Articles Posted in Boston Mesothelioma

by

According to a recent news report in the Union Leader, part of building that was heavily damaged in a fire last summer has collapsed, resulting in an asbestos exposure scare.  This building was the site of a June 2016 fire that killed four people.

construction siteWhen the fire broke out, it was in the overnight hours, and the entire family of four tragically died.  The classic New England three-decker, as they are often called, was left a burnt out shell of its former self.  It has been abandoned since the fire and has been slated for demolition for several months.  Continue reading

by

A new study found the highest asbestos-related cancer rate in New England, specifically in Maine.

Asbestos has been used all over the world in many different applications for hundreds of years.  However, it was during the Industrial Revolution that began in the mid 1800’s when the heaviest use of asbestos began.

Maine AsbestosAsbestos itself is a mineral that occurs naturally and is comprised of six silica elements.  While it doesn’t seem remarkable at first glance, it can withstand extreme amounts of heat, fire, electricity and caustic chemicals.  It is also chemically perfect to serve as bonding agent in many applications such as construction adhesive.    The downside, as we all known today, is that asbestos causes a very aggressive type of cancer known as malignant mesothelioma. Continue reading

by

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.

asbestosThe 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

by

According to a recent news report from The Harvard Crimson, Harvard University administrators have said asbestos is “everywhere” around the campus, but stressed that the risk of asbestos exposure to any of the students, faculty or staff is minimal.  The recent concern arose as the university has been performing a massive renovations project on the student housing buildings that were built at a time when asbestos was heavily used during most aspects of the construction process.

warningA year prior to this announcement, one student returned to his dorm room and found everything covered in dust that had fallen from the ceiling.  This dust was tested and the presence of deadly asbestos fibers was confirmed.  At this point, there was an investigation into the amount of asbestos and the possible dangers it may pose to people who frequent these buildings. Continue reading

by

In the past two decades, Boston, especially the once industrial waterfront area of the city, has seen remarkable changes.  The water quality has been improved dramatically, and the area is now filled with mixed-use residential and commercial properties and soon will be the home of General Electric Company’s corporate headquarters.

asbestosLike many companies, the headquarters building was once in New York City, and, based on new needs and tax incentives, the company moved its headquarters to Connecticut.  Now the company is planning to break ground on an impressive new complex in Boston.  However, according to a recent news article from the Boston Globe, the futuristic-looking structure that will include what looks like a giant sail can only be built after the existing structures are demolished. Continue reading

by

According to a recent news story from Wicked Local Framingham, a major asbestos lawsuit has been settled for $385,000.  This lawsuit involved seven different parties, including the town of Framingham, Massachusetts, which is just outside of Boston.

moneyThis case primarily involved a waste disposal company located in Milford and its owner. The Massachusetts attorney general alleged that the owner of company took soil that contained asbestos from a construction job site located in Framingham and then illegally dumped the asbestos debris behind a residence in Milford, rather than properly disposing of the material.   Continue reading

by

In Massachusetts, whenever a property owner suspects that he or she has asbestos issues and is going to do any renovation or demolition work, it is first necessary to have a certified inspector come and take samples. These samples are sent to a materials testing lab for microscopic analysis, even if there is little question that the material contaiasbestosns deadly asbestos fibers.

If the presence of asbestos is confirmed, the property owner must hire an asbestos abatement contractor to handle the removal after first submitting an abatement (removal) plan to the state department of health.  All personnel must be properly trained and must be wearing proper safety equipment.  This includes ventilators or respirators.  The purpose for all of this is to keep all workers and the community at large safe from the dangers of asbestos exposure.   Continue reading

by

A recent case from the California Court of Appeal – First Appellate District, deals with what is known as a secondary exposure asbestos case. As the name implies, primary exposure to asbestos occurs when the victim works or lives in an environment where they are being directly exposed to asbestos from the source of contamination. If someone works on a ship, for example, and that ship has asbestos insulation, as most of them did, they would be victims of primary asbestos exposure, and this can obviously cause malignant mesothelioma.

asbestos bootsBecause it typically takes between 20 and 50 years for a person to become noticeably sick with malignant mesothelioma, we are typically seeing cases today where the initial exposure happened decades ago.   Studies have shown that most of these victims of primary exposure are men, because it was more common for men to be working in heavy industry at that time. Prior to that, women worked in industry during World War II, and there were many mesothelioma victims from this group of workers. Continue reading

by

In a recent opinion from the California Court of Appeals – Fifth Appellate District, a civil jury had awarded the plaintiff’s family (surviving spouse and children) approximately $5.8 in connection with this his death from malignant mesothelioma. Malignant mesothelioma is very rare form of cancer almost always associated with exposure to deadly asbestos fibers.  However, it should be noted that, while it is considered rare as compared to other types of cancers, thousands of people suffer and die each year in the United States alone from malignant mesothelioma.

asbestosIn this case, when making their finding of liability and assigning damages, the jury found that defendant was exposed to the deadly asbestos fibers from brakes.  However, the defendant appealed, arguing that the jury’s special verdict form indicated serious inconsistencies, the trial court erred when not giving certain proposed jury instructions, and the course erred also in allowing allegedly prejudicial evidence to be admitted. Continue reading

by

The legal landscape of asbestos liability may soon change dramatically – and not in a way that benefits the plaintiffs suffering asbestos-related diseases, such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. Uscapitolbuilding

For several years now, lobbyists for the asbestos manufacturers and industries targeted for litigation due to negligently exposing workers and others to the toxin have been pushing the passage of a law that purports to “further asbestos claim transparency.” Now, that sounds like a nice measure – who doesn’t want more transparency in anything? However, the reality was these companies wanted to make it harder for plaintiffs to seek damages from more than one asbestos manufacturer for their injuries, even though we know these diseases can arise from exposure to the substance from multiple sources.

But the bills were never going to get very far, at least not while President Barack Obama was in office, because Obama had vowed to exercise his veto power, even if the measures passed both the House and Senate. Now, representatives are hoping President Donald Trump will be more receptive.  Continue reading

Contact Information
Boston Office
1 International Pl Unit 1810
Boston, MA 02110
Phone: (617) 777-7777Fax: (617) 722-9999
Taunton Office
60 Court St
Taunton, MA 02780
By Appointment Only
Quincy Office
308 Victory Rd
Quincy, MA 02171
By Appointment Only

Worcester Office
43 Harvard St
Worcester, MA 01609
By Appointment Only
Disclaimer – The settlements above are only a sample of cases represented by our office. Each case is different and the amount of a potential resolution of your case will vary considerably depending on a substantial amount of factors. Some case results were worked in conjunction with partnering law firms.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2026, Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design