James Hardie, maker of building products and a long-time seller of asbestos goods, had agreed with the New South Wales government to establish a compensation fund for people with asbestos diseases. The questions was whether the fund would be considered a charity for tax purposes. If it was not, the tax man would take a [...]
The Associated Press reports that the United Nation’s Environment Programme did not add chrysotile asbestos to the list of hazardous chemicals with special shipping requirements. The Rotterdam Convention, which includes 110 countries, could not agree on this type of asbestos, mainly because of opposition from the countries that export asbestos. Canada, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Iran [...]
There’s a story out of Wisconsin about former employees of CSX Railroad looking into the use of asbestos in their workplace. “They claim asbestos was present in various types of packing materials, gaskets, floor tile, ceiling paint, brake shoes, steam hoses, firebrick, and welding gloves.” More on asbestos exposure.
Auto mechanics have long been known to be one of the occupations most at risk for asbestos exposure these days. The EPA just released its latest guidance on how to reduce exposure risk for mechanics. The draft brochure is available at http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/goldbook.html
A judge had appointed a mediator to try to resolve the dispute between W.R. Grace and victims of asbestos hazards created by that corporation. Today in the news there is a story about the breakdown of that negotiation. Too bad, because this might mean more litigation that W.R. Grace cannot possibly win. Grace tried to [...]
In February the US Senate considered, and rejected, a bill to create a trust fund and limit mesothelioma lawsuits. Now Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Spector is trying to resurrect the bill to resolve what he calls a “crisis” in an opinion piece in The Hill. Spector wants to prevent mesothelioma victims from suing for full compensation. [...]
A woman in York, England got mesothelioma, and the way she was exposed to asbestos was from her husband’s work clothing. “Marjorie Fox, 61, is believed to have contracted fatal cancer after almost 20 years of shaking the dust from her husband Kenneth’s overalls which he wore while working as a carpenter before putting them [...]
Howard agrees to talks over asbestos. This newspaper article from Australia reports on the prime minister’s willingness to re-engage in talks about an asbestos compensation deal. Like the United States, Australia is trying to cope with the legacy of decades of asbestos use the tragedy of people with mesothelioma. It’s a tough public policy problem, [...]
The Belfast Telegraph reports that the number of hospital admissions for asbestos diseases in Northern Ireland has approximately doubled in the past 10 years. “Many sufferers are former shipyard workers or tradesmen who used asbestos as a popular building material in the 1950s and 1960s.” Just like in the United States.
This article out of Australia describes the concern of geologists and health officials on the effects of natural asbestos. People living near these deposits can be put in danger when there is roadworks, construction, farming, or other disturbances. There has been no systematic medical assessment of this risk.