Asbestos is now being recognized as a hidden threat in the wake of the Japanese Tsunami that devastated the country on March 11, 2011.  While officials and the media have been focusing primarily on the dangers of nuclear contamination caused by a nearby nuclear power plant; they are just now beginning to worry about the effects of asbestos particles as the cleanup process begins.  A couple of weeks ago when everything was still heavy  with [...]

Paul Kraus, author of Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers: A Patients Guide, celebrates 14 years since his initial diagnosis.  Kraus was diagnosed with mesotheliomia, a rare and deadly form of cancer caused primarily by exposure to asbestos, in 1997.  The doctors told Kraus that he only had a couple of months live and that his cancer was “terminal”.  Kraus refused to loose his life to this deadly form of cancer and underwent a series of [...]

AUSTRALIAN BIOTECHNOLOGY COMPANY ANNOUNCE PHASE II CLINICAL TRIALS FOR NEW MESOTHELIOMA TREATMENT  Bionomics, an Australian biotechnology company, has announced the beginning of Phase II clinical trials for its vascular disrupting agent BNC105 as a treatment for mesothelioma. The company announced its plans to test the drug on mesothelioma patients in December 2009. It will partner with the Australasian Lung CancerTrials Group (ALTG) and the NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council) Clinical Trial Centre. The [...]

New protein identification may open the door to a new mesothelioma treatment as doctors work toward a cure. Researchers at the Wistar Institute, an independent nonprofit biomedical research institute based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, may have found a therapeutic target for Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2), an inherited cancer disorder, and related cancers, such as mesothelioma a rare cancer of the protective lining of the body’s major organs and cavities.  Merlin, the protein encoded within the NF2 gene, reportedly [...]

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and OSHA will be celebrating Earth Day today along with millions of companies and individuals around the world.  The Environmental Protection Agency was founded in 1970 and is one of the agencies responsible for the regulation of asbestos.  Up until the 1970’s we gave little thought to the health of our earth, air, and water.  In the past 40 years we have established hundreds of programs to ensure we keep [...]

Judge Judith K Fitzgerald has threatened to replace lawyers with a trustee in an asbestos related bankruptcy case involving a subsidiary of RPM International, maker or Rust Oleum paint and other specialty paint products. The lawyers are arguing over which documents they are obligated to exchange in order to determine how much money will be paid out to victims of asbestos. Asbetos particles can become lodged in a person’s lungs and cause respiratory issues, including [...]

Are you worried you are being exposed to asbestos at work? Did you know that in California, employers are required by law to annually notify their employees if asbestos containing materials are located at their place of employment? Pursuant to California Health and Safety Code section 25915.2. (a) Notice provided pursuant to this chapter shall be provided in writing to each individual employee, and shall be mailed to other owners designated to receive the notice [...]

It was origianlly thougth that the states insurance company would split the cost of a $43 million settlement to be paid to victims of asbestos who were exposed at the former W.R. Grace vermiculite mine. It has not come to light that the enitre settlement amount will be paid out of the State’s General Fund, meaning that the settlement will be paid with “taxpayer’s money”.  The settlement is still pending legislative approval and final approval [...]

After a seven year chapter 11 bankruptcy case, Pfizers, Quigley unit reached a settlement with asbestos claimants.  Pfizer to contribute $264.9 million in cash and all of its stock into a reorganized Quiqley asbestos trust in exchange for asbestos claimants to waive all rights to a jury trial.  The funds will be used to pay past and future claimants and is established as part of the bankruptcy reorganization under the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Asbestos is a known [...]

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center in conjunction with the National Cancer Institute’s Early Detection Lab are working on a new protein test that will allow earlier detection of asbestos related pulmonary cancer.  The test identifies proteins secreted from cancerous tumors, which are caused by asbestos.  This test allows for earlier detection of mesothelioma , with researchers detecting 15 out of 19 cases with Stage 1 or Stage 2 malignant pleural mesothelioma.  Mesothelioma is a very [...]