Articles Posted in Asbestos Exposure

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While asbestos has not been used in construction in the United States for over two decades, it is well known that many older buildings in the greater Boston area contain large amounts of deadly asbestos fibers. For the most part, these fibers are not a threat to the occupants of the buildings unless the buildings are in a deteriorating state or building owners perform renovations or demolition work.

tiles-280652-mHowever, it is up to the building owners to make sure they are not exposing the occupants or general public to the deadly asbestos fibers. Unfortunately, they know that it generally takes between 20 and 50 years for the asbestos fibers to cause malignant mesothelioma, and the victims often have no idea that they are sick. Continue reading

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According to a recent article in Wicked Local Medford, the long-standing and now closed arcade business building is finally being demolished to make room for new construction.

warning-icon-45-1023139-mThe old arcade building has been empty for quite some time, and there has been talk about tearing it down after the roof collapsed, but there were two major impediments to taking such action. The town officials were worried about contaminating workers and the general community. One of the chemicals discovered during an inspection and present in the building was asbestos. Continue reading

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Mesothelioma is a very rare cancer that forms in a layer of tissue know as the mesothelium, hence the name mesothelioma. While most people associate mesothelioma with lung cancer, it is not technically lung cancer. It is an entirely different form of malignant cancer that often forms in the lungs, abdomen, or chest.

judgeWhile it is medically possible to develop malignant pleural mesothelioma (lungs), malignant pericardial mesothelioma (chest), or malignant peritoneal (abdomen) mesothelioma without ever having been exposed to toxic asbestos fibers, the chance of that happening is extremely remote. In reality, almost all cases of malignant mesothelioma are caused by exposure to deadly asbestos.  During the process of diagnosing a patient with malignant mesothelioma, the asbestos fibers will generally still be visible in the cancerous tissue, so the body has no ability to break them down, which is one of the major reasons they are so dangerous.   Continue reading

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Even if you have never been there, most people are familiar with what the giant silver arch in St. Louis looks like. It is a must see for anyone visiting St. Louis or traveling through the area.   The Gateway Arch is the largest of its kind in the world and is part of the Westward Expansion Museum. There is an elevator in the arch that takes riders to the top, so they can look through observation windows.

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The arch was constructed in the 1950s, and it is not surprising that asbestos was heavily used during the construction, because such use was very prevalent during that time in American history. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is actually comprised of six different strains of silica. It was once heavily mined from the earth and used in virtually every aspect of production and construction during the industrial revolution. Continue reading

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According to a recent report from KPBS News, there have been more than 300 water main breaks in San Diego from January 2012 through late 2015. This is an unprecedented number of water main breaks and has resulted in an estimated loss of 35 million gallons of water in an area that is constantly in need of more water.

rustypipesOne person interviewed for the news feature said she was heading out of her home around 6:30 in the morning when she learned there was water coming up through the pavement across the street from where she lived. At first, it seemed like a small amount of water, but soon it looked like a river.   The water was coming from an eight-inch water main that had burst below her street. By the time the spill was cleaned up, nearly 400,000 gallons of water had been spilled onto her street, and the entire block was without running water for more than a day. This was a tragic loss of water and major inconvenience for those depending on that main to deliver their water. Eventually, the city sent a water wagon to provide the residents with clean water to use. Continue reading

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The once proud Cleveland Public Power Plant has been sitting closed for years.   The United States Environmental Protection Agency discovered that the plant, which sits along the shores of Lake Erie, had been leaking thousands of gallons of lubricating oil into the lake. This spill occurred last Easter, and EPA ordered the plant owners to clean up the shoreline and do no further damage.   The reason for the toxic spill was because some of the older tanks and waste containers ruptured, allowing the waste contained in them to flow out of the building and into a river.

waterfront-industry-159568-mAt this point, cleanup crews went to work trying to the remove the lubricant material and anything else polluting the shoreline. While the cleanup was going reasonably well, something unexpected happened when they discovered asbestos located throughout the building and in many of the tanks that had ruptured, causing the problems in the first place. As if this was not bad enough, many of these tanks that contained asbestos were fully submerged in the wastewater flowing out of the building. This made cleanup efforts extremely difficult and costly. The flooding was so deep that some of the tanks were under 13 feet of wastewater. Continue reading

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On the corner of D and Athens Street in South Boston sits a red brick building that served as South Boston’s main police station for just less than 70 years before it finally closed in the early 1980s. Since its closure, the building sits empty, and it has for many years, but city officials hope that will not be the case for much longer.

danger-keep-out1-709062-mAccording to a recent news article from the Boston Globe, the old Southie police station is going to be turned into a state-of-the-art housing facility for military veterans.   While the building has never been declared a historic structure, it does have a significant amount of history, and the building itself has a great deal of character. After all, it was designed by the same architect who designed the courthouse on East Bay Street and Fenway Park, where the Boston Red Sox play. Continue reading

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Folta v. Ferro Engineering, an appeal from the Supreme Court of Illinois, involved a plaintiff who worked from 1966 to 1970 as product tester and shipping clerk for defendant. During the few years he worked for defendant, he was exposed to asbestos on a regular basis, according to the record of the case.

judgeAsbestos fibers are very toxic to humans. Once they are inhaled, they can become trapped in a layer of tissue known as the mesothelium, where they can metastasize into a deadly form of cancer known as mesothelioma. That can occur in the lungs, chest cavity, abdomen, and other organs, and it can quickly spread to other parts of the body. However, it normally takes between 20 and 50 years for victims to develop noticeable symptoms of mesothelioma, and by the time they are first diagnosed, they are often informed they only have a very short period of time left to live. Continue reading

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When people think of where United States Congress members work, they are often picturing the iconic United States Capitol building in Washington, DC. While the Capitol building is certainly where Congress members go to vote on bills and speak on the floor of the House and the Senate, only a few longstanding members of Congress actually have offices in the Capitol building, because there simply isn’t enough space. For this reason, there are several congressional office buildings located next to the Capitol building, such as the Hart building and Cannon House Office Building that houses over 100 members of the United States House of Representatives and their respective staff.

freedom-2-889854-mHowever, according to a recent article from Fox News, an asbestos scare has caused the Architect of the Capitol to close the 114-year-old building for major renovations. It should be noted that the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is not a person but the federal agency responsibly for maintaining the condition of the many federal buildings on Capitol Hill and for handling any major construction or renovation projects. Continue reading

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Any one who lives in western Massachusetts is probably familiar with the Columbia Gas building. The iconic old industrial building that houses thousands of gas meters and other equipment owned by the utility is well known and easily recognized by its giant sign depicting the companies blue flame logo above the word Gas. This logo is done in what now a classic vintage style and was easily seen from the road.

vermiculiteAccording to a recent news article from Mass Live, Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, formerly known as the Bay State Gas Company, had finally decided to move from the old building constructed in 1964. While the building is not particularly old relative to other buildings, it is outdated and inefficient for handling all of the pipes and equipment need to supply western Massachusetts with natural gas. The new facility will be more centrally located, which will help achieve this goal. The current building is already in the process of being razed, as it was not worth repurposing, given asbestos issues and the generally layout of the building. Continue reading

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