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.
The Hill has an article today on Arlen Specter and Patrick Leahy still trying to get Senate passage of a bill to replace the asbestos-litigation system with a $140 billion trust fund. Specter is quoted as saying this is the last chance for this bill, and there are significant obstacles to passage, including opposition from [...]
Anyone who follows the asbestos tragedy is surely aware of the Libby, Montana situation. This mining town has experienced an epidemic of asbestos disease due to a vermiculite mine that W.R. Grace & Co operated there until 1990. The Libby residents have been battling for some redress and the Social Security Administration just announced that [...]
Stunning article (opinion piece) out of The Herald (Scotland). Writer Joan McAlpine lays out the case for mesothelioma patients: the fact that asbestos companies knew of the hazards and continued to produce this hazardous material. “Mesothelioma sufferers already know what is killing them: exposure to asbestos dust. So they know who is to blame: irresponsible [...]
The Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia (ADFA) is holding a conference this weekend. One thing they are talking about is the legacy of the Baryulgil asbestos mine which operated between 1944 and 1976. There are all sorts of health problems in the area even today. Story here.
A few days ago we mentioned the SS Norway wandering the seas in search of a place to be dismantled. Asbestos and other hazards on board are scaring potential host countries. Now we see out of France, a naval ship in a similar situation. The aircraft carrier Clemenceau pulled into the port at Brest after [...]
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