Articles Posted in Boston Mesothelioma

According to a recent news report from Mesothelioma Research News, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is working on an experimental drug known as GSK3052230 that has been shown to prevent the growth of mesothelioma in mice.  These mice have been implanted with human mesothelioma tumors that are capable of growing in the mice.

The way this investigational drug works is that is prevents tumors from forming or growing by sequestering a particular molecule.  This molecule is named a fibroblast growth factor (FGF) molecule.  Mesothelioma and various other types of tumors use FBF molecules when they are first forming and growing, because the FGF molecule will allow the tumors to grow new blood vessels.  These new blood vessels allow the tumor to get much-needed oxygen and nutrients if they are going to grow larger. Sequestering FGF molecules makes them unavailable to the tumors, which, in turn, will cause the tumor to stop growing. Continue reading

According to a recent news article from the Mashpee Enterprise, the board has already issued a $1,500 fine to a local trailer park owner for various environmental violations, but the board is now deciding on whether to raise the fines to the much more significant figure of $125,000.

The problems at the trailer park began when the owner allegedly demolished five mobile homes on his property without obtaining permits.  The reason this is such as serious issue is because older mobile homes contain hazardous material including asbestos, lead, and oil.  In addition to the town, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has also opened a full investigation into whether any contamination has occurred or other environmental damage as a result of the alleged illegal demolition of the five mobile homes. Continue reading

Many of the old school buildings across Massachusetts and the rest of the nation are falling into a serious state of disrepair.  We are dealing with buildings that were built around a hundred years ago, and there was not enough money to keep them in good shape over the years.   This is not just a local problem, but one that is occurring everywhere.

The problem gets more serious when we realize that most of these buildings were built at a time when asbestos was used heavily during the construction process and now as the buildings are crumbling, we are left with what is known as friable asbestos. Continue reading

The sad reality is that when a doctor tells their patient that they have malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), they are also usually told that they will not live very long.  While there are various treatment methods used by oncologists, they are often very invasive and even in the best cases will only prolong a patient’s life a relatively short period of time. They are often done at the expense of a patient’s already diminished quality of life.

There are a variety of reasons that there are so few effective means to treat malignant mesothelioma, but a lot of it has to do with a lack of research attributable to inadequate funding.  This is because malignant mesothelioma is a relatively rare form of cancer.  It is almost unheard of to occur without the patient being exposed to asbestos, and, even then, we generally see around 2,500 new cases each year in the United States.  While this relative rarity is of no comfort to the victims and their families, the numbers are very small when compared to other forms of cancer.  This means there is no profit in developing a treatment for mesothelioma for the big drug companies, so they do not spend a lot of money on developing a cure. Continue reading

Poor air quality has been a major concern for workers in many occupations for decades. In fact, the majority of mesothelioma cases stem from inadequate ventilation on job sites ranging from demolition to shipbuilding. Given what we know about the dangers of lacking ventilation – and the high damage awards companies have paid for failing to protect workers – one would think more companies would be taking it seriously. As it turns out, the need for vigilance remains.

According to a recent news article from Channel 3000, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has just levied nearly $250,000 in fines after the agency concluded  workers on a nursing home renovation project were put in danger as a result of 13 safety violations.  The agency also found that of these 13 safety violations, four of them were willful, and the remaining nine were classified as being serious in nature.

OSHA first became involved in the case when five workers became sick while on the job and were diagnosed with carbon monoxide exposure.  Carbon monoxide exposure can lead to asphyxiation, which causes brain damage and death in a relatively short amount of time depending on the oxygen level in the room at the time of exposure. Continue reading