Articles Tagged with asbestos exposure

Anyone who has ever read the work of Mark Twain or watched any number of classic movies is aware that steamboats with giant paddle wheels once traveled up and down the Mississippi River on a regular basis.  There were grand boats with multiple decks and featured casinos, shows and balconies overlooking the water.

paddle-steamer-1421737-300x202While these large paddle wheelers have not been used for nearly a century for the purpose of transportation, they have served as popular tourist attractions. However, the boats that are left are reproductions of the original giant paddle wheelers.  In fact the Mississippi Queen currently operating on the river is a modern replacement of another replica constructed in 1976.  Continue reading

Asbestos is a naturally occurring substance that humans have used for thousands of years, but it was not until the mid to late 1800s when asbestos began to be heavily mined and used in most every aspect of production. While the companies were well aware of the dangers of asbestos and even to steps to hide this fact, the general public did not know the full dangers of the hazardous material until the late 1970s and early 1980s.

navyshipRemarkably, those producing asbestos knew exactly how dangerous it was from the beginning. Amazingly, as asbestos was used for thousands of years, researchers have found ancient texts that translate into warnings about how the substance was making people sick after they came in contact with it. Now that everyone knows the dangers of inhaling asbestos fibers, we would all hope that malignant mesothelioma was a thing of the past, however according to a recent news report from U.S. News and World Report, the dangers of asbestos are “still lurking.” Continue reading

The United States House of Representatives has recently passed a tort reform bill that included another bill specifically designed to make it harder for victims of mesothelioma to sue the companies that negligently or intentionally exposed them to deadly asbestos fibers. This bill is called the Fair Asbestos Claims Transparency (FACT) Act. One of the major provisions would require the cases to go through a review to make sure all plaintiffs are similarly situated. This change to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) is above and beyond the class action requirement already in place.

tosignacontractAccording to a recent news article from Business Insurance, even if the bill should pass in the United States Senate, and many question whether that will happen, it is likely that President Barack Obama would veto the bill should he have the opportunity. Continue reading

A recent news feature from the Huffington Post begins with the premise that most Americans believe the asbestos crisis was largely solved thirty years ago when it stopped being used in residential and commercial construction and in most aspects of production. However, as the author points out, and we are now well aware, the asbestos crisis is far from over.

warning-icon-45-1023139-mThe event that occurred thirty years ago was Congress passing the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA). This federal law helped make the general public aware of the hazardous nature of asbestos fibers. Continue reading

NASA operates a jet propulsion laboratory in California, and, according to a recent news article from the Pasadena Star News, employees at the laboratory may have been exposed to deadly asbestos fibers during an asbestos abatement process.

warning-icon-45-1023139-mThe contractor closed the third floor of the building at the laboratory complex where members of the Cassini mission project are working. The Cassini program involves a rocket and orbiter designed to travel to Saturn and launch a probe to land on the planet’s surface. Continue reading

There has been a lot of media attention lately and strong public reaction about a report released concerning bacon, which should be expected from both camps on the validity and importance of this recent report by the Worth Health Organization (WHO), according to a recent article by Reuters.

bacon-1-1323904The report conducted by the World Heath Organization and its Internal Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) stated there was a causal link between eating red meat and developing prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer. The agency also found that eating processed meats such as what is found in many sandwich meats, bacon, and other processed foods, increases one’s risk of colorectal cancer, if the patient eats these processed meats every day. Continue reading

Many people associate a Rolls-Royce with extreme luxury and wealth. Much like a Lamborghini or Ferrari, many have never seen one driving on a highway or on a city street. These are cars we see on TV shows, movies, and in museums.

rolls-royce-1453901One thing we do not generally associate a Rolls-Royce with is asbestos exposure and mesothelioma. However, according to a recent news story for the Derby Telegraph, an electrician for Rolls-Royce recently died of mesothelioma due to occupational exposure to deadly asbestos fibers. Continue reading

There is no question that asbestos was dangerous to the seemingly countless factory workers and construction workers who worked in asbestos-laden environments for decades of the last century. When these workers would breathe in the deadly asbestos fibers, these fibers would become embedded in the layer of tissue know as the mesothelium, where they could develop in into an aggressive form of cancer known as malignant pleural mesothelioma.

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While most people associate mesothelioma with lung cancer, it is actually a different form of cancer, though it often does form in the lungs. However, it can also form in the stomach, chest, and other internal organs. Wherever it initially forms, it can quickly spread to other organs in the short period time a patient has left to live following a mesothelioma diagnosis. It should also be noted that asbestos exposure can cause lung cancer, asbestosis, and other forms of serious respiratory illness. Continue reading

By now there have been a lot of news articles about German-based multinational chemical giant BASF unknowingly inheriting significant liability for the pain, suffering, and ultimately death of what seems like countless asbestos exposure mesothelioma victims. This company assumed this risk when it acquired Engelhard Corporation nearly 10 years ago for a purchase price of $10 billion.

shotEngelhard operated mines in which they removed talc from the ground to process for industrial and consumer use. While talcum powder does not necessarily have to contain asbestos, it is often found with asbestos and asbestos-laden vermiculite. The reason there is such a problem with liability in this company’s history is because of a mesothelioma lawsuit in filed against the company in the early 1980s according to a recent news article from the Insurance Journal. Continue reading

A recent news article from Dr. Tipster takes a closer looks at mesothelioma. As many people know, mesothelioma is a very rare from of cancer that is almost exclusively caused by exposure (usually at the workplace) to deadly asbestos fibers. Once inhaled, it can take between 20 and 50 years for these fibers to metastasize into a deadly form of cancer known as malignant pleural mesothelioma.

questionOne of the first questions many people ask is how is mesothelioma diagnosed? Unfortunately, mesothelioma is very difficult to diagnose until the disease is in an advanced stage, and the patient has only very short time left to live. Many people who finally do start noticing symptoms do not go to the doctor right away, because they mistake the symptoms, such as stomachache and shortness of breath, for a less serious illness. The vast majority of patients are diagnosed with mesothelioma within a few months after they first start experiencing symptoms. Continue reading

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