Source: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

From the earliest reports of lung disorders in asbestos workers, which date from the early 1900s, to our current time where asbestos has been conclusively shown to cause a number of terrible cancers and diseases—with the various forms of mesothelioma, such as pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma, probably the most feared of them—the mineral’s health effects are as terrible as they are common to those exposed to it. In light of these hazards, most industrialized nations have banned any use of the mineral, but some, such as the United States and Canada, have preferred strict regulations to an actual ban. However, even for those nations that actually have banned the use of asbestos, the extreme latency that is often associated with asbestos-related diseases means that people will continue to develop lung cancer and mesothelioma for years to come.

One of the great questions of asbestos-disease epidemiology is whether or not the underlying changes that lead to the development of these diseases can be identified earlier in an exposed person’s life, before any outward manifestations of the malignancies make themselves known. If these initial changes could be identified and subsequently tracked, then people at risk could possibly begin treatments to counteract, or at least to attempt to slow down, the progression of the biophysical changes whose endpoint is the worker’s premature death. To accomplish this, former asbestos workers would have to undergo regular screening procedures which would track the precise physiological changes being undergone, as well as quantify them to previously identified changes.

A study that completed such a process has recently been released by Austrian researchers, who analyzed many years of screening data among a cohort of former asbestos workers. Their findings definitely indicate the presence of quantifiable changes among the study’s population members.

Overview of the Study

In 1974 a number of workers from an Austrian asbestos cement factory agreed to take part in a long-term study investigating asbestos exposure. Information dating back to 1950 was captured for some of these individuals and new members were possibly added to the cohort until 1981, when the use of unprotected asbestos was banned in Austria. All these workers received regular checkups and their vital statuses were tracked as well. In 1989, additional screening procedures, including clinical examination, lung-function tests and chest x-rays, were made available to the workers. A total of 322 workers took part in these checkups and the study reports on 309 of them.

For each of the study members, a complete asbestos exposure history was available, as were the results of all checkups from 1989 to 2006. Information on each worker’s smoking history was incorporated into the overall analysis as well. The authors analyzed a number of individual factors for their effects on life expectancy and cause of death.

The workers reported on their individual work histories, including the type of work accomplished and the places in the factory in which the work took place. From this information, an analysis of the average asbestos concentrations found in the various locations was conducted and a table developed that grouped these exposures on a scale of 0 to 4, with 0 meaning very low exposure and 4 meaning very high exposure. This table was developed using an exposure scale of fibers/cm³ and was then combined with the number of time the worker spent in this location to determine a worker’s cumulative asbestos exposure, reported in “fiber years.” Chrysotile was the most common asbestos used and most workers were only ever exposed to it, although a subset of workers were exposed to amphibole asbestos fibers, of which, crocidolite was the major form.

Results

The authors report that by the end of their study in 2006, 82 of the original 309 workers had died. Of these 82, 34 died from cancer, 30 from cardiovascular diseases, 6 from respiratory diseases and 10 from other reasons not quantified. Of the 34 cancers, 6 were from lung cancer, 7 were from pleural mesothelioma, 4 were gastric cancers, 9 were digestive cancers, and there were 8 other individual cancers.

The authors found that for those who died of lung cancer, even after controlling for smoking and pure amphibole exposure, cumulative fiber years of asbestos exposure was a significant predictor of lung cancer. This was in contrast to the workers who developed mesothelioma. For this group, fiber years alone was not predictive of pleural mesothelioma onset, but amphibole exposure was highly predictive, as was long latency from first exposure to asbestos. The authors conclude, as have a number of other studies, that any exposure to amphibole asbestos is always a high risk for the future development of pleural mesothelioma.

The authors were surprised to see that higher fiber year figures were significantly predictive of stomach and some digestive track cancers. The worker’s exposures were not implicated in the development of colon or rectal cancer, but the findings linking asbestos exposure to these other cancers are some of the first to clearly show this relationship, so the authors call for more research into this question.

In terms of overall cumulative exposures, workers exposed to asbestos in excess of 70 fiber years saw their life expectancy figure decrease by 25%. Although this was smaller than smoking, it still correlated as a negative prognostic factor.

One of the most significant set of findings was the correlation between reduced lung function and a reduction in life expectancy. Any of the lung function parameters which showed a reduction in an individual worker’s lung efficiency were predictive of a reduced life expectancy. In fact, the authors state that lung function tests were much more predictive of a reduced life expectancy than were x-rays, other clinical examinations or a simple exposure history analysis. This finding should be a clear indication that measurable reduction of lung function for asbestos workers is indicative of potentially serious future medical issues.

Conclusion

The authors conclude their paper by recommending regular screening examinations of former asbestos workers. They state that their findings clearly indicate that screening exams could identify precursor stages of serious illnesses, which could allow patients to start receiving treatments before they present with full-on malignancies. They also recommend that former asbestos workers who are currently smokers immediately stop smoking, as there is an immediate benefit to one’s life expectancy when one quits smoking. All in all, this study goes a long way in showing that even as asbestos workers are prone to the development of a number of difficult malignancies, screening procedures and early treatment for them could be helpful to their future lives.

Labels: asbestos, mesothelioma

Source: Science Magazine

Summary:Clearing the Air Over Asbestos

In the article “Innate Immune Activation Through Nalp3 Inflammasome Sensing of Asbestos and Silica,” that was recently published in the journal Science, an international team of researchers identified the manner in which asbestos fibers cause scarring and damage to the lungs and to other body tissues. While the article does not specifically chart the path by which asbestos exposure leads to the development of cancers such as pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma or lung cancer, their findings are considered among the first to offer specific avenues in which to investigate this carcinogenic activity.

Overview of the Study

Although we’ve known for decades that asbestos causes cancer and lung damage, the precise biological processes by which the damage occurs have never been fully understood. Even as significant amounts of research were applied to the investigation of these mechanisms, the underlying biology has always remained mysterious, so the development of targeted therapeutics for those with asbestos exposure has remained merely a dream in the minds of scientists and patients. However, with the publication of this article, these researchers have provided a clear pathogenic path from asbestos exposure to lung damage and they have even proposed the use of a currently-approved drug as a means of treatment for those at risk.

The authors of the study applied their knowledge of the inflammatory activity they previously discovered was responsible for gout—an inflammation of the big toe and foot that is often quite painful—to the immune system’s response to asbestos exposure and determined that a similar complex of proteins, known as inflammasomes, was responsible for the tissue damage characteristic of exposure to asbestos fibers. When exposed to asbestos, the immune system stimulates the inflammasome Nalp3 to release interleukin-1b(IL-1B), a chemical responsible for inflammation. Because asbestos fibers do not easily break down, the researchers speculate that when the fibers become lodged in one’s system, they trigger the regular activation of Nalp3 and IL-1B, which leads to chronic inflammation and its attendant scarring and tissue damage. The researchers compared IL-1B levels and lung inflammation between normal mice exposed to asbestos and asbestos-exposed mice bred specifically to lack the Nalp3 inflammasome and they discovered the Nalp3-less mice demonstrated lower levels of IL-1B and less inflammation than did the normal mice, clearly showing a relationship between Nalp3, IL-1B and lung inflammation.

Along with these findings, they propose that Anakinra, a drug that blocks IL-1B expression and has already been approved for rheumatoid arthritis, could be given to those with known asbestos exposure. If their model is correct, then Anakinra should prevent tissue damage to those already suffering or at risk for developing asbestos-related disease. For the same reasons, Anakinra is already being investigated for a treatment of gout.

Conclusion

As is the case with every scientific study, further research needs to be completed to confirm the conclusions of the article. Assuming, however, that this confirmation does take place, these findings represent a very important step in our understanding of the biological mechanisms involved with asbestos disease. By identifying the immune system’s response to asbestos exposure, the researchers have discovered the starting point of the pathogenic process that often leads to the development of mesothelioma and lung cancer. An elaboration of these findings, then, will hopefully lead to a greater understanding of the underlying mechanisms of asbestos-related cancer genesis, as well as to the development of treatments that target these particular biological functions.

Labels: asbestos, mesothelioma

Source: Industrial Health 2007, 45, 787-792

As awareness of the hazards of asbestos exposure became more common during the last few decades, many developed nations implemented statutory protocols strictly regulating the manner in which asbestos could be commercially used. Some of these nations even moved past regulation and enacted outright bans on the use of asbestos-family minerals. However, this pattern has not been duplicated among developing nations, where the use of asbestos has often continued unabated. Safety procedures that are necessary to protect the health of the work force have not been implemented in many of these nation’s factories and without active regulatory enforcement there is rarely any monitoring of air quality levels. The result is that workers continue to operate in unsafe environments where they are regularly exposed to extremely high levels of a known carcinogen, conclusively shown to cause all forms of mesothelioma, especially the two most common forms of the disease: pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma, as well as lung cancer and asbestosis.

In order to understand the exposure risks in these kinds of factories, Iranian researchers collected air samples from a brake lining manufacturing plant in Iran and compared their findings to the permissible exposure limit (PEL) regarding asbestos exposure developed and currently utilized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Overview of the Study

The authors state that Iran has 26 brake lining manufacturing plans in current operation and the total workforce employed in those plants is approximately 3,000 people. They selected one of these plants to study overall air quality levels and to analyze the exposure risks of specific manufacturing processes. In selecting the lining manufacturing plant, the authors described some of the tasks performed, which included the grinding, beveling and drilling of materials, as well as a number of other procedures. Many of these tasks are dry processes, where the materials at hand release large amounts of dust into the air.

In measuring overall airborne dust samples, the authors found an average of particle concentration of 9.6 mg/m³, with the highest levels found in workers employed in the beveling process: 16.32 mg/m³. While the average figure is just below the threshold limit of 10 mg/m³ per day for total dust set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, the bevellers, as well as those responsible for polish (11.40 mg/m³) and reassembly (11.54 mg/m³) found the particle density in their air exceeding ACGIH’s limits. OSHA’s threshold limit for this test is 15 mg/m³ , so the bevellers exceeded that limit as well.

To analyze the asbestos density in the plant’s breathable air, the authors used phase contrast optical microscopy (PCM), which is the standard technique for asbestos testing. The results returned showed an average fiber concentration of .78 f/cc, with the highest recorded level at 1.85 f/cc. With OSHA’s PEL (permissible exposure limit) for asbestos density set at only 0.1 fibers/cc, the average concentration level was 7.8 times greater than OSHA’s recommendation.

The authors completed their study in the summer, when ventilation was at its most effective, as the plant’s windows were all open because of the summer heat. The authors speculate that dust and asbestos levels during winter months would be much greater than the levels they measured because windows wouldn’t be open during winter, so ventilation would be less effective.

Conclusion

The results of the study clearly indicate asbestos and dust levels greater than OSHA recommendations. These levels also clearly indicate a heightened exposure risk for asbestos-related diseases, such as mesothelioma and lung cancer. In describing their paper as the first to look at asbestos levels in a brake lining manufacturing plant in Iran, the authors also see it as representative of asbestos levels found in plants in most developing countries. They strongly recommend improvements in ventilation and housekeeping to reduce contaminant levels.

Labels: asbestos

Source: Duluth News Tribune

The Federal Mine Safety Health Administration (MSHA) has recently announced new rules governing airborne asbestos levels in mines across the country, finally bringing the mining industry into the same asbestos regulatory levels as are industries that are covered by OSHA standards.

The new rules lower the allowable fiber concentration in regular minespaces from two fibers per cubic centimeter to 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter—a 95% reduction in the allowable density of fiber concentration. The rules also lowered the allowable limit at which workers can briefly be exposed to higher concentration levels. The previous rules stated that brief exposures could as high as 10 fibers per cubic centimeter for up to 15 minutes, while the new rules state that exposures can only occur with concentrations up to 1 fiber/cc for 30 minutes.

The rules changes were long fought-for by miners’ advocates and were actually first proposed in 1999 by the U.S. Department of Labor, which is MSHA’s parent organization. While no asbestos is mined in the U.S. these days, there have been a number of cases where the ore from certain mines was found to have some kind of asbestos contamination. The vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana is probably the most famous example of this kind of contamination, but other examples also exist. There are currently a number of studies being conducted in the State of Minnesota to analyze the high numbers of mesothelioma cases, mainly pleural mesothelioma, that are found among the State’s Iron Range workers—none of whom work with directly with asbestos, but who may have been exposed to the mineral in contaminated taconite mines. The new MSHA guidelines were designed to protect miners from these kinds of situations.

Richard E. Stickler, acting assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health, has said,

“This final rule will help improve health protection for miners who work in an environment where asbestos is present...Furthermore, it will help lower the risk of material impairment of health or functional capacity over a miner’s working lifetime.”

Labels: asbestos

Pemetrexed Plus Cisplatin Neoadjuvant Therapy Followed By Surgery and Radiation in Mesothelioma

Phase II trial of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy with Pemetrexed plus Cisplatin followed by Surgery and Radiotherapy in patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma stage I-III. The event-free survival is the primary endpoint for this study. This is a multicenter study and 53 Patients will be enrolled by June 2008...

Date First Received: September 12, 2005

Last Updated: February 11, 2008

Verified by: Eli Lilly and Company, February 2008

Clinical Trial Phase: Phase 2 | Start Date: June 2005

Overall Status: Recruiting

Estimated Enrollment: 53

Brief Summary

Official Title: “Phase II Trial of Neoadjuvant ALIMTA Plus Cisplatin Followed by Surgery and Radiation in the Treatment of Pleural Mesothelioma”

Condition Keyword(s):

• Mesothelioma

Intervention(s):

• Drug: pemetrexed
• Drug: cisplatin

Phase II trial of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy with Pemetrexed plus Cisplatin followed by Surgery and Radiotherapy in patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma stage I-III.

The event-free survival is the primary endpoint for this study. This is a multicenter study and 53 Patients will be enrolled by June 2008.

Study Type: Interventional

Study Design: Treatment, Non-Randomized, Open Label, Uncontrolled, Single Group Assignment, Safety/Efficacy Study

Outcome Measures for this Clinical Trial

Primary:

• Event-free survival baseline to objective progression, start of new therapy or death from any cause

Secondary:

• 1- and 2- year disease free survival baseline to post surgery
• To determine complete pathological response rate surgical complete response post chemotherapy, surgery and radiation
• Pharmacology toxicity every cycle
• Time to objective tumor response baseline to response of tumor
• Time to progressive disease baseline to measured progressive disease
• Overall survival baseline to date of death from any cause

Criteria for Participation in this Clinical Trial

Inclusion Criteria

• Histological proven diagnosis of stages I to III mesothelioma of the pleura.
• Adequate organ function including the following: adequate bone marrow reserve, hepatic, renal, pulmonary and cardiac functions.
• No prior systemic chemotherapy
• No previous surgical resection of mesothelioma, with the exception of previous chemical pleurodesis.
• No previous radiation therapy.

Exclusion Criteria

• Have received treatment within the last 30 days with a drug that has not received regulatory approval for any indication at the time of study entry.
• Serious concomitant systemic disorders
• Second active primary malignancy
• Inability to interrupt aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents for a 5-day period
• Inability or unwillingness to take folic acid, vitamin B12 supplementation, or dexamethasone

Clinical Trials Locations, Contact Details, and Sponsors

Lead Sponsor: Eli Lilly and Company

For additional information regarding investigative sites for this trial, contact 1-877-CTLILLY (1-877-285-4559, 1-317-615-4559) Mon - Fri from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time (UTC/GMT - 5 hours, EST), or speak with your personal physician.

Mestre/Venezia 30170 Italy

For additional information regarding investigative sites for this trial, contact 1-877-CTLILLY (1-877-285-4559, 1-317-615-4559) Mon - Fri from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time (UTC/GMT - 5 hours, EST), or speak with your personal physician.

Milano 20141 Italy

For additional information regarding investigative sites for this trial, contact 1-877-CTLILLY (1-877-285-4559, 1-317-615-4559) Mon - Fri from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time (UTC/GMT - 5 hours, EST), or speak with your personal physician.

Padova 35100 Italy

For additional information regarding investigative sites for this trial, contact 1-877-CTLILLY (1-877-285-4559, 1-317-615-4559) Mon - Fri from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time (UTC/GMT - 5 hours, EST), or speak with your personal physician.

Rome 00128 Italy

For additional information regarding investigative sites for this trial, contact 1-877-CTLILLY (1-877-285-4559, 1-317-615-4559) Mon - Fri from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time (UTC/GMT - 5 hours, EST), or speak with your personal physician.

Napoli 80131 Italy

Overall Clinical Trial Officials and Contacts

Call 1-877-CTLILLY (1-877-285-4559) or 1-317-615-4559 Mon - Fri 9 AM - 5 PM Eastern time (UTC/GMT - 5 hours, EST) Study Chair Eli Lilly and Company

Overall Contact: They may be multiple sites in this clinical trial 1-877-CTLILLY (1-877-285-4559) or 1-317-615-4559

Additional Information

Information obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov on April 15, 2008

Link to the current ClinicalTrials.gov record. http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00192010

Study ID Number: 8848

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00192010

Health Authority: Italy: Ministry of Health

Lilly Clinical Trial Registry

Clinical Trials Authorship and Review

Clinical Trials content is provided directly by the U.S. National Institutes of Health via ClinicalTrials.gov and is not reviewed separately by ClinicalTrialsFeeds.org. Every page of specific clinical trials information contains a unique identifier which can be used to find further details directly from the National Institutes of Health.

Labels: asbestos, cancer, ClinicalTrial, LungCancer, mesothelioma

Source: Vancouver Sun

A recent article in the Vancouver Sun details the results of a study on the health of construction workers in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The study, commissioned by the British Columbia and Yukon Building and Construction Trades Council, estimates that 300 British Columbia construction workers will die every year—for at least the next five years—because of exposure to asbestos.

The article also notes that incidences of asbestos-related death and disease are on the rise. WorkSafeBC, which is the workers’ compensation board of British Columbia, is quoted as “We’ve known that 51 per cent of work-related deaths accepted last year were occupational disease deaths and the vast majority are related to asbestos exposure that happened often decades ago... They [asbestos-related deaths] are certainly increasing year over year and we expect to see this trend for the next 10 to 15 years. It’s a very big issue for us.”

Of the asbestos-related deaths, mesothelioma is most highly represented, but those quoted all say that the figures are skewed much lower than the actual reality of the situation. “We know that many mesothelioma fatalities are not recorded in the statistics, nor are many lung cancer cases that are caused by asbestos exposure,” said Wayne Peppard, executive director of the construction trades council.

Canada, like the United States, is one of the only developed countries in the world that has not enacted an outright ban on asbestos.

To learn more about the most common forms of mesothelioma, please visit the following pages: pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma.

Labels: asbestos, mesothelioma

Source: Ribak, J., Ribak, G., Human health effects associated with the commercial use of grunerite ..., Regul.Toxicol. Pharmacol. (2007), doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2007.10.002

Asbestos does not refer to a single type of mineral, but to a family of six individual minerals that share common structural properties. The most common form of asbestos used in commerce was chrysotile. It is known as serpentine asbestos because of its short, curly fibers. The other five types of asbestos—crocidolite, amosite, anthrophylite, tremolite, and actinolite—are known as amphibole fibers and are characterized by long, rigid, needle-like fibers. The amphibole fibers are considered the most carcinogenic of the asbestos family, but all fiber-types are dangerous and are documented causes of malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Amosite, known officially as grunerite asbestos, was one of the major amphibole fibers used commercially. It is considered among the most dangerous of the amphiboles, although its mechanisms of actions are not fully understood. In fact, scientists are still identifying the precise physiological effects that asbestos exposure has on the human body. Researchers from the National Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health in Isreal have recently summarized the available literature on amosite in an effort to better understand its carcinogenic properties.

Epidemiological Studies

There have been three epidemiological studies on populations exposed to amosite in the workplace. The first study looked at a factory in Patterson, NJ. This factory closed in 1954 and then moved to Tyler, TX. The second study looked at the cohort of workers employed by the Tyler factory. The last study looked at amosite and chrysotile factory in Uxbridge, United Kingdom.

Patterson, NJ

Record indicate that the Patterson, NJ factory only used amosite asbestos, so it makes an excellent study on the health effects of amosite exposure. A total of 820 workers were employed at the facility between 1941 and 1954 (the year the factory closed). It was an older, mainly white workforce. Through 1989, when the last study on Patterson was completed, 740 of the 820 employers had died and of those, 17 had mesothelioma. Previous studies reported at least 111 deaths attributable to lung cancer and 31 from asbestosis, but the 1989 study that listed mesothelioma deaths at 17 did not report on these other diseases. There were 8 cases of pleural mesothelioma and 9 cases of peritoneal mesothelioma. The average latency period of the disease was 31 years for both, but the mean duration of employment was quite different: 25.6 months for pleural mesothelioma and 43.8 months for peritoneal mesothelioma. Interestingly, the pleural group survived, on average, 12 months after diagnosis, while the peritoneal group only averaged 8 months. This is notable because peritoneal mesothelioma often presents with a slightly better prognosis.

The concentration of asbestos in the air was never definitely measured in Patterson, although estimates exist that place the levels between 14–75 f/ml. As a point of reference, current US regulations regarding asbestos concentration demand a figure of less than .1 f/mL.

Tyler, TX

After the Patterson factory closed, it was moved to a location in Tyler, TX, where the same equipment was reinstalled and used again. The cohort of workers studied here was employed between 1954 and 1972, when the plant closed for good. Unlike the Patterson location, air quality was measured and the levels varied between 15.9 f/ML and 91.4 f/ML for different parts of the factory. To put the latter number into prospective, with concentrations that high, a worker who only spent six months in that part of the factory would have a cumulative lifetime exposure level of greater than 45 f/mL years, which is 11-times higher than the 4 f/mL years figure for someone who worked forty-years at the current legal levels.

For workers of the Tyler, TX facility, 6 were diagnosed with mesothelioma, 35 with lung cancer and only three with asbestosis.

Uxbridge, UK

The last of the studies focused on a factory in Uxbridge in the United Kingdom. The factory was operational between 1947 and 1979. Between 1947 and 1972 the factory processed both amosite and chrysotile. Starting in 1972, the factory processed amosite only. The air quality of the Uxbridge factory got better over time. Although no studies were completed in the 1950s, exposure levels were estimated at over 100 f/mL. In 1964, efforts were made to reduce the dust that workers were exposed to and by the late 1960s, air studies returned a value of 30 f/mL for asbestos concentration. This was reduced to 2 f/mL by the early 1970s.

A total of 4820 workers were studied here. There were 5 mesotheliomas, of which 4 were pleural and 1 was peritoneal. There were also 57 cases of lung cancer and 9 of asbestosis.

Conclusion

The preceding descriptions indicate the malignant potential of grunerite asbestos. While asbestos exposure is always potentially harmful, certain forms of the mineral, such as amosite, are certainly more harmful than others. The studies summarized in this article clearly show that asbestos is too dangerous a substance for anyone to use.

Labels: asbestos, mesothelioma

Source: Berndt, M.E., Brice, W.C., The origins of public concern with taconite and human health: ..., Regul.
Toxicol. Pharmacol. (2008), doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2007.09.019

In the 1960s, Reserve Mining was one of the largest mining companies in the United States, responsible for 11% of the total US iron production and almost 25% of taconite pellet production in the State of Minnesota. Reserve Mining rose to this position through the development of an innovative production process that created easy-to-store and ship taconite pellets from unprocessed taconite ore. The development of these pellets created surplus mineral waste, called “tailings,” that was then deposited at the bottom of Lake Superior. The environmental effects of these tailings on Lake Superior and the health effects they had on people who used water from the Lake became a major issue and Reserve Mining was eventually sued in Federal Court.

The journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology has recently published an article on the litigation history of this case that discusses the issues that were involved and summarizes the various rulings handed down.

Introduction to the Story

At the beginning of the iron mining industry, high-grade hematite ore was found in abundance and could be extracted from the earth and directly shipped to processing mills. However, as the industry grew and the demand for ore increased, hematite ore became more and more scarce and the ore that was left was relatively low-grade taconite ore, which required intermediate processing—known as beneficiation—before it could be shipped to mills for production. The beneficiation process created surplus mineral waste, called tailings, which had to be disposed of.

Reserve Mining grew to the position it did because of the work of Dr. E.W. Davis, the director of the Mines Experiment Station at the University of Minnesota, who developed a production process that created taconite pellets, which were more efficient to ship and easier for mills to use. Reserve Mining received a permit to build a taconite processing plant on Lake Superior and quickly grew from there.

In the early 1960s, the environmental effects of Reserve’s use of Lake Superior became an issue. By the end of the decade, Reserve found itself in state court fighting new water regulations that it claimed would force it to shut down and then, in 1972, it was sued by the EPA in federal court for violation of federal and state water standards. During this time, the discovery of asbestos-like materials in both the water supply of those who used water from Luke Superior and the air around the taconite mines and processing plants created a sense that Reserve Mining was poisoning the health of thousands of citizens.

The Federal Cases

Reserve Mining lost badly in the first round of the federal case, as Judge Miles Lord ordered in 1974 that its processing plant had to immediately cease depositing the taconite tailings into Lake Superior, meaning the plant itself would have to close. This order, however, was stayed and the Appeals Court gave Reserve Mining time to develop an on-land processing system.

One of the major issues involved with the case had to do with the health effects of the taconite that was being processed. As the structure of the taconite that Reserve Mining processed appeared similar to amosite, many people were rightly concerned that it could have the same carcinogenic properties that asbestos had. However, as asbestos disease is a disease of latency they couldn’t make those determinations then. A number of other issues were raised about fiber length and exposure levels, but these, too, were left unanswered.

The case was eventually settled in 1982, with Reserve Mining agreeing to pay $2 million to Duluth, MN and its surrounding communities. In its settlement, Reserve Mining did not admit any wrongdoing.

Conclusion

The Reserve Mining case was notable for a number of reasons, but most directly because the rulings raised important questions about the role between science and industry. The authors of the article note that we are now in a time where many of these questions can be answered and they advocate a new look at this important case.

Labels: asbestos

Source: The Buffalo News

A number of employees of the town of Amherst, New York were recently exposed to asbestos during demolition work performed as part of an upgrade of the town’s Sewage Treatment Plant. The employees were replacing failing filters at the treatment plant, which requires the removal of a concrete pipe that is attached to each filter. One of the employees became concerned that the pipe might contain asbestos, so they checked with the plant managers who verified that the pipe was made of concrete mixed with asbestos. The angry workers then complained to the town because they were not given the proper protective gear for working with asbestos. The town’s engineer, Jeffrey Burroughs, said that neither the town nor the plant’s mangers had any idea that the exposed pipes contained asbestos and had they known, they would never have knowingly exposed the workers without informing them. He said most pipes that used asbestos were buried underground and they were as surprised as the workers to see a pipe in the open.

The town has since sealed off the area and secured the necessary funds to bring in an asbestos removal contractor.

Labels: asbestos

Source: Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology

Asbestos is a term that covers a number of different mineral fibers. While they all share many similar properties and attributes, each fiber is individually distinct from the others in very particular ways, including shape, width and length. It has been known for decades that asbestos is carcinogenic and is the only confirmed cause of mesothelioma, but what has not been conclusively established are the carcinogenic properties of the individual fibers. Researchers in Canada and Australia have recently completed a study that attempts to answer some of these questions.

Asbestos Fiber Types

Asbestos fibers can be categorized into one of two main classes: amphibole fibers, which are characterized by long, needle-like fibers, and serpentine fibers, which are curl-shaped. Amphibole asbestos fibers include amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite, while chrysotile is the only serpentine asbestos fiber. Even though the fibers are themselves structurally distinct, they are often found in the same mines so the different individual fibers can be mixed together in the mining process. For example, in many cases mining for chrysotile also resulted in tremolite findings, so studies on the health effects of chrysotile would have to include data on pure chrysotile as well as chrysotile contaminated with tremolite.

Asbestos Carcinogenicity by Fiber Type

Amphibole fibers are the most carcinogenic of asbestos fibers, seemingly due to their long, thin structure. Of these fibers, crocidolite carries the greatest risk for developing mesothelioma, as epidemiological surveys of crocidolite mines in South Africa and Australia have shown very high rates of mesothelioma and other cancers in mine workers in those areas. However, amosite and anthophyllite also show a risk of mesothelioma development in people exposed to those fibers. Tremolite, when mined for its own properties, as well as when found as a contamination element, such as the vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana which produced the greatest site-specific public health disaster in U.S. history, has a carcinogenicity similar to crocidolite.

Chrysotile is a serpentine fiber and for reasons still not fully understood, seems to present a reduced individual risk when compared to the other asbestos fibers. However, chrysotile was the most popular asbestos fiber used in the U.S., so its smaller overall carcinogenicity must be weighed against the much larger exposure concentrations that would be associated with its use here. The researchers note that authors of a previous study on asbestos carcinogenicity (Hodgson and Darnton) report a relative causation ratio for mesothelioma for crocidolite, amosite, chrysotile as 500:100:1.

Mesothelioma Risk Factors

As discussed above, the type of asbestos fiber a person is exposed to will have a great influence on his or her likelihood of developing mesothelioma in the future. The amphibole fibers are the most carcinogenic. As compared to them, chrysotile has a markedly lower risk, although it does still pose a risk. However, other factors also play an important role in the development of mesothelioma. Those factors include the duration and total amount of exposure, the time since first exposure and age at which it occurred, as well as the rate of elimination of fibers from the lung.

Of these risk factors, the number of years of regular exposure is a major component to the development of mesothelioma. The researchers state, “It is now reasonably well-established that the risk of mesothelioma increases with time since first exposure to the power of 3–4.”

Conclusion

Asbestos is a known human carcinogen that has claimed countless lives. While certain forms of asbestos carry greater risk for mesothelioma than do other forms, there is no such thing as safe asbestos. Being aware of the known risk factors for mesothelioma can help international workers and their families protect themselves if they are required to work around it.

Labels: asbestos, mesothelioma

Source: Biotechnology and Bioengineering

Asbestos detection is a process fraught with difficulty and many of the major modalities of identification have known limitations in their use. For example, phase contrast microscopic analysis, while it can detect some asbestos fibers quickly and easily, is difficult to use on the smallest particles and can have problems distinguishing asbestos from non-asbestos fibers. Other tests, such as electron microscopic analysis, are very effective for determining fiber type and analyzing even the smallest particles, but may require special skills for proper analysis, which limits one’s ability to quickly determine if asbestos is present in any given scene. In response to these limitations, as well as others not discussed here, researchers from Japan are developing an asbestos-detection technique that can be used quickly and accurately to detect asbestos fibers in clinical and on-site settings.

Introduction to the Study

There are several different types of asbestos fibers, so proper identification of fiber type is an important component in determining site-specific contamination figures and the overall health risks associated with the individual fibers. As stated above, there are a number of different techniques used, but each one has no problems in use. Because of this, a number of researchers are looking for more efficient identification mechanisms. The authors of this study had previously shown that E.coli ribosomal protein L2 binds to silicon or silicate particles, so they began to look for E.coli proteins that may bind with asbestos, itself a silicate mineral.

Results and Conclusions

The researchers found that the protein DksA was such a material. In developing a simple assay that can used on-site or in clinical settings, the researchers showed DksA’s ability to bind to chrysotile asbestos and to differentiate it from amosite, crocidolite or glass wool. The assay can identify asbestos contamination of a material in very small concentrations. The assay does not yet have the ability to bind to other asbestos fibers, but it can bind to chrysotile and therefore distinguish it from other, similar materials. The researchers state their assay is as effective as traditional x-ray analysis in detecting the presence of asbestos. Should their work succeed, asbestos detection may become cheaper and easier to accomplish.

The researchers hope to develop assays that can bind with and identify other forms of asbestos as well, such as amosite or crodidolite.

Labels: asbestos

Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

ADAO Press Release: Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization Releases Findings that Reveal Evidence of Asbestos in Everyday Products

The Seattle Post Intelligencer is running a story on the discovery of asbestos in a variety of children's toys and other household products. The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, a volunteer organization dedicated to increasing awareness regarding the dangers of asbestos, funded an 18-month study that contracted with government-certified laboratories to conduct health and safety analysis on a variety of products.

The results were very disappointing.

The ADAO study found that asbestos was present in many more products than was previously realized. Among the more distressing findings was that a very popular children's toy, the "CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit," tested positive for asbestos. The game includes a number of toy tools and some fine powder that children can use to "examine" fingerprints. The laboratory found two different types of asbestos in the power. ADAO and physicians asked about the game are especially concerned that children playing with the powder will be breathing in asbestos fibers.

Other products implicated in the study included: children's play clay, powdered cleanser, roof sealers, duct tapes, window glazing and spackling paste. The tests were conducted by MVA Scientific Consultants, Inc., and Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.

The U.S. Senate has recently passed a bill aimed at banning all products that contain more than 1% asbestos. The House is expected to hold hearings on a bill that would seek a total ban.

Labels: asbestos

Source: PubMed.Com

That asbestos exposure causes multiple pulmonary diseases has been conclusively known since at least the 1920s. What have remained in question are the physiological mechanisms by which exposure leads to disease and/or death. Researches from the EPA have recently studied the relationship between asbestos and iron homeostasis and have determined that one of the mechanisms by which asbestos causes disease is through disruption of processes involved in iron homeostasis. Using bronchoalveolar lavage, the researches compared the lung condition of workers with known exposure to asbestos to those without known exposures and have proposed a descriptive model of how oxidant stress causes lung injuries after exposure to asbestos.

Labels: asbestos

URL: www.mesotheliomafromnavy.com

Belluck & Fox is proud to announce the launch of www.mesotheliomafromnavy.com—a website providing Navy veterans and other mariners with the most up-to-date information available on mesothelioma treatment and support. Mesotheliomafromnavy.com is a mesothelioma reference portal with information about this tragic cancer, as well as information on lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases. The website contains lists of ships and ship yards, as well as lists of Navy occupations and seafaring professions. The site details many of the asbestos-related hazards encountered by Navy veterans. For veterans who have already been diagnosed with mesothelioma and are looking to learn more about the disease, www.mesotheliomafromnavy.com provides contact information for mesothelioma specialists and treatment centers, as well as detailed descriptions of the current treatment options available for mesothelioma victims.

Belluck & Fox believes the large number of Navy veterans with mesothelioma is not only a tragedy that deserves recognition, but a wrong that needs to be made right. Many servicemen and shipyard workers gave their lives to the protection of the homeland and have now been diagnosed with mesothelioma—a disease caused by asbestos materials. Manufactures knew the dangers of asbestos, but kept them hidden from the Navy and veterans. We have developed this website so veterans, other mariners and their families will only need one place to go for all of their mesothelioma information needs.

Belluck & Fox is committed to continually updating http://www.mesotheliomafromnavy.com to provide the best and most current information on mesothelioma treatment and support.

Labels: asbestos, mesothelioma, Press Releases

Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Asbestos exposure is a constant concern for workers in shipyards. There is evidence to suggest that these workers are much more likely to come down with an asbestos-related disease than other professions. A study looking at the health patterns of a group of 4702 workers of a Coast Guard shipyard was recently completed and the results did show a greater mortality figure that is most likely caused by asbestos. The study examined workers employed from January 1, 1950 through December 31, 1964 and followed them through December 31, 2001. The findings showed an excess mortality rate for a variety of causes, most notably respiratory cancers, lung cancer, mesothelioma and emphysema. While length of employment wasn’t a factor for most of the other problems, mesothelioma incidence showed a definite increase if the person had worked at the shipyard for longer than 10 years. The study concluded that the greater morality rate was most likely due to asbestos exposure.

Labels: asbestos, LungCancer, mesothelioma

Source: Rochdale Online

Rochdale Online profiles the struggle of Leigh Carlisle in her battle with peritoneal mesothelioma. At 27, Ms. Carlisle is believed to be Britain’s youngest victim of mesothelioma. That Ms. Carlisle was diagnosed with the disease at such a young age is surprising, as the disease most commonly takes decades to develop and generally affects people in their 50s and beyond. How and why she developed the disease when she was 26 is still a mystery, as is the precise nature of her exposure. One possibility is that she was exposed to asbestos as a young girl when she would short-cut through a factory yard where asbestos was cut. Another is that she was exposed to the mineral from coming into contact with the fibers that were on the work clothes of a relative who worked in an asbestos plant. Even if one of these possibilities is true for her exposure, doctors are still surprised she developed the disease as young as she had. Many see it as further evidence of the tremendously hazardous nature of asbestos fibers.

Ms. Carlisle is part of a mesothelioma clinical trial where an experimental drug is being used to reduce a tumor’s resiliency so chemotherapy will be more effective. The early results shows Ms. Carlisle is responding very well to the treatment. According to her doctors, “her lungs and stomach are clear of cancer cells, her lymph nodes have returned to near-normal and the tumors in her abdomen have broken down significantly.” With Mr. Carlisle as a great example of the growing effectiveness of new medications for the treatment of mesothelioma, doctors are hopeful that future victims may be more successfully treated than previous victims have been.

Labels: asbestos, mesothelioma

Source: NJ.Com

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, has released a report slamming the EPA’s cleanup of asbestos-contaminated sites, such as one in Hamilton, New Jersey. GAO states that the EPA underestimated the public health risks of the sites and of the actual cleanup of the sites by using a scientifically inaccurate formula that minimized the severity of the problem. GAO also criticized the EPA for failing to properly notify residents and municipal agents of the towns where the cleanup was taking place.

The cleanup of the sites is part of the fallout from the 1999 revelation that W.R. Grace’s vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana was contaminated with asbestos. Grace shipped the materials extracted from this mine throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. When the story broke, the EPA commenced an investigation and a cleanup of the 271 different sites where the materials was shipped to. To determine the levels of contamination at the site, the EPA used a standard of "1 percent asbestos by weight" to determine if a cleanup is necessary. However, GAO reports, this was not the appropriate standard to use for this kind of cleanup. By using an erroneous formula, GAO alleges that the EPA has failed in its mission to protect the public health. An EPA scientist with knowledge of the GAO report, said “The standard of 1 percent asbestos by weight used in many cases is one used to address the removal of solid commercial insulation such as an old furnace wrapped in asbestos. It is definitely not applicable to (airborne) asbestos and is definitely an inappropriate standard to apply to vermiculite.”

The GAO report comes after the EPA has completed its analysis of 266 of 271 of the sites and has finished cleanup of 19 of the sites. The EPA has not officially responded to the GAO report yet, so it is unclear what the fallout of the report will be.

Labels: asbestos

Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Canada, like the United States, is one of the few industrialized nations that hasn’t yet banned asbestos and many health experts are predicting that asbestos-related health issues for Canadian workers will increase over time. Jim Brophy, director of the Occupational Health Clinic for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) and an expert on the risks of asbestos exposure, has noted an increase in the number of calls over the last three years that OHCOW gets regarding asbestos-related health problems. He expects the deaths from asbestos exposure to peak in the next decade.

Canada is the one of the world’s leading exporters of asbestos and is under tremendous pressure from the asbestos industry to continue the mining and resale of the fibrous material. While industry members state that the type of asbestos mined in Canada, chrysotile, is safer than other forms and that modern advancements in its extraction and use have meant asbestos can be used safely, many health public experts disagree. In particular, Barry Castleman, an American occupational health scientist and one of the most cited sources regarding the risks of asbestos exposure, has said that any claim of asbestos being safe to use is a “delusion.”

The most feared disease of asbestos exposure is mesothelioma, which most often manifests as a cancer in the lining that surrounds the lungs. Lung cancer, which is a cancer distinct from mesothelioma, and asbestosis are also diseases common to those who have been exposed to asbestos.

Labels: asbestos, mesothelioma

Source: Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization has issued a press release in support of Sen. Murray's "Ban Asbestos in America Act." ADAO is an organization dedicated to victims of asbestos and speaks for them on national issues. Regarding the "Ban Asbestos" act, Linda Reinstein, Executive Director and Cofounder of Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, said "Senator Patty Murray's Ban Asbestos in America Act is critical if we are to end the asbestos epidemic and we applaud the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works for their clear recognition of its importance with today's bipartisan effort and unanimous vote of support...we now look to the Senate to follow this Committee's important lead by moving this monumental bill even closer to law. We look forward to the day when asbestos disease will no longer needlessly claim lives."

Labels: asbestos

Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007, Sen. Patty Murray's bill to ban the use of asbestos, passed the Senate's Committee on Environment and Public Works with a unanimous 19-0 vote. The successful vote means the bill will now move to the full chamber, which will occur sometime this fall. Broad, bi-partisan support is expected for the bill.

Sen. Murray's bill would completely ban the use of asbestos in all products within two years of its passage. The chlorine industry received a one year extension on the ban, so they would have three years to remove asbestos from their products. The bill also allocates $50 million in federal money to research causes and treatments of asbestos-related diseases and it requires the government to educate the public on the dangers of asbestos.

Labels: asbestos

Source: LATimes.Com

Officials from the City of New York have announced that while there were small amounts of asbestos found in the debris from last week's steampipe explosion, the amounts were quite small and they did not expect any negative health effects from the explosion. Mayor Bloomberg assured the public that the air around the blast area was free of asbestos and that the risk of exposure from the asbestos on the ground was quite low.

The area around the site remains closed pending clean-up and disposal of the debris.

Labels: asbestos

Source: Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), an organization founded by victims and families of asbestos disease, released a statement regarding the possible health effects of the recent steampipe explosion in Midtown Manhattan. ADAO Executive Director Linda Reinstein took issue with the City's characterization that those in the blast area were entirely safe from any asbestos-related disease. Ms. Reinstein said, "While it may be true that disease is 'unlikely' to occur from such an episode, it is never correct to characterize any level of asbestos as safe. It has been well established that there is no safe level of asbestos. We are seeing from the unfortunate residual effects of 9-11, even short term exposure to asbestos can cause significant health problems."

About Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) was founded by asbestos victims and their families in 2004. ADAO seeks to give asbestos victims a united voice to help ensure that their rights are fairly represented and protected, and raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure and the often deadly asbestos related diseases. ADAO is funded through voluntary contributions and staffed by volunteers.
For more information visit http://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org/.

Labels: asbestos

Source: GlobeandMail.Com

The Canadian Cancer Society has announced its endorsement of a ban on the export of asbestos and is petitioning the Canadian government to stop blocking international efforts to halt asbestos use. While Canadian industry doesn't use asbestos in many products, it is still an export product for the country - most of which goes to developing nations in the East. Last year, along countries such as Iran and Russia, Canada helped blocked asbestos from becoming listed in the UN's "most dangerous substances" index. The Canadian government's official position has been that asbestos, used properly, does not have to be dangerous to work with. The Cancer Society rejects the government's official position.

Labels: asbestos

Source: BBC News

The UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has reversed course and approved Altima (Pemetrexed) for use in patients with advanced mesothelioma. Citing the expense of the drug, the Institute had previously stated that Altima was only to be used in ongoing or in new clinical trials. However, after an intense lobbying campaign from doctors and mesothelioma victims, the Institue has reversed course and has approved Altima for regular use in England and in Wales. Its use had already been approved in Scotland.

Altima has been used in the United States since the first studies showed a positive benefit to its use. Mesothelioma still has no cure, but patients treated with Altima live months longer than those who have not been administered Altima.

Labels: asbestos, mesothelioma

Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Sen. Patty Murray has announced that her bill to ban asbestos, known as the "Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007", is progressing through Congress and will have a reading before the Environment and Public Works Committee later this month. This is the first time the bill has reached the markup stage.

Sen. Murray's bill calls for banning the use and importation of asbestos and asbestos-containing products over the next three years. It also allocates $50 million to research treatments to asbestos-related disease and to educate the public on the dangers of asbestos.

Labels: asbestos

Source: Seatle Post-Intelligencer

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer profiles Judy Clauson, a forty-four year-old mother of two who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma. Ms. Clauson is part of the disturbing trend of the next generation of mesothelioma victims: younger than previous victims and a woman, with no direct exposure to asbestos. Her exposure was from the clothes of her ex-husband, a metal worker, whose work attire was often covered in large amounts of the carcinogenic fibers. This type of exposure, known as para-occupational exposure, is a strong sign of just how toxic asbestos fibers can be to the body.

Ms. Clauson is a strong supporter of Sen. Patty Murray's "Ban Asbestos in American Act of 2007," which seeks to ban the use and the importation of asbestos and asbestos-containing products within the next three years. A previous effort to ban asbestos, attempted in 1989 when the EPA instituted its own ban, was overturned by a federal court after intense lobbying from asbestos industry players. A few years after the federal court's decision, Sen. Murray first introduced legislation banning asbestos. However, that bill was never given a real opportunity to become law. In May of this year, Sen. Murray once again began pushing for passage of legislation banning asbestos and with the Democratic majority in Congress she feels her chances have never been better.

Ms. Clauson hopes that the legislation will pass. She knows the bill will not be able to help her, but she wants to make sure that no one else is ever diagnosed with asbestos-related disease.

Labels: asbestos, mesothelioma

Source: WebMD

An expert panel from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has conclusively determined that asbestos causes cancer of the larynx. The IOM report aggregated findings from 34 different studies and concluded that people who are exposed to asbestos have a forty percent greater chance of developing cancer of the larynx than do people without a previous asbestos exposure. For those trades with regular, heavy asbestos exposure, such as miners and certain construction workers, their risk of exposure was double to triple that of normal. Cancer of the larynx now joins lung cancer and mesothelioma as definite products of asbestos exposure.

The IOM report has also implicated asbestos as a possible cause of cancers of the stomach, upper throat, colon, and rectum. However, the data was not strong enough to conclusively determine that asbestos was the primary causative agent in those malignancies.

The IOM report comes in the middle of a congressional debate on setting up a $140 billion fund to settle new and outstanding asbestos-related health claims. The bill is unlikely to be passed in this legislative session as a great divide over many of the bill’s particulars still separates many Democrats and Republicans.

Labels: asbestos, mesothelioma

Source: New York Daily News

In anticipation of her testmiony before a congressional hearing headed by U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan), New York Daily News writer Juan Gonzalez posted ten questions that former EPA chair Christine Todd Whitman should answer. The quetions all revolve around what Ms. Whitman had to say about the many directives that the EPA released in the days following September the 11th which stated that the air quality of Lower Manhattan was safe. Since then, more than 70% of the first responders at Ground Zero have been diagnosed with serious diseases. Many of them have already died from expsoure to the cloud of toxic substances that engulfed the area after the collapse of the Twin Towers.

Mr. Gonzalez's qestions:

1. Did Ms. Whitman read a copy of Dr. Kilbourne's memo which stated "One of the first five EPA bulk samples from the WTC site contained a 'substantial concentration' of asbestos." Did anyone from EPA make her aware of his warning?
2. Did any top scientist at the EPA or elsewhere in government urge similar caution before reopening lower Manhattan to the public?
3. Given the early test results by the EPA and the city, which showed nearly 25% of dust samples had asbestos levels greater than the government's 1% action standard for dust, how could she possibly tell the public on Sept. 13 that "everything" was "below background levels?"
4. Did EPA follow regulations and do alkalinity testing in the first week after the attack? If so, why were those test results never publicly released?
5. If not, why not?
6. Since the EPA had legal responsibility for all environmental concerns, what did she do to enforce greater protection to workers on The Pile?
7. The EPA Inspector General's report concluded in August 2003 that staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality rewrote agency press releases to downplay possible environmental health dangers in lower Manhattan. Did she tell the White House that non-health professionals were removing health advisories from your agency's public statements?
8. Why did EPA let tens of thousands of people return to homes and jobs in lower Manhattan without a way to verify whether building owners had properly removed all toxic contamination from inside their buildings?
9. Is she prepared to unequivocably tell the workers and residents of lower Manhattan their homes and offices are free of any 9/11 contaminated dust?
10. Did she have any discussions with the President or any of his closest White House aides about the potential public health danger of reopening the financial district too quickly, and if so, what was their response?

Labels: asbestos

Source: WNYC-New York Public Radio

The Government Accounting Office (GAO) has released a report criticizing the Environmental Protection Agency's asbestos-response to the tragic events of Septemper 11th. The GAO report says that the EPA "mis-led" the public regarding the presence of asbestos in apartments near the former World Trade Center. The EPA said that only a "very small" number of apartments had unsafe levels of asbetsos - however, they only tested this after the professional company they hired had completed cleanup. The GAO also criticized the EPA for giving an "all-clear" to workers to return to the area before the necessary testing could be completed.

Labels: asbestos

Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Sen. Patty Murray, Democrat from Wisconsin, hopes to finally see her act to ban asbestos become law this year. The "Ban Asbestos in American Act of 2007" was the focus of a hearing that took place on June 12 in the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee. Sen. Murray first introduced a bill to ban asbestos in 2002, but the bill has never come up for a vote. With the Democrats in control of the Senate after the mid-term elections, Sen. Murray and her supporters are hopeful that the bill will finally become law.

The "Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007" calls for a complete ban of asbestos in products within two years after the measure become law. In a concession to Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson and some other Republicans, the bill would give the chlorine industry three years to phase out asbestos after new regulations are written by the Environmental Protection Agency. It allocates $50 million in research funds to study the causes and treatment of asbestos-related cancers and will require the federal government to begin an information campaign to educate the public about the risks of asbestos.

During the hearing, Murray asked the committee,

...to anyone who says we don't need this bill, I would just pose one question: How many more Americans have to die before our government finally does the right thing and bans asbestos?

Labels: asbestos

Source: US Senate



This is an important hearing for millions of Americans who have been exposed to asbestos, for their families, and especially for the thousands of American families who have lost family members to asbestos-related lung disease and cancer. Millions of Americans are still being exposed to asbestos today, and if we don't act, countless more people will get sick and die in the future.

I want to thank Senator Murray, who has taken a leadership role on this issue. Her legislation, the Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007, would place the United States clearly on the side of protecting the health of the public from this dangerous substance. It would ban nearly all uses of asbestos in products. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill.

We must take every reasonable step we can to end exposures to asbestos. When we see our fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers dying from asbestos, there is no justification for allowing the number of dead to continue to mount. We know enough about asbestos to act today.