the Clean Air Act and the national air pollution standards when they conducted a demolition operation involving asbestos at the naval base in February 2009.

The asbestos regulations are designed to protect workers and the public from exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. Inhaling airborne asbestos fibers can cause lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the chest and abdomen. Violations of federal asbestos regulations can pose significant health risks to the surrounding community as well as to workers conducting demolition or renovation operations.

EPA regulators alleged that the three parties failed to seal asbestos-containing waste in leak-tight containers while the material was wet. Under the settlement, the three parties must pay a $14,238 penalty and certify that they are operating in compliance with federal requirements. EPA previously had issued administrative orders to both the Newport Navy Base and A.A. Asbestos Abatement for failing to provide written notice to EPA before the work began.

The federal Clean Air Act and federal environmental regulation related to asbestos removal require owners and operators of demolition and renovation operations to inspect a facility before starting work and to comply with specific work and disposal practices for jobs involving regulated amounts of asbestos-containing materials.

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Labels: Asbestos, National News

posted by Wade Rawlins at 12:02 PM
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Call for Support for Greater Research on Asbestos-Related Disease in Great Britain

Monday, January 11, 2010

Scottish Parliament member John Park, a member of the Scottish Labor Party, urged the Scottish Government to support work to develop a national center to expand research into asbestos-related diseases in the United Kingdom.

Park, who represents the coalfields region of mid-Scotland, made his appeal during debate in the Scottish Parliament last week.

“We have a proud record of dealing with the damages aspect of asbestos in the Scottish Parliament, but there is still a desperate need for research into the causes and treatment of asbestos-related diseases,” Park said in a press release.

According to the Office of Health and Safety Executive, exposure to asbestos is the biggest single cause of work-related deaths. About 35 trades people die every week from asbestos related diseases in Great Britain.

“This is why it is so important that the Scottish Government examines the role our professionals can play in Scotland in the development of a United Kingdom Center for Asbestos-Related Diseases," Park said.

Asbestos was used extensively in Great Britain for fireproofing and insulation until the mid-1980s, according to the Office of the Health and Safety Executive. If asbestos fibers are disturbed, they can become airborne. Breathing of asbestos fibers, which can lodge in the lung, is associated with serious asbestos related diseases including mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung and abdomen.

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Labels: International News

posted by Wade Rawlins at 1:55 AM
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Does Follow-up Surgery for Recurring Malignant Mesothelioma Improve Survival?

Thursday, January 7, 2010

A second surgery to treat a recurrence of malignant mesothelioma in the lining of the lung is not necessarily effective in helping patients live longer, Italian researchers say, based on a small study described in the January 2010 edition of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, a medical journal.

The researchers, Dr. Leonardo Politi of the University of Florence, and Dr. Giuseppe Borzelleno of the University of Verona, examined the cases of 74 mesothelioma patients who underwent surgery over 20 years to remove a diseased lung as well the membrane tissue covering the lung and heart, and diaphragm muscle. The procedure is called an extrapleural pneumonectomy.

The researchers said that of 57 patients for whom there was follow-up medical information, 11 patients experienced a recurrence of mesothelioma a year-and-a-half to 12 years after the initial surgery. Of these, eight patients were in good enough health to undergo a second surgery in which additional diseased tissue was removed.

The length that the patients survived after their second surgery ranged from six months to 29 months with the median survival rate 14.5 months.

The researchers conclude that in the cases examined, the second surgery did not offer the expected curative benefits. They said the procedure should be considered a remedy that temporarily relieved a patient’s pain, but didn’t provide a cure. They argue that a second surgery should be considered an option for a select group of malignant mesothelioma patients who cannot undergo additional radiation therapy.

In an accompanying commentary, Dr. David Rice, director of the Mesothelioma Program at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, writes that partial removal of malignant tumors to manage malignant pleural mesothelioma remains controversial surgery. Rice said that extrapleural pneumonectomies generally provided a more complete removal of tumors than simply removing the lining of the lung. Still he acknowledged that patients who underwent extrapleural pneumonectomies did not appear to survive longer than patients who underwent less radical surgeries.

Journal Article

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Labels: Featured News, Mesothelioma

posted by Wade Rawlins at 2:00 PM
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Man Fined for Filing False Asbestos Certifications

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

A Louisiana man and his companies must pay fines of $40,000 and clean up an illegal dump in eastern New Orleans.

According to The Times-Picayune, Charlie Hampton, and his companies, Hamp’s Enterprises LLC and Hamp’s Construction LLC, which had millions of dollars in federal and local construction and demolition contracts, pleaded guilty to criminal environmental charges in New Orleans Criminal District Court and the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge.

In April 2009, investigators with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality arrested Hampton on charges of submitting documents that contained false certification of asbestos inspections that did not occur. Hamp’s Enterprises pleaded guilty to those charges in the Baton Rouge Court, according to a Department of Environmental Quality press release.

The asbestos certifications pertained to asbestos notification forms for demolition and renovation work in the New Orleans area. According to the DEQ investigators, the inspections, which are required by law, did not occur. Asbestos which was widely used in building materials until the 1970s, can cause serious respiratory disease including mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs, if the microscopic fibers are released into the air and inhaled. So before buildings are demolished or renovated, asbestos materials must be carefully contained and removed to avoid spreading asbestos fibers.

Investigators also discovered trucks operated by Hampton and Hamp’s Construction involved in illegal dumping in a wetland area known as Lot 64 along Almonaster Boulevard in eastern New Orleans. As part of the agreement, Hamp’s Construction will clean up Lot 64.

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Labels: National News

posted by Wade Rawlins at 11:34 AM
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