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Mesothelioma and Early Lung Cancer Identified by Screening

2009-05-29T05:34:00.000-07:00

sing computed tomography scans to screen former asbestos workers can detect both early and late-stage lung cancer and late-stage mesothelioma, according to a study in the May Journal of Thoracic Oncology. However, it’s still not clear whether screening for these cancers might improve patients’ prognoses.

Exposure to asbestos fibers is a known risk factor for lung cancer and the cause of mesothelioma. Although asbestos is still not completely banned in the U.S., it was phased out of American industry to a large degree beginning in the 1970s. However because asbestos-related diseases can take 20 to 40 years to emerge after people have been exposed, former asbestos workers and those exposed to products containing this carcinogen continue to be diagnosed with asbestos caused cancers.

As researchers search for better treatments and even a cure for these diseases, they are also focusing on new diagnostic methods that might identify the cancers earlier. Early diagnosis is particularly crucial with mesothelioma, because many patients survive only one year after they first start to show signs, and symptoms are often difficult to distinguish from those of other lung diseases.

One potential screening method uses low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) to evaluate the lungs and their lining (pleura). LDCT can locate plaques in the lungs, which are a sign of asbestos exposure and have been linked to an increased cancer risk.

Currently, there are no recommendations about using LDCT or any other method to screen people who have been exposed to asbestos, and screening isn’t routinely done. “There are currently no methods for the early detection of mesothelioma available,” says lead author Heidi Roberts, MD, Associate Professor of Radiology at the University of Toronto. “This is why we are doing the research.”

To determine the effectiveness of LDCT as a screening tool for asbestos-related lung cancers, Dr. Roberts and her colleagues recruited 516 people (most of them men) who had been exposed to asbestos at least 20 years before, or who had known plaques. Participants were given LDCT scans of the chest. Patients who had abnormal scans were given follow-up tests. Those with normal test results were invited to have an annual LDCT scan.

Of the 516 participants, 357 had evidence of plaques. Based on the results of the first scan and annual scans, six of the patients were diagnosed with lung cancers and four were diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Although LDCT was able to detect advanced mesothelioma, as well as early- and late-stage lung cancers, it was not able to diagnose early mesothelioma. The study authors say they need to continue screening patients to help them get a better idea of what early mesothelioma looks like. Also, they say adding biomarkers (substances in the blood that indicate the presence of cancer) to the screening process may provide greater sensitivity to help diagnose those at very high risk for mesothelioma.

Even as techniques are fine-tuned, screening is just one step of a three-tiered effort to combat these cancers, according to Dr. Roberts. “The second step is the parallel development of biomarkers, and the third step is the parallel development of treatment strategies,” she says. “These have to be developed hand-in-hand in order to make this a useful and meaningful tool.”

Malignant mesothelioma risk increased after radiation treatment for HL

2009-05-29T05:33:00.001-07:00

Patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma who have been treated with radiation may be at an increased risk for malignant mesothelioma.

Although malignant mesothelioma is relatively uncommon, previous research indicated it may be associated with radiation exposure.

Results of several recent epidemiological studies showed that radiation for lymphoma may be linked with an increased risk for malignant mesothelioma. However, these studies involved only a small number of patients and the results needed to be confirmed in larger studies.

For this study, the researchers examined risk for malignant mesothelioma in 2,567 patients who had reached at least five-year survival after treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Patients included in the study had been treated with radiation alone, chemotherapy alone or a combination of both.

Median follow-up period was 18.1 years. At this time, 13 patients had malignant mesothelioma at least five years after being treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Five-year survivors of Hodgkin’s lymphoma were about 26 times more likely than the general population to develop malignant mesothelioma, according to the results. Those treated with radiation alone were about 30 times more likely to develop malignant mesothelioma.

There were no cases of the disease among the 232 patients treated with chemotherapy alone, but patients treated with both radiation and chemotherapy were almost 44 times more likely to develop malignant mesothelioma.

International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma coming to Town

2009-05-29T05:31:00.000-07:00

The 2009 International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma has now been scheduled for the end of June. The event, which is organised by the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (Meso Foundation) is set to be held in Washington DC from the 25th June until 27th June.

The event will be an interesting one that will involve raising awareness about asbestos related disease as well as looking at research and discussing the latest findings. A number of industry experts will be attending the event to provide details on various clinical trials, treatment, and research.

In addition to this many others will also be at the event, including sufferers of the asbestos related cancer, campaigners, advocates, and those that provide care for sufferers of mesothelioma. The event will take place at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, in Washington, DC.

Following the event the foundation will honor those that are living with the disease, and will also give out the three annual awards that it gives for political support, research contributions, and community support.

Mesothelioma Symposium to be Held in Washington, D.C.

2009-05-29T05:29:00.000-07:00

The 2009 International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma will be held Thursday, June 25 through Saturday, June 27 in Washington, D.C. at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. The event is organized by the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation and will feature international mesothelioma experts, patients, advocates and caregivers.

The specialists participating in the three-day symposium will update attendees on the latest developments in treatment, research and clinical trials and each day covers a different topic.

Day one focuses on advocacy, noting the importance of communicating with federal leaders about the need for funding for mesothelioma research and the banning of asbestos use. The topic for day two is “Renewing the Spirit,” and will address support issues. The day also includes a series of roundtable discussions about a variety of topics ranging from nutrition to pain management. Day three will cover treatment.

The Celebration of Hope gala dinner will be held Friday evening to honor patients living with mesothelioma. Three annual awards will be given acknowledging a political leader, contributions made by a research company toward new mesothelioma treatment options and volunteer efforts by mesothelioma community members.

A tribute ceremony will be held the morning of the dinner to remember those who have passed away from mesothelioma. Attendees may submit a photograph and the name of a lost loved one for use on a tribute wall and in a picture collage during the ceremony.

“This conference is for everyone – patients, caregivers and family members, those who have lost a loved one, volunteers, advocates, and medical and scientific experts. Everyone struggling with this disease and everyone who cares about the mission to cure it will gain valuable medical information, coping skills, support, new friendships, and opportunities to make a real impact in the mission,” said the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation’s welcome letter for the symposium.

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation is a national non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for mesothelioma through funding research, providing patient support services and participating in federal mesothelioma advocacy. Registration for the symposium may be completed at www.curemeso.org.

Razed home's owner takes step to sue city

2008-03-01T20:26:00.000-08:00

$1M NOTICE OF CLAIM: Columbia Street residence, called 'the cat house,' was torn down after fire Nov. 12

The man who owns a home on Columbia Street that was referred to as "the cat house" by neighbors has filed a notice of claim for $1 million against the city of Watertown for razing its remains after a fire last year.

A notice of claim is a precursor to filing a lawsuit against a municipality.

Oliver J. Wisner is seeking compensation for the "arbitrary, capricious and malicious charging and billing for outrageous unnecessary work on the cleanup of ashes and debris" the claim states.

The Watertown lawyer owns the property at 1205-07 Columbia St., which burned down Nov. 12, forcing neighbors to evacuate their homes during the early morning hours. The heat from the blaze damaged nearby homes, one of which is still uninhabitable.

The city requested that Mr. Wisner remove the remaining debris from the duplex immediately following the blaze. In late December, the city hired Independent Commercial Contractors Inc., Lorraine, for $28,600 to clean the site and remove asbestos. Mr. Wisner was then billed for the job.

Mr. Wisner bought the home June 21, despite the previous owner not allowing him to completely inspect it beforehand, the notice states.

Once the purchase was complete, Mr. Wisner hired cleaners to clear debris from the home.

"The cleaners discovered more than 10 bodies of long-dead cats in the building," the notice states. "The odor from the house and the Dumpsters brought numerous complaints from neighbors."

In June, the city Code Enforcement Office found that an upstairs bathtub in 1205 Columbia St. was filled with cat feces, and cat skeletons were found throughout the apartment.The property was condemned and the tenant, Michael J. Sias, was removed.

Mr. Sias, 58, now of 536 Emerson St., Apt. 103, is facing an animal-cruelty charge on allegations that between June 25 and July 3 he deprived seven cats of necessary sustenance in his former home, "permitting unjustifiable physical pain, suffering and death," according to a city police document. He was charged Tuesday and faces prosecution in City Court.

Some live cats were taken from the home by the SPCA, others were euthanized and six frozen bodies that were found in an operating freezer were sent to Cornell University, Ithaca, for a forensics examination.

Mr. Wisner claims that "it was a matter of public knowledge that persons in the city of Watertown, New York, had called for the burning of the duplex." Throughout the notice, he maintains that an arsonist started the fire and that police did not properly follow leads.

The cause of the fire was never determined and police never made an arrest.

"My position is that there was no emergency and the demolition charges were unlawful and unreasonable and should be reviewed by a court and disallowed as an unlawful taking of private property," the notice states.

Mr. Wisner is asking for $100,000 for the loss of the house and $900,000 for "harassment causing great mental stress and depression." He plans to retain an attorney, the notice states.

City Attorney Robert J. Slye said he did not want to comment about the notice when contacted Friday afternoon.

"We'll certainly wait to see what Mr. Wisner has to say and if he files a suit," he said.

Times staff writer David C. Shampine contributed to this report.

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Boston Lawyer Michael Shepard Taking Mesothelioma, Personal Injury, Asbestos Cases

2008-02-20T18:13:00.000-08:00

Seeking compensation for injury caused by asbestos exposure is now easy. A mesothelioma lawyer who started with his mesothelioma cancer law practice in Boston now brings his services to Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. People who are suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos related injuries that have affected their health and wellbeing can rely on Michael Shepard to fight for their rights and help them in claiming compensation.

Michael Shepard has an established reputation of being a compassionate attorney who, along with mesothelioma and asbestos related injuries, also helps people in their pain and suffering arising out of injuries inflicted to them due to the faults of others. If people are injured due to exposure to toxic chemicals, product defects, nursing home negligence, silica, talc, welding fumes automotive or aviation accidents, they should contact the attorneys office to seek guidance for obtaining compensation for the injury caused.

In his website, the mesothelioma cancer lawyer acknowledges that the time of the injured is precious and says “We know our clients want the freedom to see family and friends whenever they choose. We also know that because of their condition, they don’t want to be bogged down in legal matters. Through years of experience in this field, we have developed a streamlined approach to handling asbestos-related litigation that lessens the amount of time our clients spend dealing with lawyers and the courts. After a client’s brief, free, one-on-one consultation with us, we take the matter into our own hands, independently investigating the specific facts of the case, collecting crucial evidence and confronting the people who are responsible for your illness or injury. We make every effort to transform our clients’ “good” case into a “great” case that may secure the maximum compensation deserved.”

Whether the injured is in Boston, Vermont, New Hampshire or Rhode Island, Boston Mesothelioma cancer lawyers are ready to look into the case and assess the maximum compensation during the first free one to one consultation.

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How to overcome depression

2008-02-12T05:32:00.000-08:00

How to overcome depression

Modern life is becoming faster and faster. Every day we have to solve different problems and meet many people just because you do not want to leg behind the pace of life or just earn money for a living.

Of course we like our job but one day your boss can give you the most difficult task which you will not be able to complete at once and as a result you can be so depressed to do anything at all. And of course, you will need depression help but it is not very easy. Some people start drinking a lot of alcohol or even use drugs. But it is not a way out because it can only make the situation worse. Only specialists can help because a depressed person already is in a situation where he does not see solutions of his problems. In this case guided meditation can become a useful tool because a specialist can teach a person to overcome all his problems himself. This effect is achieved with the help of meditation using special words and of course special music. This method is very effective and was used for a long time and proved to be very effective.

Asbestos victims’ drug hope

2008-01-27T19:14:00.000-08:00

VICTIMS of York's asbestos timebomb have been given a major boost after a medicine rationing organisation ruled they are entitled to a vital drug.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has decided the drug Alimta should be made available to patients with the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma.

The York Asbestos Support Group today hailed the decision, saying that while the drug was not a cure, it could both extend life and alleviate symptoms for patients and was the only treatment available.

"The NICE decision brings to a conclusion an approval process which started almost three years ago and which led to one of the worst examples of the health postcode lottery," said the group's delighted founder Kim Daniells.

"Hundreds of patients across the UK were refused treatment with this drug whilst those in Scotland, the North West and North East of England could access treatment."

She said NICE had rejected an appeal against an original decision to approve the use of the drug for the treatment of the condition, which was a fatal tumour of the lung pleura caused by exposure to asbestos.

"In the last three years, many hundreds of patients have been diagnosed with the condition and gone on to die without ever being able to access the treatment. Hopefully this situation will now come to an end."

She said NICE's guidance meant primary care trusts would now be obliged to provide uniform treatment.

They would be given the option of a 90-day lead-in period following the official announcement, but she hoped the guidance would result in mesothelioma sufferers gaining prompt access to the treatment they needed and deserved.

The decision could benefit former York Carriageworks employees who fall victim in future to mesothelioma.

Staff were widely exposed to deadly asbestos dust fibres during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and even in the 1980s after some measures had been brought in to provide protection to staff.

Scores of ex-workers have died from the devastating cancer.

A NICE spokesman said Alimta was being recommended as a possible treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma in people with advanced disease, and whose cancer was not suitable for surgical removal and who met certain other conditions.

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Alfacell Signs Onconase Purchase And Supply Deal With Scientific Protein Labs [ACEL]

2008-01-23T18:29:00.000-08:00

(ACEL) announced that it has entered into a purchase and supply agreement with Scientific Protein Laboratories LLC or SPL for the commercial production of Onconase or ranpirnase.

Onconase, the company's lead drug candidate, is currently being evaluated as a treatment for unresectable malignant mesothelioma or UMM in a confirmatory Phase IIIb clinical trial.

Kuslima Shogen, chief executive officer of Alfacell, said, “We have been pleased with the superb performance of the extremely well qualified team at SPL for many years and are confident that the commercial production of ONCONASE is in the right hands. This agreement is another step forward for Alfacell as we plan for the commercialization of ONCONASE.”

Onconase is a first-in-class product candidate from Alfacell's proprietary ribonuclease or RNase technology.

In addition to an ongoing Phase IIIb study in malignant mesothelioma, Alfacell is conducting a Phase I/II trial of Onconase in non-small cell lung cancer or NSCLC and other solid tumors.

ACEL is currently trading at $2.40, up 16 cents or 6.95%.

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Vermont Mesothelioma Lawyer Shepard helping Mesothelioma Victims in Rhode Island, Boston, New York, New Hampshire

2008-01-23T18:23:00.000-08:00

The Mesothelioma Lawyer expresses his concern over the student’s health risks as asbestos that was used in these old school buildings as the primary insulation and fireproofing construction material is now projecting from the school building sites due to poor maintenance. It is contaminating the schools environment posing students, teachers and the staff to mesothelioma cancer and asbestos related respiratory diseases.

The school going students and the staff working in these schools are exposed to the risk of asbestos related respirator diseases thus laying the foundation for mesothelioma. This fact is also reviled by the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Centers report. The school buildings in New York have now grown old and need maintenance. Due to lack of maintenance in the old building the asbestos which had been used in construction is now exposed. It is polluting the environment endangering the lives of students, teachers and staff exposing them to the risk of contracting asbestos related respiratory diseases and mesothelioma cancer.

During an emergency inspection in NY schools which was carried as a NY City School was blamed for an incident of asbestos exposure. It was reveled during the inspection that 80% of the building built prior to 1980 used asbestos as insulation and fire proof material during the construction phase. Now due to the poor maintenance the risk of exposure of asbestos has increased manifolds posing risk of health to all the occupants of the school buildings. The report by the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Centers Report also state that in 2004 one Brooklyn School was forced to open late as they had to ensure the safety of the school building, staff and the students.

Even a small amount of asbestos exposure contaminates the environment, increases the possibility of inhalation of asbestos particles thus marking a start of respiratory disorders leading to mesothelioma cancer.

Mesothelioma lawyer Shepard studies all such cases, takes the path of law to bring relief to the injured who had not known about the risks of being exposed to asbestos. At present Shepard Law Firm is assisting Mesothelioma victims in:

Boston
New Hampshire
Vermont
Rhode Island

However, due to large network Shepard Law firm enjoys, cases from other areas such as Dallas, New York, Houston and other areas where school buildings are getting old and may be of concern resulting in asbestos exposure can contact: The Shepard Law Firm at http://www.shepardlawfirm.com

To learn more about Mesothelioma / Asbestos Risks visit Mesothelioma Cancer Resource
for free informaation

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Alfacell Deals U.S. Rights for Onconase to Strativa

2008-01-18T19:22:00.000-08:00

Alfacell Corp. licensed U.S. commercialization rights for the Phase III cancer drug Onconase (ranpirnase) to Strativa Pharmaceuticals in a deal worth up to $225 million.

Just $5 million will change hands up front, but both Alfacell and Strativa stand to gain much more if their gamble in choosing each other as partners pays off. Specifically, Alfacell could get $30 million for FDA approval of Onconase in unresectable malignant mesothelioma (UMM) and up to $190 million for milestones tied to Onconase sales as well as development and commercialization of the drug in additional indications. Alfacell also would receive double-digit royalties and retains a co-promotion option.

For Alfacell, the gamble lies in choosing Strativa, the recently-launched specialty pharmaceutical division of Par Pharmaceutical Cos. Inc. So far, Strativa markets just one product: Megace ES for anorexia, cachexia and unexplained weight loss in HIV patients. Although the company has deals in place for three additional late-stage products, all three are for HIV or cancer supportive care, and Onconase would be Strativa's first true oncology therapeutic.

Lawrence Kenyon, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Alfacell, told BioWorld Today that Onconase has been the subject of "bids from multiple companies for a number of years." Strativa was selected because it had the hunger of a start-up looking to build an oncology business focused on niche products, combined with the resources and infrastructure of Par Pharmaceuticals, he said.

For Strativa, the gamble lies in Onconase's somewhat checkered development history. The drug, a natural ribonuclease isolated from frog eggs, failed a Phase III trial in pancreatic cancer and its first Phase III trial in UMM.

In the pancreatic cancer trial, a preliminary analysis showed that Onconase plus tamoxifen failed to improve survival compared to 5-fluorouracil. Kenyon said part of the problem was an inability to recruit sufficiently healthy patients into the trial, and the pancreatic cancer program subsequently was discontinued. (See BioWorld Today, July 16, 1998.)

The first Phase III UMM trial compared Onconase as a monotherapy to doxorubicin. Again, there was no survival difference in the overall population, but Kenyon said a retrospective analysis showed that the sickest patients had been disproportionately weighted to the Onconase group. Backing them out of the analysis resulted in a two-month survival difference.

Onconase is now being studied in a Phase IIIb trial designed to confirm the positive data seen in the Phase III subset analysis. The trial, which was designed in coordination with the FDA, compares Onconase plus doxorubicin to doxorubicin alone in the less-severe groups of UMM patients. Enrollment of 428 patients is complete, and Kenyon said the company is "very close" to obtaining the number of clinical events needed to analyze the data.

Under the deal with Strativa, Alfacell will continue to fund development, manufacturing and regulatory work with Onconase, including the ongoing Phase IIIb trial. Strativa will fund U.S. commercialization.

Previous deals with US Pharmacia affiliate USP Pharma Spolka Z.O.O. and Genesis Pharma SA cover Onconase commercialization in Eastern Europe and certain Southeast European countries, respectively.

As of Oct. 31, Alfacell reported $5.4 million in cash and equivalents, most of which was earmarked to support the Onconase trial and new drug application filing. Once the filing is submitted, Alfacell intends to work with Strativa on additional indications for Onconase, including the possibility of moving a non-small-cell lung cancer program into Phase II.

Kenyon said the money from Strativa also will allow Alfacell to "ramp up" its preclinical work on AC 03-636 for glioma and antiviral indications, AC CJ-001 for glioma, and AC CJ-002 for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Shares of Somerset, N.J.-based Alfacell (NASDAQ:ACEL) rose 25 cents, or 14.3 percent, to close at $2 on Tuesday. Meanwhile, shares of Woodcliff Lake, N.J.-based Par Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:PRX) rose 52 cents to close at $21.49.

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Supreme Court hears ALCOA asbestos suit

2008-01-09T19:55:00.000-08:00

Does a company have responsibility for people — other than its own employees — who are exposed to harmful agents from its facilities? That is the question the Tennessee Supreme Court tried to get its arms around Tuesday in Knoxville.
In late 2003, Maryville resident Amanda Satterfield, who was 23 years old at the time, filed a lawsuit against ALCOA Inc. and Breeding Insulation Co. in Blount County Circuit Court.

In her suit, Satterfield charged that she “was exposed to harmful asbestos dust and fibers from the day of her birth from her father’s use of asbestos products and inadvertent introduction of dust and fibers into their home and personal environments.” Satterfield had mesothelioma, a rare cancer directly associated with asbestos exposure.

On Jan. 1, 2005, at the age of 25, Satterfield lost her battle with cancer.
Doug Satterfield, Amanda’s father and the representative of her estate, continued with the suit after her death. With his 18-year-old daughter Amelia at his side, Doug Satterfield cried throughout the hearing in the Tennessee Supreme Court Building in downtown Knoxville.

Doug Satterfield hauled asbestos for ALCOA, starting his career with the company in 1973. He served in the military from 1975 to 1978 and then returned to work at ALCOA. His lawyers have maintained that Doug Satterfield was exposed to asbestos at ALCOA Tennessee Operations and that he brought home harmful dust and fibers on his clothes, resulting in Amanda contracting mesothelioma.

The lawsuit sought $10 million in compensatory and $10 million in punitive damages — although Satterfield has said the case is about justice and doing the right thing, not money.

ALCOA, represented by attorney John Lucas of Knoxville, argued that the ramifications of what the court is considering go far beyond this case, and could possibly create “an infinite universe of potential plaintiffs.”

Lucas referred to Satterfield’s allegations as the “conduit theory” — stating that, by assigning responsibility to companies for third-party contact with harmful agents, the court would define Doug Satterfield as the “vehicle” that transmitted asbestos into his home.

Tennessee Supreme Court Justice William Koch Jr. asked Lucas how that differed from an employee who drove an ALCOA truck into a neighborhood and exposed residents to asbestos.

“How is it negligent for ALCOA to let asbestos fly out of a truck and not negligent for ALCOA to allow employees to go home with asbestos dust on their clothing?” Koch asked.

ALCOA made a similar arguments during a coal tar pitch-related lawsuit in Knox County Chancery Court last year, charging that it would open the “floodgates of litigation” and that Tennessee would become a “plaintiff’s Mecca.” That case is now proceeding with a class action certification hearing following the conclusion of discovery depositions.

Knoxville attorney Greg Coleman, who represents Satterfield, said the real question was “what did ALCOA know, when did they know it, and what did they do about it?
“Public policy should at least extend to the home,” Coleman said. “ALCOA may not have known if an employee would stop at the Waffle House on his way home from work — but they did know that the employee would eventually end up at his home.”
Satterfield’s case has been in the legal system for more than four years. Originally heard — and dismissed — in Blount County Circuit Court Judge W. Dale Young’s court, the Tennessee Court of Appeals reversed Young’s decision, reinstated the lawsuit and charged ALCOA with the cost of the appeal in April 2007.

The Tennessee Supreme Court Justices are expected to issue a written opinion on the case within three months. They can either return the case to Blount County Circuit Court, where it will proceed, or dismiss it entirely.

After the hearing, Doug Satterfield told The Daily Times, “It seems like ALCOA is trying to change the law to protect itself.

“It’s unthinkable that public policy shouldn’t protect the children of workers.”

Amelia Satterfield, Amanda’s younger sister, said she believed the hearing went well, but said her family was nervous about the court appearance.

Coleman said: “ALCOA is trying to reverse what the law should be. They’re saying the greater the magnitude of the harm and the higher the mortality rate, the less responsibility they should have. Where I come from in Ducktown, Tennessee, that’s called bologna.”

The Tennessee Supreme Court should issue its written opinion by early April.

Source

Mesothelioma drug listed on PBS

2008-01-05T21:21:00.000-08:00

SUFFERERS of the asbestos-linked disease mesothelioma will have access to cheap treatment from today, after a long campaign to secure federal government subsidy paid off.

The government says the chemotherapy agent Alimta - the only treatment available specifically for the killer cancer of the lung or stomach lining - will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from today.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the listing of Alimta was an important announcement that followed the "tireless campaigning" of Bernie Banton, who died, aged 61, in November from the disease.

"Bernie was a great Australian hero and it is due to his efforts that many people will understand the significance of this decision," she said.

About 600 Australians are diagnosed annually with mesothelioma, but the long lag time between exposure to asbestos and the onset of symptoms means its prevalence is tipped to rise in the future.

Medical studies have estimated 18,000 people will have become victims of the disease by 2020.

Alimta, which can increase survival time and improve a sufferer's quality of life, has been out of reach for many patients at $20,000 or more for six treatments.

From today, sufferers will pay a maximum of $31.30 for each prescription. Eligible concession-patients will pay $5 for each prescription.

The subsidy will cost the government about $26 million annually and is expected to benefit about 300 people a year.

The listing of the drug became an election issue after Mr Banton criticised then health minister Tony Abbott for failing to personally receive a 17,000-signature petition brought to his Sydney electoral office in October.

Mr Abbott was forced into an embarrassing apology after questioning whether the dying campaigner's motives for speaking out were "pure of heart".

A week later, a government-appointed board recommended the drug be added to the PBS after three times rejecting its listing since 2004.

Mr Abbott bypassed the normal process of cabinet approval by immediately announcing the drug's listing.

Until now, only about half of Australians suffering mesothelioma were getting easy access to the palliative care drug through state government subsidy and workplace compensation schemes.

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Qld cancer patient welcomes drug subsidy

2008-01-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

A Maryborough cancer sufferer has welcomed the placing of a chemotherapy drug onto the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) this week.

In 1995, 65-year-old Gary Morse was diagnosed with an incurable lung cancer.

He says the chemotherapy and asbestos cancer drug, Alimta, helped him greatly last year.

But he say it would have cost him about $20,000 if his oncologist had not persuaded a private health insurer to pay the cost.

"We have private insurance and he [the oncologist] got in contact with them and got them to agree to pay for the first three treatments and the results were great," he said.

"Then he talked them into paying for the next one and of course now it's come onto the free list, which is better still.

"If we hadn't had private insurance we would have had to take it out of our superannuation retirement fund.

"I know of another one person who's on it, and it's increased his life span, and of course it's also going to increase mine too.

"This year 22 of our family were all together for Christmas, the first time ever, and I thought it was going to be the 'last supper', actually, until this new drug come on the scene.

"Now we can look forward to the future. I'm really pleased with it."

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New year price hikes, as if on cue

2007-12-31T07:43:00.000-08:00

ANYONE with an air conditioner should cherish the relief today because the cost of running it is going to rise substantially in the new year.

Like the fireworks at midnight, we could set our watches by the price rises that herald the new year, and along with electricity, the cost of public transport, toll booths and health care will rise.

Energy bills will be the most significant of the new year price rises for Victorian consumers.

On January 1, Victoria's three biggest energy retailers — Origin Energy, AGL and TRUenergy — will charge up to 17% more for power, after the drought, increased demand and renewable energy targets pushed the cost of generating electricity to record highs.

An average household paying $945 annually for its power bill is likely to pay $1106 for consuming 6500 kilowatt hours of peak and off-peak electricity. A larger family could face a rise of about $220 annually.

Riding trams, trains and buses will be more expensive in January, with the the cost of public transport in Melbourne rising by about 20 cents per trip, with a zone 1, two-hour full fare going from $3.30 to $3.50, and a zone 1-and-2, two-hour ticket rising from $5.30 to $5.50.

And you will not escape the price rises by taking the car, with Citylink passes set to rise by 4.5%, with an e-tag day pass going up to $5.97 and a 24-hour pass rising to $11.45.

Health too, will get more expensive.

The amount you have to spend to be eligible for the Medicare Safety Net — under which the Government picks up 80% of medical costs after you've spent a certain amount in a year — will rise by $9.80 to $529.30 for concession card holders and $19.70 to $1058.70 for general patients.

It will also be harder to qualify for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme safety net. The threshold for general patients will rise $82.80 to $1141.80 and for concession card holders it will go up $15.60 to $290.

The amount patients will have to contribute to the cost of subsidised medicines will go up 60 cents to $31.30 for general patients and 10 cents to $5 for concession card holders.

But it is not all bad news.

Several new drugs will attract subsidies from tomorrow, including Champix for those quitting smoking and Alimta for the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma.

And it will be easier to get eye treatment, with optometrists given the right to prescribe certain subsidised medications for the first time.

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State funeral for Bernie Banton

2007-12-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

Bernie Banton, the public face of the campaign against asbestos company James Hardie, has died, but his efforts have been hailed as a decades-long legacy for asbestos disease sufferers.

Mr Banton, 61, died at his Sydney home about 1am (AEDT) on Tuesday with his family by his side.

His wife Karen, brother Bruce, sister Grace and five children have accepted the NSW government's offer of a state funeral.

Mr Banton was diagnosed in August with peritoneal mesothelioma, an abdominal cancer caused by his exposure to asbestos when he worked for a subsidiary of James Hardie from 1968 to 1974.

He had already been suffering for years from asbestosis, a lung disease also caused by exposure to asbestos.

Despite this, he led the campaign to force James Hardie to establish a fund that would provide adequate compensation for all its employees suffering from diseases caused by their exposure to asbestos at its factories.

He was, NSW Premier Morris Iemma said, "a truly great Australian, a man who fought for others at a time when he should have been worrying about his own health".

"In November 2006, on the day we signed the final agreement to secure compensation for Hardie victims (workers in James Hardie factories who contracted diseases caused by asbestos), Bernie knew he'd achieved something special.

"That deal was worth $1.5 billion over the next 40 years for those who suffered and continue to suffer this dreadful disease.

"It would not have been possible without Bernie Banton."

Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd said he was "a fighter" who was "a symbol, a living symbol of what is right and decent and proper in the workplace relations of this country".

"Australia is going to be poorer for Bernie's passing - our whole nation will be poorer for Bernie's passing," Mr Rudd said.

Mr Banton was diagnosed in 1999 with asbestosis and ARPD (asbestos-related pleural disease), which reduced his lung capacity to 40 per cent.

He began to rely on an oxygen bottle, but he refused to let it slow him down, taking it with him everywhere he went as he campaigned for fair compensation from James Hardie for all its affected workers.

Estimates of future claims continued to rise, and the company was eventually forced in December 2004 to sign Australia's largest ever compensation settlement, worth up to $4.5 billion over 40 years.

In a statement, James Hardie expressed its condolences to the family of Mr Banton, acknowledging his work in raising public awareness of asbestos-related disease.

"The company acknowledges the significant contribution Mr Banton made to raising the awareness of asbestos-related diseases in Australia, and his role in the eventual implementation of the final funding agreement to compensate Australians with asbestos-related personal injury claims," the company said.

NSW parliament rose for a moment's silence and both sides of politics delivered statements praising him.

"Bernie courageously pursued justice for sufferers of asbestos-related diseases and their families, we all owe him a debt of gratitude," NSW Industrial Relations Minister John Della Bosca said.

Former ACTU secretary Greg Combet said Mr Banton had been a fighter for other people and a fighter for justice.

"I hope that people properly appreciate the importance of the settlement that was reached with James Hardie a few years back, because it was a very hard fight and Bernie contributed a lot," Mr Combet said.

"That's how he should be recognised."

Last Thursday, Mr Banton won a confidential payout as compensation for his terminal mesothelioma, including exemplary damages for what his lawyers called James Hardie's "contumelious" disregard for the health of its workers when they knew of the dangers of asbestos.

In 2000, he had been awarded $800,000 compensation for asbestosis.

And last month he succeeded in getting the palliative drug Alimta subsidised by the federal government for mesothelioma sufferers.

His brother Bruce said Mr Banton's funeral would probably be held on Saturday but details were still being discussed.

"One thing we will be asking is for instead of flowers at the service is donations for asbestos research and treatments," he said.

In a further tribute, the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute at Sydney's Concord hospital will also be named the Bernie Banton Centre.

In Melbourne, he was honoured at a commemorative service, part of Asbestos Awareness Week, to remember people who have died from asbestos-related diseases.

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Victims of asbestos fight payout 'apartheid'

2007-12-28T08:16:00.000-08:00

People suffering from pleural plaques through exposure to asbestos will soon be facing a postcode lottery to determine whether they qualify for compensation.

Pleural plaques are a scarring on the lining of the lungs, an asymptomatic sign of exposure to asbestos that does not of itself lead to more serious asbestos-related conditions. While about 1,800 people die of asbestos-related diseases each year in Britain, a number that is rising, some commentators have labelled plaques sufferers as 'the worried well' and the House of Lords recently ruled that the condition was not worthy of compensation.

'When people say those things, it's because they haven't had to live with it,' says Valerie Pask, a 55-year-old mother of seven from Nottingham who was diagnosed with plaques last year. Asbestos has left its mark on three generations of her family. 'I'll never forget my eldest brother in the final weeks before he died,' she recalls. 'He was unable to say more than a few words because his lungs were so congested.'

Valerie's brother died from mesothelioma, the cancer contracted from breathing in asbestos dust. Her father worked all his life as a lagger, fitting insulation at power stations. He died of heart disease in 1980, at the age of 65, with his death certificate recording that the condition was 'related to asbestosis'. 'My eldest brother, Brian, died at the age of 50 in 1987 and my next eldest brother, Michael, died in 1991,' she says. Three sons worked with their father. Two of them had their lives cut short by mesothelioma and the surviving brother was recently diagnosed with asbestosis. Her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, who worked with them, have both died of asbestos-related conditions, as did an uncle who worked in London.

But the tragedy doesn't end there. Valerie and her three sisters would clean their father's dust-covered overalls when he came back from the power stations, where he eventually became a site manager. 'He'd take his work clothes off in the conservatory and we'd beat them and get as much dust off as we could; otherwise our washing machine would get clogged up,' she recalls. Two of the four women have been diagnosed with plaques, as has one of their daughters.

In October, the Law Lords refused to overrule an appeal court ruling in January 2006 preventing plaques sufferers from claiming damages (in Rothwell v Chemical & Insulating Co). 'Proof of damage is an essential element in a claim in negligence and in my opinion the symptomless plaques are not compensatable,' ruled Lord Hoffmann.

That ruling will affect 'thousands who have faced emotional anguish since their diagnosis', says Adrian Budgen, head of the asbestos unit at law firm Irwin Mitchell. 'Plaques are a consequence of negligent exposure to asbestos. This exposure physically scars victims and is often a precursor to very serious and sometimes fatal disease.' Budgen, who is advising Valerie, adds: 'With a family history like theirs, you're going to be worried. She is a relatively young woman who has to live with this for the rest of her life.'

The Scottish government announced this month that it intended to reverse the Law Lords' ruling by introducing new legislation. 'The effects of asbestos are a terrible legacy of Scotland's industrial past and we should not turn our backs on those who contributed to our nation's wealth,' said Holyrood's Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill. 'Pleural plaques in anyone exposed to asbestos mean they have a greatly increased lifetime risk of developing mesothelioma. This will mean that people diagnosed with this condition will have to live with the worry of possible future ill-health for the rest of their lives.'

The Association of British Insurers calls the Scottish approach 'misguided'. Insurers are 'fully committed' to compensating claimants with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, says the ABI's Stephen Haddrill, but 'introducing legislation to overturn a unanimous Law Lords' ruling could significantly increase costs for Scottish businesses'.

None the less, insurers had been paying out for plaques for 20 years prior to the Rothwell case and payouts have been modest. Since the January 2006 ruling, 'full and final' damages, which settle the case once and for all, have been cut from £12,500-£20,000 to £5,000-£7,000.

There is a recent precedent for ministers in England and Wales stepping in to protect families from the courts when they overruled the House of Lords judgment by the Law Lords in the case of Sylvia Barker in 2006. In that case (The Observer, 5 March 2006), insurers argued that if there was more than one employer, compensation for mesothelioma should be split between them. As some have now gone out of business, this would have meant families missing out on part or all of their compensation. Ministers therefore amended the Compensation Act to protect families.

Campaigners are pessimistic about Westminster following the Scottish lead on plaques cases, even though the construction union Ucatt last week won a government commitment to review the Rothwell decision. 'It's going to look unjust if you have sufferers in Scotland receiving compensation and those south of the border aren't,' says Tony Whitson, chair of the Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum UK.

Campaigners point to a growing difference between England and Wales on the one hand and Scotland on the other, where the life-extending drug Alimta is more readily available for mesothelioma sufferers and where bereavement payments of up to £30,000 have been made by the courts (such compensation is fixed at £10,000 in England). Now it seems likely plaques sufferers will only get compensation in Scotland.

Valerie says: 'What makes me angry is that if you have a minor scar on your body you can get compensation. Thousands of people receive compensation for stress, but we get nothing. The scarring is inside me.'

She says she suffers nightmares and has been out socialising only four times since she was diagnosed 18 months ago. 'Employers knew the harm asbestos was doing and carried on using it because it was cheap,' she says. 'Thousands of people are affected now and will be over the next 20 years and it all could have been prevented. It's so wrong.'

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LegalView Blog Informs Readers of New Mesothelioma Cancer Treatment Center Being Built to Aid Mesothelioma Cancer Victims

2007-12-27T07:25:00.000-08:00

LegalView.com offers readers several mesothelioma resources including its continually updated mesothelioma blog. A recent blog post regarding mesothelioma offered readers an inside into a new mesothelioma treatment center that is to be built in Australia.

Denver, CO (PRWEB) December 23, 2007 -- LegalView, the number one source for everything legal on the Internet, recently updated its mesothelioma legal blog to inform readers and sufferers of mesothelioma about a new mesothelioma treatment center that will be built. The new center is scheduled to be open in a year, but, according to news reports, the treatment center's first goal is to ensure that every mesothelioma cancer victim will be able to access treatments available at the center.

Mesothelioma is a deadly and rare form of cancer that is inevitably incurable at the moment. While research continues to lengthen a victim's life as well as to ease the pain the cancer causes, there is still no way to 100 percent treat the cancer. Mesothelioma is usually caused by exposure to asbestos fibers that are breathed into the lung and essentially crystallize causing the development of cancer cells on the lining of the lung. It is typical that mesothelioma occurs anywhere from 10 to 40 years after initial exposure to asbestos. Many are currently being diagnosed with the cancer because of years of negligence by companies who knowingly endangered employees by exposing them to the deadly dust. If you or anyone you know has developed mesothelioma cancer, it may be in your best interest to contact a mesotehlioma law firm for more information.

The new mesothelioma treatment center is being built in honor of a local Sydney man who recently passed away. Bernie Benton was exposed to asbestos and began helping others dealing with the same plight. The mesothelioma treatment center will be one of the world's first asbestos research centers that focuses only on mesothelioma. Those suffering from mesothelioma cancer can find more information on this and other mesothelioma treatments at the mesothelioma information portal.

In addition to information regarding mesothelioma, LegalView.com also offers resources on several additional legal issues that are tragically affecting individuals throughout the country everyday. Readers will be able to find a traumatic brain injury law firm who specializes in helping brain injury victims with consultations and attorney referral services. Individuals who have suffered from a construction accident injury or an auto accident can find information on finding a construction accident attorney or auto accident lawyer through LegalView as well.

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Anxiety over Amaca asbestos case

2007-11-12T22:53:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Gosch and Ean Higgins

October 24, 2007 05:58am

LAWYERS for asbestos victims fear the new board of the James Hardie subsidiary Amaca is using a WA case to attempt to limit the number of successful lawsuits.

Denis Walter John Moss and his wife, Patricia Margaret Hannell, won a case against Amaca Pty Ltd, the James Hardie asbestos-producing subsidiary, in December last year and were awarded $5million.

Mr Moss, who died in June, was exposed to asbestos in the mid-1980s and 1990 as a result of occasional work on asbestos cement products in and around his home. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in November 2005.

Amaca appealed against the West Australian Supreme Court decision earlier this year to award damages. The Court of Appeal overturned the trial judge's decision, stating Amaca did not breach its duty of care by failing to advertise the dangers of asbestos in the mass media.

Today in Perth, Mrs Hannell is seeking special leave to appeal against that decision in the High Court.

For decades, the key tenet of asbestos disease litigation, particularly in New South Wales, has been the finding by the courts that James Hardie had actual knowledge of the dangers of asbestos as early as 1938 but did not do enough toprotect workers and warn customers.

Slater and Gordon asbestos litigation specialist Tanya Segelov said it was possible the new Amaca board - appointed by James Hardie and the NSW Government - was testing the water in Western Australia, and if successful, might take a harder line in other jurisdictions.

If Amaca won such cases, it could reduce the ability of thousands of future victims to obtain compensation.

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Union Efforts Called Racketeering

2007-11-12T22:51:00.000-08:00

A lawsuit filed by Smithfield Foods charges the UFCW with extortion and a smear campaign in the union's efforts to convince the meat processor to agree to voluntarily accept the union without an employee vote. The union says the company has a long history of worker intimidation.

By Joseph A. Slobodzian

It's been used against mobsters, corrupt labor unions and anti-abortion protesters.

Now Smithfield Foods Inc., the Virginia-based meat-processing giant, has joined companies turning to federal racketeering law to try to block a campaign geared to unionization of its employees.

Smithfield Foods' lawyers filed the civil racketeering lawsuit Oct. 17 in federal court in Richmond, Va., the latest development in Smithfield's 14-year fight to prevent the United Food and Commercial Workers from unionizing 4,650 hourly workers at its largest pork-processing plant in Tar Heel, N.C.

The lawsuit contends that the union has resorted to "smear tactics," including trying to undermine the company's stock price by leaking false statements to Wall Street stock analysts.

The lawsuit seeks damages of at least $5.9 million for business losses Smithfield Foods says can be traced to the union campaign, as well as an injunction barring the unions from continuing their activities.

The lawsuit -- Smithfield Food Inc. vs. United Food and Commercial Workers International Union -- has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne.

UFCW officials issued a statement maintaining that Smithfield has a long history of worker intimidation and calling the lawsuit an attempt by Smithfield to avoid a union vote.

UFCW officials noted that the suit was filed two days after negotiators for the company walked out of talks that were close to setting a mutually agreed-upon process for holding a unionization election at the Tar Heel processing plant.

"It is truly shameful that Smithfield is willing to spend millions of dollars on high-priced lawyers and frivolous lawsuits rather than committing the resources needed to provide basic safety and health improvements for Tar Heel workers," the union statement read.

According to the lawsuit, union members have demonstrated at food stores carrying Smithfield Foods products and at public appearances of celebrity chef Paula Deen to urge her to break her contract with Smithfield. Deen's Food Network cable television program, Paula's Home Cooking, features Smithfield products.

The lawsuit contends that in September 2005, the UFCW's Local 400 "decided to abandon all efforts to convince Smithfield employees of the benefits of union membership in favor of a new plan aimed not at the employees, but at Smithfield itself."

The lawsuit says UFCW decided to "extort" Smithfield's recognition of Local 400 "regardless of the degree of actual employee support for such representation, by injuring Smithfield economically until Smithfield either agreed to [union] demands or was run out of business."

In addition to the UFCW international union, in Washington, and Local 400, the Smithfield lawsuit names three groups and seven individuals it describes as "co-conspirators" with the union.

While the use of the federal racketeering statute in a union-organizing dispute may seem unusual, other companies have turned to the racketeering law, says Lynn C. Outwater, a labor relations lawyer and managing partner of the Pittsburgh office of the law firm Jackson Lewis.

Outwater cited the March ruling by U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan, of the Eastern District of New York, allowing a civil-racketeering conspiracy case to proceed against the Laborers' International Union.

The lawsuit by the Asbestos & Lead Removal Corp. contended that Laborers Local 78 and business manager Edison Severino carried out a campaign of violence and extortion designed to force the company to agree to a collective-bargaining agreement with Local 78.

The stakes are high in the protracted unionization struggle between Smithfield and the UFCW. With annual sales of $12 billion, Smithfield Foods calls itself the largest producer of hogs and the "leading processor and marketer of fresh pork and processed meats in the United States."

The Tar Heel plant is the largest meat processing plant of its type, according to Smithfield Farms, and slaughters, processes and packages more than 32,000 hogs per day.

The UFCW, on the other hand, represents 1.4 million workers and Landover, Md.-based Local 400 claims 40,000 members.

Local 400 began trying to organize Smithfield's Tar Heel workers in 1994, two years after the sprawling processing plant opened.

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Asbestos Exposure only Known Link to Pleural Mesothelioma

2007-11-12T22:50:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles, CA: Even though asbestos has been a dirty word for decades, and its use and prevalence has dramatically declined, the toxic substance is still making its presence felt, and is still at the root cause of serious health problems including pleural mesothelioma. In many cases it is claiming lives.

Walter Kot of Illinois is just the latest worker to file a lawsuit against a host of corporations he claims were negligent in their responsibility to inform workers about the presence of asbestos and ways in which, through hygiene and other practises, to mitigate its spread and prevalence.

Kot is upset that on numerous occasions he transported, unknowingly, asbestos fibres home.
Kot toiled as a labourer, sheet-metal worker, shipper, forester and firefighter at the behest of a number of companies from 1940 through 1980. This past July he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, and is litigating a total of 49 corporations for damages and compensation, which will ultimately help cover his medical bills.

In his lawsuit, filed last week in Madison County, Kot claims that the defendants should have known about the hazards of asbestos, and should have been more diligent in protecting its employees from needless exposure.

The suit also alleges that the various defendants could have used asbestos substitutes in their products, but did not.

It has also been alleged that some, or all of the defendants - which were not named publicly - may have destroyed documents and certain evidence, which would have proven Kot's claims.

As a result Kot is seeking at least $550,000 in compensatory damages for pain and suffering, and lost wages. He is also seeking punitive damages representing an undisclosed sum.

Meanwhile, a navy sailor last week was awarded $35.1 million in compensatory damages for exposure to asbestos while serving more than fifty years ago.

John R. 'Jack' Davis was diagnosed, like Kot, with pleural mesothelioma - a disease linked to asbestos exposure. In his suit, Davis claimed that he was exposed to asbestos-covered pipes and vales during his tour of duty in the U.S. Navy, as well as his private-sector career.

The Navy, along with a number of un-named defendants, will have to pool in order to pay the lion's share of the award, 85.8 per cent. The remaining 14.2 per cent of the award is the responsibility of Leslie Controls of Florida, and Warren Pumps of Massachusetts, which will each pay 7.1 per cent. The latter two companies were identified as having supplied asbestos-based material to the Navy.

The verdict, delivered by a jury in Los Angeles Superior Court after a five-week trial, came after deliberations of less than a day, and breaks down to $100,000 for economic damages, $25 million for Mr. Davis' pain and suffering, and a further $10 million for his wife.

Pleural mesothelioma is a deadly cancer that is linked exclusively to the inhalation of asbestos particles in the air. Various countries have implemented an outright ban of asbestos use, something the United States tried but failed, after the ban was overturned in the courts. As a result, there are still products which contain asbestos, such as brake linings.

The incubation period is a long one: the lag time between asbestos exposure and the onset of pleural mesothelioma can be anywhere from 20 to 50 years.

Little wonder that Mr. Kot and Mr. Davis, identified above, litigated so long after exposure. Both men were diagnosed in 2007, decades after the fact.

It is a reasonable expectation there will be many more to come.

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Mesothelioma still needs more attention, research funding

2007-11-12T22:45:00.000-08:00

Regarding the Oct. 15 front page article, ''Cancer death rates declining'': The death rate for mesothelioma, an extremely painful cancer in which membrane cells lining the chest or abdomen become malignant and proliferate uncontrollably, is on the rise.

Mesothelioma, caused by asbestos exposure, is almost always fatal. The life expectancy is 12.3 months with treatment and 9.2 months without. In fact, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, Pennsylvania ranks third in the nation in the mortality rate for mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma's latency is as long as 50 years, so millions of Americans who were exposed in the past five decades are at risk. And, given the current levels of asbestos exposure, it is inevitable that Americans will continue to be diagnosed for decades. The only hope is research to develop effective treatment.

Much has been accomplished with limited, private funding. It is time for the federal government to help find a cure. With facts like these, it is extremely distressing to know that less than 3 percent of cancer research dollars go to mesothelioma research. Wake up, Lehigh Valley; not all cancers or cancer death rates are on the decline.

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LORDS' 'ILLNESS' RULING SLAMMED BY VICTIM

2007-11-12T22:43:00.000-08:00

A retired dockyard worker who developed scars on his lungs after working with asbestos has attacked a House of Lords decision to end compensation for people with the condition.Ken Peach, aged 75, of Beacon Park, said the Law Lords ruling on pleural plaques - scars on the lungs usually caused by exposure to asbestos - is "disgusting".

The condition can lead to fatal diseases including malignant mesothelioma and other forms of lung cancer.

The House of Lords yesterday ruled that pleural plaques was not a disease, ending future claims.

The landmark decision could affect hundreds of people in Plymouth, which is a 'hotspot' for asbestos-related conditions.

SOURCE

Mr Peach joined unions, solicitors and Plymouth MP Linda Gilroy in criticism of the ruling.

The pensioner, who received a Government payout in 2001 after developing pleural plaques, said: "It's disgusting and I feel very sorry this decision was made.

"I have a five per cent chance of the scars on my lungs developing into something more serious. It's a horrible feeling to know it's there; it worries me."

Mr Peach joined Devonport Dockyard in 1952 when he was just 20, working as a joiner. His job involved fitting and ripping out layers of asbestos from submarines docked for routine maintenance.

Plymouth MP Linda Gilroy, who sits on the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Asbestos, said Plymouth has one of the country's highest rates of asbestos-realted conditions.

"This decision is a huge disappointment," she said.

"There will soon be a meeting of the all-party group and we will look at this issue, as well as many others surrounding asbestos-related conditions, and will endeavour to lend as much support to it as we can."

The latest figures show 320 people dying from mesothelioma caused by asbestos between 1985 and 2004.

Cases are expected to peak between 2011 and 2015, as the condition takes between 30 to 40 years to emerge.

John Messham, head of the occupational disease department at Bond Pearce in Plymouth, said the firm has seen around 200 successful cases for pleural plaques in the last five years - with pay outs of between £3,500 and £7,000.

He said: "I could say the House of Lords has failed to recognise the anxiety caused by pleural plaques.

"It's the right decision for insurers but not the many thousands of people across the country who have the condition, for who it will be a devastating blow."

He added around 30 Plymothians' cases would have to be dropped following the announcement.

Derek Simpson, joint general secretary of Unite, said: "This is a harsh decision which will affect thousands of people with pleural plaques now and in the future."

The only three UK areas with higher figures of asbestos-related diseases are Barrow-in-Furness, West Dumbartonshire and North Tyneside.

'Cruel injustice' of axed asbestos pay-outs

2007-11-12T22:41:00.000-08:00

FAMILIES and campaigners yesterday condemned the "injustice" of a House of Lords ruling which will end compensation for thousands of workers suffering from an asbestos- related condition.

The judgment removes an established right to compensation, which had existed for 20 years, to allow people with pleural plaques - scars on the lungs - to claim damages.

Those affected claim these scars can develop into more serious conditions including cancer. However, their longstanding right to compensation was subject to an appeal by insurance companies, with the Court of Appeal finding in the companies' favour last year that pleural plaques was not a disease.

Unions appealed this and the controversial case went before the Lords yesterday, where the Court of Appeal decision was upheld.

The five Law Lords who heard the cases agreed that the appeals should be dismissed because the law does not offer compensation to victims of injuries which cause no or trivial damage.

Activists have now pledged to ask the Scottish Parliament to bring in new legislation in Scotland to reverse the Lords' judgment.

They have prepared a bill, which has cross-party support, and will submit it to Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary, urging him to change the law north of the Border.

Harry McCluskey, secretary of Clydeside Action on Asbestos, which represents hundreds of families of former shipyard and factory workers, said: "The judgment has gone against the workers who have to live with the condition with the appalling fear that it could develop into mesothelioma [a form of cancer].

"It is a ridiculous judgment and the injustice is cruel."

Ian Tasker, of the STUC, said: "The STUC has supported asbestos groups and we are extremely disappointed that this is another injustice to the victims of asbestos.

"The legal system pays too much attention to business and it doesn't pay enough attention to the victims."

Pleural plaques can, over time, make breathing difficult and, in some cases, can be accompanied by the development of serious respiratory diseases including mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Previously, victims could claim between £6,000 to £10,000 if they had pleural plaques and more if they developed mesothelioma.

Bill Kidd, an SNP MSP and Robert Brown, a Liberal Democrat MSP, backed the move to introduce new legislation at the Scottish Parliament.

Mr Kidd said: "This decision by the House of Lords flies in the face of common sense and has to be rectified as quickly as possible."

Bill Butler, a Labour MSP, added: "[The ruling] comes down on the side of the employers and insurance companies and disregards the legitimate case of victims and their families."

Solicitor-advocate Frank Maguire, of Thompsons Solicitors, a leading campaigner for asbestos victims, said: "This judgment will only diminish respect for the law by showing how divorced it can be from reality."

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Is Vitamin C a Viable Treatment for Cancer?

2007-11-12T22:39:00.000-08:00

Vitamin C whether intravenous or oral is one of the most prevalent types of alternative and complimentary cancer therapies. Yet, this nutrient is still considered “controversial” by mainstream oncology. Since two time Nobel Prize winner (in chemistry and peace) Dr. Linus Pauling advocated its use in cancer starting in the late 1970’s, evidence to its efficacy has been quietly and steadily mounting.

Humans Do Not Make Vitamin C

Almost all animals and plants synthesize their own vitamin C except humans and a small number of other animals, including, apes, guinea pigs, the red-vented bulbul, a fruit-eating bat and a species of trout.

Vitamin C and Cancer - Early Work

Pure L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) was first prepared in 1928 by the Nobel prize winning biochemist Albert Szent-Gyorgyi and in 1932 it was shown that this substance was vitamin C. In 1954 and 1959 Dr. W. J. McCormick, a Canadian physician, hypothesized that cancer is a collagen disease, secondary to a vitamin C deficiency. His theory was based on the fact that collagen is the “mortar” that binds cells together and if cells stick together, tumors would have a more difficult time breaking away and metastasizing. This concept was expanded upon when, in 1966, Dr. Ewan Cameron wrote a book entitled “Hyaluronidase and Cancer.” In it he pointed out that the ground substance or “intercellular cement” that binds cells of normal tissues contains various molecules that strengthen it including glycosaminoglycans and fibrils of collagen. Dr. Cameron discussed how tumors can produce enzymes that breakdown these molecules (i.e. hyaluronidase and collagenase).

Linus Pauling, Ph.D. (chemistry) had been interested in vitamin C for many years and had written previously how people required large amounts of vitamin C (1). Working with Dr. Cameron, Dr. Pauling pointed out that Vitamin C could: A) stimulate normal cells to produce increased amounts of a hyaluronidase inhibitor and; B) increase the number of collagen fibrils made (2). Based on these theories, Drs. Pauling and Cameron embarked on a number of studies to test the efficacy of vitamin C in cancer patients.

Pauling and Cameron Studies Find Improvement in Survival and Quality of Life

In 1976, Drs. Pauling and Cameron reported the survival times of 100 terminal cancer patients who were given supplemental ascorbate (10 grams/daily intravenously) and those of a control group of 1,000 patients of similar status treated by the same clinicians in the same hospital (Vale of Leven Hospital in Scotland) who had been managed identically except for the ascorbate. The 1,000 controls were matched by sex, age, primary tumor type, and clinical status. By August 10, 1976 all 1,000 of the controls had died while 18 of the 100 ascorbate-treated patients were still living. As of September 15, 1979, five ascorbate treated patients were still alive and “living normal lives.” The 100 acorbate-treated patients lived, on the average, 300 days longer than their matched controls with better quality of life (measured from the time all patients were considered “untreatable”).

A second study was performed in 1978 with 100 new ascorbate-treated patients and 1,000 matched controls (about half of the controls were in the original set) (3). This analysis broke out the improved survival times by cancer type. For each type of cancer there was an improvement in survival.

Mayo Clinic Studies Do Not Show Significant Benefit

Pauling’s and Cameron’s studies were not considered the gold standard in clinical studies. The gold standard was and remains the randomized, prospective, double-blind study in which half the patients are randomized to one arm of a study, half to another arm and neither the patient nor the doctor knows who is getting what.

To test whether ascorbate was effective, Dr. Charles Moertel and his colleagues at the Mayo Clinic conducted two randomized placebo controlled studies of patients each with advanced cancer (published in 1979 and 1985) (4). Patients randomized to the treatment group were given 10 grams of oral ascorbate, and neither study showed significant benefit. (In the first Mayo study, median survival was improved two weeks with the ascorbate group.) Because Moertel’s studies were taken as definitive, ascorbate treatment was considered useless. There were however, at least three significant differences between the Mayo Clinic’s “definitive” studies and those of Drs. Pauling and Cameron.

Mayo Clinic Studies Did Not Replicate the Studies by Pauling and Cameron

Difference #1 - In First Mayo Study Most Patients Were Pretreated With Chemo

The overwhelming majority - 87% (52 of 60 patients) of the patients in the first Mayo study had received chemotherapy before the study began. In contrast, only 4% of the patients in Pauling and Cameron study had received chemo. Pauling wrote, “It is known that cytotoxic chemotherapy damages the immune system and might prevent the vitamin C from being effective, inasmuch as it functions mainly by potentiating this system.(5)”

This is a valid critique. A Pubmed search for vitamin C reveals a large number of peer reviewed medical and scientific journal articles that demonstrate that vitamin C scavenges free radicals when it acts as an antioxidant (6), helps neutralize carcinogenic chemicals such as nitrosamine and nitrites (7), enhances lymphocyte function and mobilization of phagocytes (8), improves natural killer cell activities (9), modulates cell growth and differentiation (10), and enhances IgA, IgG and IgM antibody levels (11). Several of these mechanisms are directly related to the body’s immune system and to cancer resistance. Cytotoxic (cell-killing) chemotherapy is notorious for seriously compromising the patient’s immune system by killing the cells that mediate immunity. (Note: in the 1985 Mayo clinic study, this difference was removed as none of the Mayo patients were administered prior chemotherapy.)

Difference #2 - Pauling and Cameron Administered Intravenous Vitamin C, the Mayo Studies Used Only Oral Vitamin C

A commentary published by doctors from the National Institute of Health (NIH) in 2000 pointed out that there was a second significant difference in study design that may have accounted for the different results in the Mayo Clinic studies (12). The authors explained that intravenous (IV) administration (used by Pauling and Cameron) was superior to oral administration (used by Moertel) in respect to bioavailability of the vitamin. The NIH authors said, “It is now clear that intravenous administration of ascorbate can yield very high plasma levels, while oral treatment does not.” The NIH authors concluded that, “Moertel’s results were not comparable to those of Cameron, as ascorbate was given orally and not intravenously. In retrospect, the route of administration may have been key.”(13)

This observation was repeated in another peer reviewed paper published in 2004 in the Annals of Internal Medicine which stated “Because efficacy of vitamin C treatment cannot be judged from clinical trials that use only oral dosing, the role of vitamin C in cancer treatment should be reevaluated.” (14)

Difference #3 - In Pauling’s and Cameron’s Studies, Vitamin C Therapy Continued For the Life of the Patient

And yet a third difference with the Mayo Clinic study was that vitamin C administration was discontinued immediately after a patient could no longer take oral medications or there was progression of the disease. Apparently, in the Pauling and Cameron studies the IV doses continued regardless of the patient’s changing status. Vitamin C was provided during the life of the patient. However, in Moertel’s studies, because it was administered orally, vitamin C was discontinued in a large number of patients whenever there was a sign of worsening. According to writer Ralph Moss, “Because of the odd departure from Cameron’s protocol, patients in the treatment arm of the experiment (in Moertel’s second study) received vitamin C for a median time of only 10 weeks. None of the Mayo patients died while receiving it. Their deaths occurred after the vitamin had been taken away from them.”(15)

Was the Goal of the Mayo Studies to Replicate Pauling and Cameron’s Work or Denounce It?

Obviously if the Mayo Clinic studies were designed to test the outcomes of Drs. Pauling and Cameron studies then they should have replicated their methodology of administration (as long as it was scientifically reliable and clinically appropriate). Why didn’t Moertel’s group administer the vitamin intravenously throughout the life of the patient? We don’t know. Any one of these discrepancies described above should have been sufficient for a complete reevaluation, but as is so often the case, the cancer establishment had successfully “proved” that a mere vitamin was of no value in cancer and the case was closed. Or was it?

Vitamin C Therapy is Still Used Today

In the intervening 20 years since Moertel’s last study two trends have continued: 1) patients are being administered IV vitamin C in various cancer clinics around the world and many are showing benefit; 2) the overall plausibility of ascorbic acid administered intravenously as a cancer therapy is being better understood by recent insights into clinical pharmacokinetics and its in vitro cancer-specific cytotoxicity.

Clinical Examples from the National Cancer Institute

A reading of Drs. Cameron and Pauling’s book “Cancer and Vitamin C” provides 26 case histories of patients with various cancers who received a benefit from vitamin C including: brain, breast, prostate, bladder, lung, stomach, ovarian cancer, leukemia and mesothelioma. But, since Cameron and Pauling have been considered advocates of vitamin C, here is another more disinterested source. Three case examples come from a peer reviewed article whose authors come from the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health, and universities. In a March 2006 article entitled “Intravenously administered vitamin C as cancer therapy: three cases” the authors examined clinical details of three cases in accordance with National Cancer Institute (NCI) Best Case Series guidelines (16). Tumor pathology was verified by pathologists at the NCI who were unaware of diagnosis or treatment. In all three cases (metastatic renal cancer, bladder cancer, and lymphoma), vitamin C demonstrated efficacy.

Although these case histories by themselves are insufficient to prove that vitamin C is an effective treatment for cancer, in the words of these authors, these histories “increase the clinical plausibility of the notion that vitamin C administered intravenously might have effects on cancer under certain circumstances.(17)”

Biological Mechanisms of Vitmain C Are Better Understood Today

The number of peer reviewed journal articles continues to grow that describe the clinical pharmacokinetics and in vitro cancer-specific cytotoxicity of vitamin C. In other words, how Vitamin C is absorbed by the body and can kill cancer cells. For example, an article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine set out the pharmacokinetics of intravenous vitamin C (18); another article in the journal Nature discussed how vitamin C preferentially killed melanoma cells (19); and there have been several articles in Anticancer Research(20), and Oncology (21) that described how ascorbate killed various other cancer cell lines in vitro.

Vitamin C and Collagen

You may recall that Drs. Cameron and Pauling pointed out that Vitamin C could increase the number of collagen fibrils made. In the last 20 years biochemists have described the molecular basis of scurvy and in doing so have helped us understand how vitamin C and collagen are related. Apparently vitamin C plays a role in collagen metabolism by acting as a cofactor in the enzymatic reactions involved in the hydroxylation of praline and lysine. Without this hydroxylation, proper aligned stable helices of the alpha chains are not formed, so the procollagen that is formed is unstable and degraded (22).

Vitamin C May Prolong Life

Vitamin C has many roles that may be associated with fighting cancer including: acting as an anti-oxidant and scavenging free radicals, supporting the various immune cells, modulating cell growth and differentiation, helping to synthesize carnitine which is essential for the transport of fat to mitochondria, and possibly even strengthening collagen. The mounting evidence does suggest that Drs. Pauling and Cameron were right and that vitamin C is a benefit to cancer patients. We will conclude, therefore, with their words, “Vitamin C is not a miraculous cure for cancer, but…it significantly prolongs the life of the cancer patient…We believe that supplemental ascorbate can be of real help to all cancer patients and of quite dramatic benefit to a fortunate few.”(23)

Perhaps our health authorities will recognize the benefit of this “mere” vitamin. But, maybe the issue all along was not the fact that vitamin C is a potentially effective and non-toxic therapy, but rather that drug companies cannot make sufficient profits from it because as a vitamin it is difficult to patent. If this is the case, it would be an example of how economics not medicine decides what therapies are made available for cancer.

SOURCE

Asbestos illnesses cost H&W £30m in compensation

2007-11-12T22:35:00.000-08:00

MORE than £30 million pounds in compensation has been paid out to Harland & Wolff employees for asbestos-related illnesses.

As many as 2,693 employees have shared the £30,273,903 compensation since 2001.

But the compensation payout has only allowed employees to receive around £11,241.70 each.

Former Trade Minister Sir Reg Empey agreed in March 2002 to guarantee compensation for ex-shipyard staff.

According to figures also acquired in an Assembly question by DUP MLA Peter Weir, as many as 515 people have died in the last 10 years as a consequence of asbestos-related illnesses contracted through exposure to asbestos in their workplace during the previous decade.

In his Assembly response, the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Nigel Dodds, said asbestos- related diseases are in the main "occupationally acquired and include asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer".

It is pointed out that the number of deaths caused by asbestos-related lung cancer is not available.

But it was revealed that the number of deaths from asbestos-related lung cancer may equal those caused by mesothelioma – 439.

In his response Minister Dodds said Harland & Wolff was taken into public ownership in 1975.

"Harland & Wolff plc (H&W plc) remained in public ownership at the time of the privatisation of the shipbuilding business in 1989. All liabilities that existed at this time were retained in H&W plc," he said.

"DETI has guaranteed funding to H&W plc to enable it to meet liabilities as they fall due.

"This commitment covers funding to meet obligations that would fall to the company in relation to agreed compensation claims from employees who contracted asbestos-related illnesses. This position was affirmed in a statement to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 5 March 2002 by Sir Reg Empey, the then DETI Minister."

The news comes as campaigners warn that asbestos disease-linked deaths are at epidemic levels and could become worse in coming decades.

With 515 people dying in the last 10 years the Justice for Asbestos Victims' (JAV) spokeswoman, Fiona Sterritt, has warned greater heartache lies ahead for victims and their families.

She said: "There is no doubt that it is an epidemic. There are people who were working with it on a daily basis into the 1990s. "Anybody putting a noticeboard in a school could have been exposed to it. There is a latency there."

It takes years for asbestos-linked conditions like mesothelioma or lung cancer to develop. JAV was established in 2002 by sufferers and the families of those who died from the diseases.

Ms Sterritt added people like plumbers and electricians had been badly affected. "Everything built before the 1970s likely had some form of asbestos and it can take 30-40 years to develop," she added.

Lobbyists have predicted about 10,000 deaths a year across the UK. Most of those now suffering with asbestos-related diseases were exposed to asbestos between the 1940s and 1970s.

Health Minister Michael McGimpsey told Mr Weir that he was committed to helping those affected.

"This will include health promotion awareness as well as provision of the full range of primary, secondary and community care services appropriate to the respiratory and oncology illnesses commonly associated with asbestos exposure," he said.

In the Assembly Question, Trade Minister Nigel Dodds, revealed there were 53 deaths last year, up on 42 in 1997. In 2004 a total of 65 people passed away.

SOURCE

Asbestos Exposure: How Risky Is It?

2007-10-16T06:49:00.000-07:00

The hazard, exposure, and risks associated with asbestos fibers have been explored and debated for many years. Human evidence suggests an association between exposure to asbestos and asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma, although the lack of consistent information on fiber type, size, and exposure concentrations and duration limit our ability to establish causal relationships between exposure and disease in some cases. While uncertainties remain in our ability to consistently and accurately quantify asbestos risk to humans, progress has been made in characterizing those key factors, namely hazard and exposure, that are critical to an assessment of health risk.

Because asbestos is a natural material, there will always be some background or ambient exposure to humans. Although mining and commercial applications have diminished in some parts of the world, asbestos continues to have commercial applications, and hence, there remains exposure potential from these sources. Chrysotile and amphibole asbestos are the types most commonly used and hence studied experimentally, and it has become increasingly clear that they differ with respect to toxicity and disease potential. This has been demonstrated in animal models, which appear to be reflective of the human situation as well.

Progress on a number of fronts has led to general scientific consensus on the following: (1) amphibole fibers (which tend to be relatively long and thin) are a more potent risk factor for the development of mesothelioma and, to a lesser degree, lung cancer than are chrysotile fibers (which tend to be relatively short and wide); (2) longer, thin fibers are more pathogenic and there appear to be fiber size thresholds below which asbestos fibers do not pose any threat; and (3) those animal studies in which high exposure concentrations resulted in lung overloading are not considered relevant to humans.

Analysis of the epidemiological literature supports some common patterns including:
(1) for occupational and industrial exposures, the weight of evidence does not consistently support causal relationships between asbestos exposure and onset of pulmonary disease, some studies showing associative relationships but others showing no relationship between exposure and disease onset; and (2) chrysotile alone, uncontaminated by other fiber types, particularly amphiboles, does not appear to be a risk factor for mesothelioma, as once thought.

Advances in risk assessment methodology and analytical techniques, together with reevaluation of historical data, reveal that the current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approach for risk assessment of asbestosis is not in step with current scientific consensus, particularly for chrysotile fibers. In recent years, new knowledge about how asbestos risk can be more accurately and quantitatively determined has been generated. There is thus a scientific basis for adoption of these methods by regulatory agencies, including the EPA. While occupational exposures to asbestos remain and should be vigilantly monitored, there appears to be no compelling scientific evidence that ambient exposure to chrysotile asbestos poses a significant health risk.

SOURCE

October has been designated Healthy Lung Month

2007-10-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

The smell of burning leaves, an apple pie baking in the oven, or a wood fire in a neighbor's fireplace often evoke memories of special people and experiences from past autumns. While we may be mindful of inhaling deeply to enjoy these scents, we seldom give thought to what happens to the air we breathe in.

We all know we need the oxygen in the air to live, but unless we experience breathing difficulties, most of us rarely think about our lungs at all.

The lungs are complex organs, considered far more complicated than the heart. They not only take the oxygen from the air and send it into the bloodstream for delivery throughout the body, but the lungs filter out substances like dust, pollen, viruses, and bacteria from the air we breathe. They are also responsible for eliminating waste from the bloodstream. It is clear lung health is important, and October has been designated Healthy Lung Month in recognition of this fact.

If all types of lung disease are combined, it is the 3rd highest cause of death in the United States. Over 35 million Americans live with an ongoing lung disease like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Lung disease is the cause of 1 in 7 deaths annually in this country.
Unfortunately, it can be easy to overlook early signs of lung disease. At first, many people simply realize they do not have much energy. But as the lung condition worsens, other symptoms become more apparent. Trouble breathing, shortness of breath, reduced ability to exercise, feeling like you are not getting enough air, a chronic cough, coughing up blood or mucus, or pain when inhaling and exhaling, are among the signs of lung disease.

Common lung conditions include:
* Asthma, which affects 20 million Americans. It causes inflammation and swelling of the airways in the lungs. The narrow airways limits the flow of air in and out of the lungs, causing wheezing, coughing, tightness in the chest, and difficulty breathing.

* COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic obstructive bronchitis. Both conditions cause inflammation of the bronchial tubes that carry air to the lungs. This leads to thickening and scarring of the lining of the bronchial tubes and the production of excess mucus, making breathing difficult. COPD is the 4th leading cause of death in the United States.

* Lung cancer, now the leading cause of cancer deaths in American women, is characterized by the abnormal, uncontrolled growth of malignant lung cells.
These cells invade and destroy normal cells in nearby tissues and can spread to other parts of the body.

Fortunately, the risk of developing lung disease can be reduced. First, if you are a smoker, quit. Whether a smoker or a non-smoker, everyone should try to avoid second-hand smoke.
Second, eating a healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, lowers the risk of cancer. Drinking plenty of water helps to replace moisture lost when we exhale, keeping the lung tissue moist and healthy.
Exercise is also important for healthy lungs, stimulating the blood flow required for the lungs to function optimally.
Lung health also benefits from getting vaccinated against the flu every year. Influenza (and pneumonia, often a complication of the flu), damages lung tissue and leads to a number of adverse health effects.
In addition to the above, avoiding environmental hazards such as asbestos and radon is also important in protecting lung health. Protective clothing and a face mask are required for anyone working in a job that entails exposure to asbestos. Radon in the home can be measured with a test kit to determine if remediation is advised.
The Central Connecticut Health District, serving the towns of Berlin, Newington, Rocky Hill, and Wethersfield, sponsors a number of flu shot clinics where pneumonia shots are also available. The Health District also sells low-cost radon test kits. For further information about flu clinics, radon kits, and other public health concerns, contact the Health District at 860-721-2822 (www.ccthd.org). Specific information about lung health and lung disease is available through the American Lung Association at 1-800-548-8252 (www.lungusa.org) and the National Women's Health Information Center at 1-800-994-9662 or 1-888-220-5446 for the hearing impaired (www.4women.gov).

SOURCE

Mesothelioma sufferer pioneers new hope

2007-10-15T07:17:00.000-07:00

Leigh Carlisle, a 27-year-old cancer sufferer who is pioneering new treatment for a deadly asbestos-related form of the illness, mesothelioma, is beginning to beat the disease.

Leigh, who is believed to be the country’s youngest sufferer, has been taking part in clinical trials at Manchester’s Christie Hospital.

Leigh may have contracted the disease after she took a short-cut through a Failsworth factory yard, where asbestos was cut, when she was a schoolgirl.

She may also have breathed in the fibres from clothes of a relative who worked there.

Leigh was diagnosed with the condition, which affects her abdomen, in 2006.

Her treatment includes a drug which knocks out a tumour’s resistance so chemotherapy has a better chance of working.

To Leigh’s delight, doctors told her last week that her lungs and stomach are clear of cancer cells, her lymph nodes have returned to near-normal and the tumours in her abdomen have broken down significantly.

Leigh said: "I was overjoyed at being told there had finally been a breakthrough with my clinical trial for Mesothelioma. I have been scared and often faced doubted that treatment wouldn't prove effective, but my consultant and nursing team at 'The Christie' always provided optimism and great support. I know I have some way to go, but the news on my progress is fantastic and I'm looking forward to getting my energy back during my break from treatment now!"

Leigh's solicitor, Geraldine Coombs, said to Rochdale Online: "I am really pleased for Leigh that she has had such good news about her cancer treatment. The results of the trial sound very exciting. Mesothelioma does not usually respond well to treatment and the trial may give hope to others suffering with mesothelioma. 2,000 people every year in this country are diagnosed with mesothelioma.

"Leigh has been through a very hard time with this illness. Despite that she has been working hard to raise awareness about the dangers of asbestos and raising money for cancer charities which is a great credit to her and does not surprise me having got to know Leigh.

"Asbestos is not a problem that is ‘in the past.’ People are still coming into contact with asbestos today around the world. The campaign in Rochdale to push for the risks of environmental contamination by asbestos is very important."

Save Spodden Valley spokesman Jason Addy commented: "I met Leigh earlier this year. She is an incredible person with a positive outlook on life. To contract this illness at such a young age is a particularly cruel blow. I am sure many will join in our prayers and best wishes for her health.

"It is a stark reminder of how low levels of exposure to asbestos fibre may be so dangerous. That is why it is important that safe, open and accountable decisions are made about the former TBA site.

"Mesothelioma takes decades after exposure to asbestos before its symptoms are presented.

"The late Abdul Chowdry, T&N's former Health & Safety manager, suggested on Radio 4 that disturbing soil on the TBA site could 'unearth a monster'. That certainly was an emotive choice of language from the then serving UK Health and Safety Commissioner.

"As the Independent Atkins Report has acknowledged, there is huge potential for gross contamination of the site.

"We all owe a debt to future generations of Rochdalians to ensure that the Spodden Valley becomes a safe amenity for all.

"When you see Leigh and read about what she has faced this year, it really does bring it home to everyone in Rochdale how important it is to get things right in Spodden Valley."

SOURCE

Firm Probed on Asbestos Claim Billing

2007-10-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (Associated Press) - The Justice Department plans to seek a wider investigation into the billing practices of L. Tersigni Consulting PC, a firm that advised asbestos-injury claimants in several big bankruptcy cases.

The U.S. Trustee's Office, an arm of the department, has already asked the courts overseeing the Chapter 11 cases of Congoleum Corp., Federal-Mogul Global Inc., W.R. Grace & Co. and G-I Holdings Inc. to appoint examiners to investigate allegations that the consulting firm overbilled its clients in those proceedings.

In new court papers, the trustee's office said L. Tersigni Consulting could also have overbilled clients in other cases. The office said it would seek similar investigations "in all asbestos cases in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, in which LTC was employed as a financial adviser."

Representatives of L. Tersigni Consulting couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

The consulting firm's clients were the official committees representing asbestos claimants in major bankruptcy cases.

Since April 2006, the U.S. Trustee's Office and federal prosecutors have looked into allegations that the firm's sole owner and principal, Loreto Tersigni, submitted bills for services that weren't performed. Tersigni died in May.

"The appointment of an independent fiduciary to investigate these serious allegations of fraud and dishonesty related to the affairs of the debtors is both warranted and necessary," the trustee's office said in court papers. An examiner, it added, could help companies that paid the bills discover whether they have "causes of action" against L. Tersigni Consulting.

The trustee's office is still waiting to hear whether the courts overseeing the bankruptcy cases of Congoleum, Federal-Mogul, W.R. Grace and G-I Holdings will appoint examiners.

However, the judge overseeing W.R. Grace's bankruptcy case has questioned whether she should appoint an examiner.

At a hearing in late September, Judge Judith K. Fitzgerald of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del., pointed out that the federal government had been conducting a probe into L. Tersigni Consulting's billing practices for more than a year. "I don't know why the estates have to be charged with additional money to do an investigation that may already be complete," Fitzgerald said. "There are creditors in these cases who deserve at some point in time to get whatever little money they're going to get out of these cases and to the extent that this work has already been done, they shouldn't be charged with duplicating that work."

The judge also said money could be saved by appointing one examiner to look at the books and records for all of the bankruptcy cases in which the firm is suspected of overbilling.

At the hearing, Fitzgerald also criticized the trustee's office for requesting an examiner only in recent months when it knew for more than a year that there could have been a billing problem involving L. Tersigni Consulting.

Family raises £1,300 in memory of dad

2007-10-15T07:09:00.000-07:00

The family of an Eastbourne man who died of cancer caused by asbestos exposure have raised more than £1,300 in his memory.

Bob Tolley, 67, of Wartling Road, died in September last year after contracting mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer.

His daughter Christine Dennis said, "We raised £1,373 for Mesothelioma Research after organising a charity event in aid of it on behalf of The British Lung Foundation, The Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund and The June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund."

The family held a charity auction, raffle and disco at Eastbourne United Football Club on September 29.

Mrs Dennis said, "My brothers and some of my dad's friends also played a charity golf match earlier in the day at Horam Park Golf Club on the same day.

"We had support from local businesses and retailers who kindly donated prizes for the auction and money donations for the research funds.

"The event was in memory of my dad Bob Tolley who sadly passed away last year from this terrible disease.

"We as a family wanted to do something to raise funds and awareness for the treatment and research into this disease caused by asbestos.

"We are still searching for witnesses who worked with my dad on a firm called Humphreys & Glasgow Ltd.

"We have the help of a solicitor from Manchester who specialises is asbestos cases.

"But at the end of the day it is not about the money, it is about making someone take responsibility for what happened to my dad, who was only just 67 when he died and still actively working for Hotchkiss Ltd, a local firm.

"There are more and more cases of mesothelioma in Eastbourne so it is not confined to large industrial towns, and because of the latency period of the disease, between five to 60 years, it is very hard to find information about companies sufferers previously worked for."

Asbestos was used in thousands of products and buildings all over the world.

But from the 1980s it was realised that the material had a damaging effect on health.

It was not until the mid 1980s that blue and brown asbestos were banned in the UK, and not until November 1999 that white asbestos was finally banned from use.

SOURCE

How is a Mesothelioma Diagnosis Determined?

2007-10-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

If you've been exposed to asbestos and suspect that you may have asbestosis or mesothelioma, it's very important that you see a doctor who has experience dealing with asbestos related diseases as soon as possible. The doctor will determine a mesothelioma diagnosis by taking a full medical history and performing a series of diagnostic tests.

One of the reasons that mesothelioma is so deadly is that it is often not diagnosed until it has reached late stage malignancy. New tests and more sensitive instruments have made it possible to get a mesothelioma diagnosis earlier in the progress of the disease. As with most types of cancer, the earlier that it's caught, the more treatment options you'll have. The sooner you have a mesothelioma diagnosis, the sooner treatment can begin. Here's what you can expect if you see a doctor to pursue a mesothelioma diagnosis.

Medical History
The doctor or a nurse will take a complete medical history to determine the symptoms you're experiencing and discover any risk factors. The history will include questions about when and where you might have been exposed to asbestos in the past. Among the symptoms the doctor will be looking for are frequent, painful cough, difficulty breathing and a history of lung function problems like pneumonia, emphysema and bronchitis.

Physical Examination
The doctor will also do a physical examination to discover any symptoms of mesothelioma. The examination will include listening to your breathing and heartbeat, as well as feeling (palpating) your abdomen. Patients with mesothelioma often have fluid buildups, known as effusions, in the tissues and cavities around the heart, lungs or in the abdomen.

X-rays and Imaging Tests
The next step in making a mesothelioma diagnosis is usually a series of chest X-rays. The X-rays may show any thickening of the lung tissues, irregularities in and around the lungs and mineral deposits or calcifications on the lung or pleural tissues. X-rays will also show any fluid buildup around or in the lungs. Any of these can suggest a mesothelioma diagnosis.

The doctor may then order other imaging tests, specifically CT scans and MRI scans. Together, the CT and MRI can help doctors to locate any lesions or tumors, and determine the extent and stage of the cancer. The imaging tests will tell the doctors what they need to know to suggest a course of treatment or further diagnostic testing.

Tissue and Fluid Samples
Your doctor may also want to take samples of fluid from around your lungs, heart or abdomen to determine if there are cancerous cells in it. This is usually done by inserting a needle into your chest cavity and withdrawing a small amount of the fluid for testing. The doctor may also recommend doing this to relieve uncomfortable pressure on the lungs and make breathing easier.

If the X-rays or other images show abnormal areas, your doctor may also want to take a tissue sample to examine for cancerous cells. Getting a sample for biopsy used to invariably involve surgery, but newer methods and equipment make it possible to obtain tissue samples without actually opening your chest. Only your doctor can determine if these methods will be appropriate in your case.

A thoracoscopy is performed with the help of an instrument called a thoracoscope - a telescope like instrument connected to a video camera. The doctor will make a small incision in your chest and insert the thorascoscope through it into your chest cavity. The video camera will allow the doctor to view and examine the tumor without opening your entire chest. He or she can then use a small, specially designed forceps to collect tissue from the tumor for testing. Doctors may also use the occasion of a thoracoscopy to remove fluid surrounding the lungs or pericardium.

Two other methods use similar instruments to obtain tissue samples and view close-ups of tumors and tissue. In a bronchoscopy, the doctor will insert a flexible, lighted tube through your mouth and thread it down through your trachea into the bronchia to find any masses or growths that may indicate pleural mesothelioma. Mediastinoscopy uses a lighted tube that is inserted beneath the sternum and into the chest cavity to view the lymph nodes in that area and examine them for growths abnormal appearance. In both of those procedures, doctors can remove tissue samples for testing.

Surgery is the most invasive method used in determining a mesothelioma diagnosis, but is sometimes the only way to remove a larger sample of the tumor. In some cases, if the cancer is still localized enough, the doctors may remove the entire tumor.

SOURCE

Asbestos disease victim goes to court

2007-10-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

VICTIM of asbestos-related cancer has launched a high court legal battle against the government for compensation of up to £200,000.

David Parker (67) has developed malignant mesothelioma, a terminal cancer of the tissues surrounding his lungs, according to a high court writ.

It relates to his job as an executive officer at the Prestwich Unemployment Benefit Office in the Longfield, where he was exposed to deadly asbestos dust and fibres.

Now Mr Parker, of Prenton Way, Walshaw, Bury, is claiming damages from the secretary of state for work and pensions, whom he blames for his condition.

The writ says he developed mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos when he worked as a civil servant for the secretary of state's predecessors, the Ministry of Labour, between 1967 and 2000.

The office was subdivided with asbestos partitions, which were in poor condition, and between 1978 and 1984 the office underwent major refurbishment, when the partitions were demolished and false ceilings fitted, it is alleged.

Mr Parker says conditions were dreadful, and that it was very dusty, and that asbestos was released into the air as the partitions were demolished. Elsewhere in the building there was asbestos, on the boiler and pipework, and he thinks it likely that this too produced asbestos dust, which he inhaled.

At the end of the refurbishment work, he was given a letter on June 12, 1984, confirming that asbestos had been found inside the office, the writ claims.

It says that he became breathless in June 2006, and then developed chest pain. His condition of malignant mesothelioma was diagnosed in February 2007, and he is undergoing chemotherapy but the writ claims the disease is expected to cut his life short by around 14 years.

Mr Parker accuses the secretary of state of negligence and breach of statutory duty and says this caused his illness. He says there was a failure to provide a safe place or system of work, failure to warn him of the dangers of asbestos, and failure to keep his workplace properly ventilated.

SOURCE

Data affirm benefit of Alimta for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma

2007-10-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

Mesothelioma :: Data affirm benefit of Alimta for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma

Data from two large, open- label studies show patients experienced one-year survival rates above 50 per- cent when treated with ALIMTA(R) (pemetrexed for injection) or ALIMTA-based regimens for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in both a first-line and second-line setting.

The study results affirm important efficacy and safety benefits for Eli Lilly and Company's ALIMTA, the only-known agent to demon- strate a survival benefit in this often difficult-to-treat disease primarily associated with exposure to asbestos.

The data were presented at the 12th World Conference on Lung Cancer.

One of the largest studies undertaken in the treatment of mesothelioma, the triple-arm, open-label, multicenter, first-line study (WCLC Abstract # C5-01) treated patients with ALIMTA as a single agent, while the other two arms evaluated ALIMTA in combination with either cisplatin or carboplatin. All three arms demonstrated clinically similar one-year survival rates (58.6% for ALIMTA alone; 63.1% for ALIMTA+cisplatin, and; 64.0% for ALIMTA+carboplatin). The ALIMTA plus platinum combination arms achieved higher response rates than ALIMTA alone (10.5% for ALIMTA; 26.3% for ALIMTA+cisplatin, and; 21.7% for ALIMTA+carboplatin). All 2,023 patients treated in the first-line setting had a histologic or cytologic diagnosis (pa- tients cells were reviewed under a microscope) of MPM that was not amenable to curative surgery.

An open-label, multicenter study (WCLC Abstract # C5-03), evaluated the results from 988 patients who were treated in a second-line setting for MPM with ALIMTA as a single agent, ALIMTA+cisplatin or ALIMTA+carboplatin after being previously treated with chemotherapy. All three arms demonstrated a significant one-year survival rate (54.7% for ALIMTA alone; 67.9% for ALIMTA+cisplatin, and; 65.5% for ALIMTA+carboplatin). Patients treated with ALIMTA in combination with a platinum-based chemotherapy demonstrated higher response rates (12.1% for ALIMTA; 23.8% for ALIMTA+cisplatin, and; 16.8% for ALIMTA+carboplatin). The most common grade 3/4 toxicities on both studies were leukopenia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and anemia.

"The initial clinical trial results for ALIMTA in malignant pleural meso- thelioma were definitely considered a medical breakthrough when they were unveiled just three years ago," said Richard Gaynor, M.D., vice president, cancer research and global oncology platform leader for Lilly. "It is encouraging that these open-label studies show real world patient treatment outcomes that are consistent with those from the controlled clinical research environment. In my opinion, this is clinically meaningful information to the practicing oncologist."

ALIMTA was approved by both the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2004 in combination with cisplatin for the treatment of MPM. To date, ALIMTA has been approved in more than 85 countries in combination with cisplatin for the treatment of MPM.

SOURCE

Senate passes Murray bill to ban asbestos

2007-10-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

Sen. Patty Murray has looked into the eyes of too many people who would die from exposure to asbestos.

Thursday, the Senate voted unanimously to pass Murray's ban on the importation of asbestos, which still is found in more than 3,000 consumer products. If approved by the House and not vetoed by the president, the United States will finally join more than 40 other nations that have banned the cancer-causing material.

Lots of tears were shed during Murray's six-year battle to get support for the ban. The Washington Democrat and her staff talked to George Biekkola, a taconite miner from the Michigan Iron Range. They talked to Les Skramsted, who sucked in his lethal dose of asbestos from the vermiculite mine in Libby, Mont. When they, and many others, died, she talked to the widows. Lots of widows, she said.

With an intensity that bordered on obsession, Murray and her staff became experts on asbestos, where it came from and how it killed.

Her schedule shows more than 100 meetings on issues surrounding the ban with labor leaders, lobbyists, lawyers, industry leaders and physicians -- government and civilian -- who were tired of watching their patients die deaths that shouldn't have happened. Murray needed to learn and then to teach.

She met with families in Washington whose homes were insulated with asbestos-tainted vermiculite and listened to their fear of what harm has been done to their families.

She spoke to the children of a brake mechanic from Seattle whose father died of asbestos disease. Her staff had a hard time explaining to the two teenagers why brakes still contained asbestos.

Corporate opposition to Murray's efforts was enormous.

"When you go after an issue like this, you're fighting a lot of big-time money. Lobbyists for manufacturers, the sand and gravel folks, people with commercial interest and a lot of clout fought this," Murray said. "I wasn't surprised that many other (lawmakers) didn't want to get involved because they thought it was impossible."

Early in the fight, the White House did all it could to stymie discussion, let alone passage of the ban. Murray's efforts were a victim of collateral damage from a three-year Republican effort to pass legislation favored by President Bush that would have prevented people injured by exposure to asbestos from suing the companies involved.

For the past seven months, Murray said, she worked closely with Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia. He convinced Republicans of the importance of the ban, she said.

Murray says she's sure it will become law.

"The House leadership said it was waiting for us to act, and I expect them to move quickly," she said. "And, I have not heard a word from the president about vetoing the bill. We worked for months addressing every possible objection and I think the White House would have a very hard time vetoing this."

She said the ban would be the best thing she has accomplished "because it will save lives. Lots of them."

Murray says that two years after her bill is signed into law, there will be no asbestos in hair dryers or brake products or ceiling tiles or 3,000 other imported products.

Among the many demands in the legislation is the banning of the importation, manufacture, processing and distribution of products containing asbestos. It orders the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure asbestos products are off the shelves within two years of the bill's enactment.

It would create a $50 million "Asbestos-Related Disease Research and Treatment Network" of 10 new centers dedicated to finding better treatment, earlier detection and methods of preventing asbestos-related disease.

It says the EPA shall conduct a public education campaign to increase awareness of the dangers posed by products containing or contaminated by asbestos, including in homes and workplaces.

SOURCE

Asbestos expert used in local cases comes under scrutiny

2007-10-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

For almost a decade, Dr. Jay T. Segarra was considered the lung disease expert local plaintiffs lawyers called on to testify in their massive asbestos cases.

In the early days, on his way to earning a handsome fortune, Segarra testified as an expert here in Jefferson County for a 1998 Reaud, Morgan & Quinn case against U.S. Steel. The case, Inez Martin et al vs. AC&S et al, is still active and listed on the October docket of the 60th District Court.

After that, Dr. Segarra, a pulmonary specialist, was then used heavily as an expert throughout the late 1990s by Reaud, Provost Umphrey, Brent Coon and other plaintiffs' firms in Jefferson and Orange counties.

But according to a recent New York Times article, things have taken a turn for the worse for Segarra.

Defendants in a large Philadelphia asbestos case have asked the court to exclude testimony from Dr. Segarra because he had not followed "the standards for which he so adamantly advocated."

The Times reported that a defense motion filed last month claimed Dr. Segarra has made more than $10 million as professional witness and has been working with mass screening companies that result in "an astonishing number of would-be plaintiffs with asbestos and/or silicosis - not for any valid medical reason, but solely for profit."

Segarra, 51, lives and works on the Mississippi Gulf coast. The doctor has reportedly participated in almost 40,000 positive diagnoses for asbestos-related illnesses over the past 13 years.

As late as Sept. 1, 2006, Dr. Segarra's name appeared on a plaintiffs' designation as a "Will Call" expert witness in a large asbestos suit filed by Coon in Jefferson County.

And it wasn't just in Southeast Texas that Segarra was considered one of the top experts in asbestos-related diseases. In 2005, a federal judge in Corpus Christi held Dr. Segarra's procedure for diagnosing the illnesses to be the gold standard.

When U.S. District Judge Janis Jack began to question mass screenings that were turning up clients with both asbestosis and silicosis, she relied on Dr. Segarra's expertise.

While asbestosis and silicosis are both lung diseases caused by inhaling dust, asbestos is a mineral that can cause cancer while silica is purified sand used in making glass.

Many pulmonary experts believe it is extremely rare for a patient to have both asbestosis and silicosis. For Judge Jack, a former nurse, the number of clients having both diseases raised a red flag.

Dr. Segarra told Judge Jack that good doctors personally perform physical examinations, discuss patients medical histories, read X-rays and then review and sign their reports. He said the process to determine if a person has asbestos or silicosis can take 60 to 90 minutes.

When Judge Jack ruled that thousands of silicosis claims had been manufactured for money, she pointed to Dr. Segarra as the standard that others should follow.

But the Times states that court records indicate that Dr. Segarra violated his own rules more than 700 times, relying on others for medical histories and exams.

Records from the Claims Resolution Management Corporation, which oversees asbestos claims, show that Dr. Segarra averaged eight positive diagnoses of asbestos-related illnesses per day over the last 13 years. Some days he rendered positive diagnoses for 20 to 50 people, which would not be possible using his own 60 to 90 minutes per exam timeframe.

In March 2006, an NPR segment looked into Judge Jack's ruling and Dr. Segarra's methods. Among those interviewed by Wayne Goodwyn for the story was Coon, who had been in Jack's court on silicosis cases.

Coon told Goodwyn he disagreed with much of Judge Jack's ruling.

"Judge Jack, she's a fine judge," Coon said in the March 6, 2006, segment of All Things Considered. "But I don't think she's very sophisticated about the process. I think this is the first time she'd actually had these complex mass tort cases in her courtroom."

He said that there were some problems with some of the silicosis diagnoses, but that Jack did properly weed those out. Coon went on to say that the screenings save lives by alerting clients to possible lung disease earlier than they might otherwise have known.

Coon said that overall, the screening process is "very good."

SOURCE

Killer asbestos diseases stalk South African mining communities

2007-10-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

PRIESKA, South Africa (AFP) — Robert Devenish has resigned himself to an agonising death of asbestos-induced cancer, a silent but cruel killer stalking mining communities in South Africa's Northern Cape province.

"Nobody wants to die suffering, but we don't all have a choice," said the 64-year-old former mine employee who was diagnosed with mesothelioma last December and given months to live.

Mesothelioma is a non-curable cancer of the lung lining that can take up to 40 years from asbestos exposure to develop. It condemns its victims to a painful and breathless end, usually about 18 months after diagnosis.

Devenish is one of tens of thousands of South Africans, most of them in small Northern Cape towns, who contracted asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) -- a hangover from the country's heyday as one of the world's top producers of the substance believed as far back as the 1920s to pose serious health risks.

Asbestos mining stopped in South Africa in the mid-1980s, but people are still being diagnosed with ARDs like mesothelioma and asbestosis on a regular basis, while many more continue to be at risk from unrehabilitated sites.

Several uses for asbestos, once a popular insulator due to its heat resistant properties, have been banned around the world.

And foreign-owned mining companies have in the past six years paid out tens of millions of dollars in settlements from which an estimated 10,000 South African victims of their asbestos extracting activities have benefited so far.

Mesothelioma sufferers like Devenish got 28,000 rand (just over 4,000 dollars, 2,800 euros) each, small comfort for a dying man.

At a time that he should have been welcoming retirement, Devenish is instead packing up house with his wife, Anna, and moving from the remote settlement of Marydale to a smaller home in a bigger town where she can remain after his death.

"The doctors said the life expectancy is between six and 18 months without special treatment," explained Devenish, who is following an expensive but hopefully life-prolonging course of chemotherapy.

Prieska doctor Gideon Smith said his longest surviving mesothelioma patient died two years after being diagnosed. But some are known to have lived for five years.

Smith told AFP he diagnosed five to 10 cases of mesothelioma per year in the town of about 20,000.

"Every time somebody comes to me with a lung ailment, the first thought is asbestos. It is almost always the case," said Smith.

One of his patients, 68-year-old Petrus van Nell, has taken to bed with mesothelioma without much hope of rising from it again.

Like many others, he grew up on asbestos mines and worked as a youngster at crushing stones for pocket money.

"I am short of breath and tired. Extremely tired. I have a lot of pain," Van Nell said as he battled to sit upright in his bed.

In a small house nearby, mesothelioma sufferer Magrieta Esau, 52, is on a permanent course of morphine. She grew up on asbestos mines, later worked on one, and lost both parents to ARDs.

"The asbestos was everywhere, even our homes. But nobody ever warned us," she said. "As children, we played on the asbestos mine heaps. And we were sometimes paid small change for helping to crush the stones.

"I am angry. It is hard to make peace with the fact that the rest of my life will be full of pain."

Studies have put the prevalence of ARDs in Northern Cape mining areas as high as 50 percent of the population.

Yet piles of raw asbestos fibres are still to be found dumped and uncovered, while rehabilitation work has yet to be done on several mine dumps that threaten communities within a 100-kilometre (62-mile) radius with wind contamination.

Some secondary roads in the province contain asbestos fibres visible to the naked eye, and many schools and homes in towns like Prieska still have asbestos in their frames.

"If this was Europe, huge areas would have to be evacuated. They are not safe for people to live in," said lawyer Richard Spoor, who has represented dozens of ARD sufferers in court.

In a provincial budget speech in June, Northern Cape environment minister Pieter Saaiman said rehabilitation of derelict, ownerless asbestos mines was progressing well.

"However, secondary asbestos pollution remains a matter of concern," he said, without proposing a course of action.

Anti-asbestos activist Sol Bosch watched his father die cruelly over three years of the lung disease asbestosis.

Bosch is bitter over what he perceives as mining companies' past callousness and the current government's inertia.

But on a personal level, fear of sharing his father's fate is never far from the surface.

"I am too scared to go for an X-Ray," he said. "I would rather not know."

SOURCE

Asbestos scare at sheltered home

2007-10-15T06:58:00.001-07:00

An asbestos alert at sheltered homes in Lowestoft has left elderly and disabled tenants without toilet facilities in their flats for two days.

Environmental health officers halted refurbishment work on the toilets at Hildesley Court on Stradbroke Road when an anonymous tip-off alerted them to the presence of asbestos insulating boards in pipe ducting.

They said contractors working on behalf of building managers Housing 21 had disturbed the dangerous substance, creating airborne fibres which can cause cancer and lung diseases if inhaled.

The bathrooms of 18 flats were immediately sealed, leaving pensioners to face a difficult journey to the toilets at the far end of the ground floor - some even resorting to using buckets in their rooms.

Last night, Housing 21 bosses apologised to tenants and said a specialist asbestos cleaning firm was working to contain the problem and they expected the toilets to reopen today.

Hildesley Court resident Alec Cooper, 92, said he was concerned about the hazardous dust, but more affected by the difficulty of not having a toilet in his first-floor flat.

“I am crippled and I have to go four or five times a night. There are toilets downstairs but I use a bucket during the night.

“It doesn't upset me - I have been in the army so I've roughed it before, but it is the women I worry about.

“The manager and his wife offered to help empty it but I have a walker and if you can't do that for yourself then you might as well stay in bed, and I'm not going to do that.”

An 80-year-old woman, who did not wish to be named, said: “I am very annoyed we have to go all the way to the end of the building. It is very inconvenient.”

A Housing 21 spokesman said a short-term solution to seal any exposed asbestos would be completed today and longer-term work to remove the material would begin “in the next few days”.

“No residents are at risk, but have been offered alternative accommodation either with relatives or in local hotels,” he said.

“Most residents have chosen to stay on the court, but our apologies go to all of them for the disruption and inconvenience caused. We will obviously resolve this problem just as soon as we can, and hope that everybody will be back in their homes by Thursday afternoon.”

Britain banned the import and use of most asbestos products in 1999 because airborne fibres, released if the material is disturbed, can cause mesothelioma - a type of cancer - and other lung diseases.

A Waveney District Council spokesman said: “A prohibition notice was issued because, in the opinion of the environ-mental health officer, the refurbishment work was disturbing asbestos and would present an imminent risk to health.”

SOURCE

EPA refused to warn of asbestos dangers

2007-10-15T06:56:00.000-07:00

Congressional investigators will hammer the Environmental Protection Agency in a soon-to-be-released report for its flawed examination and cleanup of hundreds of factories that once processed asbestos-contaminated vermiculite into insulation.

But public health specialists say the investigation ignores an even greater failure: the EPA's refusal to adequately warn millions of homeowners that they may be exposed to cancer-causing asbestos in that insulation.

The Government Accountability Office conducted the investigation for Congress. The report, expected to be made public later this month, will say that the EPA's examination of sites in Spokane, Portland and 264 other communities that processed ore from Libby, Mont., used outdated criteria and underestimated or completely missed the dangers to people who worked there or lived nearby.

But the report will not address the EPA's failure to warn homeowners about the risks they face from the insulation.

"It is unconscionable that EPA would not inform the American public of the danger they live with by having this potentially lethal material in their homes," said Dr. Richard Lemen, former assistant U.S. Surgeon General, and acting director of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

The hazard from exposure to the tremolite asbestos contaminating the vermiculite insulation is well known, Lemen said, "and for EPA to basically keep it a secret from homeowners for all these years is outrageous."

The ore and the finished vermiculite product were sold by W.R. Grace & Co., often under the brand name Zonolite.

It's impossible to know how many homes contain insulation made from the ore. The government and lawyers who have brought a class-action suit against Grace use a formula that calculates the peak years of Zonolite sales, the percentage of the market those sales represented and the number of homes built during that period.

In Washington state, 230,000 to 300,000 homes fall into that matrix, out of as many as 35 million nationwide.

"The EPA knows that people throughout the country continue to encounter this dangerous insulation in their day-to-day activities," said Dr. Aubrey Miller, a U.S. Public Health Service physician.

For eight years, he has worked with the EPA team investigating hazards of the asbestos in the insulation.

"Kids continue to play in it," Miller said. "Workers continue to work in it. Residents continue to be exposed to it and few, if any, have a clue of the hazardous nature of this material.

"For years scientists have documented that the most minor movement, slightest disruption of this Zonolite insulation will unleash millions of fibers into the air. For the child playing in the attic or the cable or telephone installer, or anyone doing renovations, the risks are enormous."

Keven McDermott, manager of EPA's Environmental Services Unit for the Pacific Northwest region, says she continues to get calls asking about the safety of the insulation, seven years after her office did the first analysis of the risks posed by consumer products made with ore from Libby.

"This tells me that as an agency we have not done enough to educate the public about the hazards of Libby vermiculite, especially the insulation," she said. "I feel sick at heart when a young father tells me he just rewired his house, crawling through the vermiculite insulation in his attic day after day, tracking dust and asbestos throughout his home.

"When I explain about the asbestos in Libby vermiculite, there is a stunned silence. He wonders out loud what harm he may have done his family -- and himself.

"We have got to get the word out that they need to take precautions when they work around vermiculite attic insulation."

Almost everything related to the Libby ore and how it's to be dealt with has been mired in a quagmire of national politics, well-funded asbestos industry lobbyists and White House meddling.

The Justice Department has filed serious criminal charges against Grace and seven of its top executives for concealing the dangers of the ore it mined and sold. After two years of postponements, the trial may begin early next year.

In 2002, then-EPA Administrator Christy Todd Whitman agreed with her team of scientists and physicians working in Libby that a "Public Health Emergency" should be declared because of the severe toxicity of the asbestos contamination in the insulation. The declaration would have authorized and provided money for intensified health studies that would quantify the threat from the Libby asbestos, expand the cleanup of the town and the homes, and conduct an extensive publicity campaign to notify homeowners and workers of the dangers from exposure to Zonolite.

Thousands of pages of e-mails, letters and reports document intense efforts from the White House to block the declaration, especially the part that would require the government to tell millions of homeowners that they could be living with a toxic threat in their attic and walls.

In May 2003, EPA said it was launching a "national consumer awareness campaign to provide homeowners with important information on vermiculite attic insulation which may contain asbestos."

It promised extensive television and radio ads, a "blitz" of appearances on national and local news show, the distribution of "tens of thousands" of posters and warning brochures in home improvement stores.

It never happened.

In August, Sen. Max Baucus brought current EPA Administrator Steven Johnson to Libby for a hearing on why EPA headquarters thwarted efforts to institute the emergency declaration. When the Montana Democrat threatened to subpoena the documents showing what happened, Johnson agreed to provide them.

For decades, millions of pounds of the shiny vermiculite ore was shipped from Libby to processing plants throughout North America. High capacity ovens transformed the vermiculite into featherweight, silvery fluff used in scores of consumer and construction products from potting soil to insulation.

Grace documents show that the bulk of residential Zonolite sales were north of a line running from northern California through Denver and St. Louis to Philadelphia. Marketing, production and sales reports obtained by the government show heavy concentrations of Zonolite sold throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, California and in Canada.

Exposure to tremolite asbestos in Libby caused asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer among the miners, their family members and people who lived in town but had no direct connection to the mine.

Hundreds have died and government testing has found that thousands of other people who live or worked near Libby have signs of the disease.

The Seattle P-I disclosed the deaths in Libby eight years ago. Within months government health specialists involved with the victims of the Grace mine insisted that the toxicity of the tremolite that contaminated the vermiculite was alarmingly different, but it continues to fall under the same government regulations and tolerances established for the less lethal chrysotile form of asbestos.

Grace said it stopped producing the insulation in the late 1980s and most of its sites had been sold to other businesses. EPA investigators say the new owners of former processing plants may not have known that tons of asbestos-contaminated waste may have been buried on the property or was clinging to dust-covered rafters.

EPA headquarters told its regional offices to determine how many sites were contaminated. Some regions did elaborate sampling of soil, air and dust. Others did "windshield surveys" without leaving their car. Some regional offices did nothing.

"Based on these evaluations, 19 sites were found to be contaminated ... and needed to be cleaned," the GAO will report. But, it noted, in evaluating the sites EPA used a decades-old "1 percent rule," which said an area was "safe" if the asbestos found didn't exceed 1 percent.

For years many scientists and physicians from EPA and the National Centers for Disease Control were largely ignored by agency chiefs when they argued that that the 1 percent threshold was just an arbitrary number that industry supported.

As to the insulation in homes, EPA has posted a warning on its Web site and produced a pamphlet that will be sent to anyone who asks.

Said Miller, the Public Health Service physician:

"This is not how a public health crisis should be handled."

SOURCE

Next step in effort to reduce radon at school: filters

2007-10-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

Tension filled the room at George Whittell High School on Wednesday night, as parents, teachers and administrators gathered for a meeting to discuss the discovery of radon levels exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency action levels at Zephyr Cove Elementary School.

Many parents had made clear they were ready to pull their children out of Zephyr Cove Elementary if they weren't satisfied with what Superintendent Carol Lark had to say about plans to bring down the radon levels.

Radon is a colorless, odorless, naturally-occurring, radioactive gas released from soils that can accumulate to dangerous levels in homes, especially during colder months when windows and doors typically remain closed.

After a presentation on radon by Adrian Howe, radiation physicist with the radiological health sector of the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, it was Dirk Roper, the owner of Fallon Heating and Air Conditioning and the certified radon testing and mitigation expert recommended by Nevada state health officials who was able to comfort many of the parents.

"Based on the tests I've done (at Zephyr Cove Elementary), I'd say you're OK," Roper said.

Roper said it's the radon progeny - the radioactive particles into which radon decays - that pose a threat to lung tissue. The radon levels found in several rooms at Zephyr Cove Elementary are above the EPA action levels, but the equivalent levels of radon progeny are not dangerous, Roper said.

Lark outlined the action plans proposed by the district to handle the radon problem. Plan A is to place high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters in every room at Zephyr Cove Elementary. The HEPA filters will help to filter the radon progeny, Roper said.

Once the filters are in place, roughly three weeks, Roper will retest every room at the school to ensure that the equivalent levels of radon progeny are below EPA action levels.

If the levels remain above action levels, then the district will move on to Plan B, which entails installing a pressurized ventilation system under the school, helping to keep the radon from entering the school at all. Plan B would require working with the TRPA, and would take roughly a month to begin, and six to eight weeks to complete. Once operational - Lark estimated early January - each room in the school would again be tested by Roper to ensure that radon and progeny levels are below EPA action levels.

Some parents still expressed concerns that although the progeny levels would be reduced by the HEPA filters, they would do nothing to bring down the actual radon levels.

Radon testing is cheap, and from it one can estimate the level of radon progeny, but not precisely, Roper said. Roper tests not only the radon levels, but also the levels of radon progeny.

Some parents were not convinced, and wondered why Zephyr Cove Elementary couldn't be closed, and students consolidated to Kingsbury Middle School instead.

Other parents, however, seemed comforted by Roper's explanation of the situation, and of the districts plan of action.

"I think the district is moving forward on this," Heather Howell said.

Howell, who has two sons at Zephyr Cove Elementary, had drafted a letter for parents to sign saying that they'd pull their kids out of Zephyr Cove Elementary if the district didn't take swift action on the radon problem.

"I won't be pulling my kids out," Howell said.

Denise Dunt, another Zephyr Cove parent, while pleased with the districts plans, is waiting to see that the plan works.

"I'm excited about this," Dunt said. "I just want to make sure (the filters) are in every room."

SOURCE

Heavy smoker' dies of cancer, benefactor sues for asbestos exposure

2007-10-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

A plant operator for most of his life, Jack Jones sued and received a settlement for his asbestos-related disease. Now deceased, Jones' benefactor is suing for a "different malignant asbestos-related injury." Jones had an "extensive" cigarette smoking history.

Attorney Bryan Blevins of Provost Umphrey filed the lawsuit on behalf of Barbara Jones against the A.O. Smith Corp. and 41 other corporations, claiming the companies knowingly and maliciously manufactured and distributed asbestos-containing products throughout Jefferson County.

The suit was filed with the Jefferson County District Court on Oct. 2, 2007.

The plaintiff's original petition says the 42 defendants entangled in his lawsuit were negligent for failing to adequately test their asbestos-laced products before flooding the market with dangerous goods and warn the consumer of the dangers of asbestos exposure.

Some of the defendants listed in the suit include aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, Viacom and iron supplier Zurn Industries.

In addition, the petition faults Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Corp. (3M Corporation) and American Optical Corp. for producing defective masks that failed to "provide respiratory protection."

Although Jones sued and received a claim while he was alive, the suit says, "Plaintiff now seeks damages against defendants not released in the previous actions pursuant to Pustejovsky v. Rapid-American Corp."

"The court must apply a separate accrual rule in these cases because a single action rule would forbid a second suit and in doing so force the asbestos plaintiff to file premature litigation on speculative claims, which the court in Pustejovsky notes is neither efficient or desirable," the suit said.

Medical documents attached to the suit indicated Jones was "a heavy smoker." He died sometime between the years of 2005 and 2007.

Upon attorney Blevins' request, Dr. J.D. Briton of the Texas Occupational Medicine Institute reviewed Jones' medical history and wrote in the suit that, "It is my current medical opinion that within reasonable medical probability Mr. Jack Jones has pulmonary asbestosis and respiratory impairment."

According to the suit, "Decedent was engaged in the course of his employment as an Operator, and in other various roles and capacities where he was required to work with, and/or around asbestos and asbestos containing products and materials, which caused him to suffer from asbestos-related diseases and other industrial dust diseases caused by breathing the asbestos-containing products."

The plaintiff is suing for physical pain and suffering in the past and future, mental anguish in the past and future, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, disfigurement in the past and future, physical impairment in the past and future, and past and future medical expenses.

Judge Gary Sanderson, 60th District Court, has been assigned to the case.

SOURCE.

Heavy smoking, asbestos exposure 'synergistically' causes lung cancer, suit says

2007-10-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

At the request of Provost Umphrey attorney Bryan Blevins, the Texas Occupational Medicine Institute reviewed Clothilde DeJean's medical records and concluded Dejean's "heavy smoking history" combined with asbestos exposure "synergistically" caused her cancer.

DeJean, 77, was allegedly exposed to asbestos while laundering her husband's clothing. She has already sued and received a claim for her asbestos injury, but is suing again for a "different malignant asbestos-related injury."

Acting on DeJean's behalf, Blevins filed suit with the Jefferson County District Court on Sept. 28 against the A.O. Smith Corp. and 43 other corporations, claiming the companies knowingly and maliciously manufactured and distributed asbestos-containing products throughout the county.

The plaintiff's original petition says the 44 defendants entangled in the lawsuit were negligent for failing to adequately test their asbestos-laced products before flooding the market with dangerous goods and warn the consumer of the dangers of asbestos exposure.

Some of the defendants listed in the suit include aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, Viacom and iron supplier Zurn Industries.

According to the medical documents attached to the suit, DeJean's husband was an operator at the Texaco refinery for many years. She was indirectly exposed to asbestos while laundering her husband's clothing and rags from 1945 to 1980.

The documents also note DeJean was exposed to asbestos while working as a custodian at a Mid County school, "which later underwent asbestos abatement."

DeJean, who suffered from diabetes, hyperlipidemia and heart disease, had a "heavy smoking history, the medical documents stated.

"Tobacco is a human carcinogen that significantly increases the risk of lung cancer," the suit said. "Asbestos is also a well-recognized human carcinogen, which acts synergistically with tobacco in increasing the risk for lung cancer. In this case, Ms. Dejean has radiographic evidence of asbestos exposure in the form of asbestos-related pleural disease and pulmonary asbestosis.

"Given the clinical diagnosis of asbestosis, it is my (Dr. Steven Haber) opinion that asbestos played a role in the cause of Ms. Dejean's lung cancer. Based upon the records I have reviewed, it is my opinion that asbestos acted in synergy with tobacco in causing this cancer. My opinions are to a reasonable degree of medical probability."

Although DeJean has sued and already received for her asbestos-related injury, the suit says, "Plaintiff now suffers from a different malignant asbestos-related injury… and seeks damages against defendants not released in the previous actions pursuant to Pustejovsky v. Rapid-American Corp."

"The court must apply a separate accrual rule in these cases because a single action rule would forbid a second suit and in doing so force the asbestos plaintiff to file premature litigation on speculative claims, which the court in Pustejovsky notes is neither efficient or desirable," the suit said.

In addition, the petition faults Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Corp. (3M Corporation) and American Optical Corp. for producing defective masks that failed to "provide respiratory protection."

The plaintiff is suing for physical pain and suffering in the past and future, mental anguish in the past and future, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, disfigurement in the past and future, physical impairment in the past and future, and past and future medical expenses.

Judge Donald Floyd, 172nd Judicial District, has been assigned to the case.

SOURCE.

Asbestos Disease Awareness

2007-10-04T06:49:00.000-07:00

Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization Unveils Findings of Asbestos in Everyday Products

Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization Unveils Findings of Asbestos in Everyday ProductsASBESTOS-PRESS-CONF

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO):

WHO: The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) featuring expert speakers: -- Sean Fitzgerald, President, Scientific Analytical Institute, Inc. -- Richard A. Lemen, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., Former Deputy Director and Acting Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and Assistant Surgeon General, USPHS (ret.), Rear Admiral, USPHS (ret.) -- Linda Reinstein, Co-Founder and Executive Director, ADAO

WHAT: Press Conference to Unveil RESEARCH Findings on Products Containing Asbestos ADAO and guest experts will discuss landmark findings from ADAO and the Scientific Analytical Institute that reveal asbestos in everyday products including children's toys, appliances, hardware & household goods and home & garden items.The findings, the first in a series of test results, will include specific product examples, analyses on the dangers of asbestos exposure, and the new, younger profile of asbestos victims.

ADAO has been working with Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and other key members of Congress to implement a full ban on asbestos. The occurrence of asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis, is growing out of control. Studies estimate that during the NEXT decade, 100,000 victims in the United States will die of an asbestos related disease annually - equaling 30 deaths per day.

WHERE: National Press Club Holeman Lounge 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor Washington, DC 20045

WHEN: Friday, October 5, 2007 10:00 am - 11:00 am EDT

CONTACT: Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) Douglas Larkin Office: 703-250-3590 x1245 Mobile: 202-391-1546 doug@AsbestosDiseaseAwareness.org

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 www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org.

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RESEARCH

CITY'S 'DISEASE TIME BOMB'

2007-10-01T07:46:00.000-07:00

The family of a city dockyard worker who died of asbestos-related cancer are holding a high-profile public meeting to highlight the disease 'time bomb' in Plymouth.

The daughters and wife of electrical fitter Roger Lowe - who died of mesothelioma in December 2005 - have arranged the October 1 meeting as part of a campaign launched in his memory. Plymouth has been identified as the UK's fourth largest 'hotspot' for the disease, with 320 people dying from asbestos-caused mesothelioma between 1985 and 2004. Cases expected to peak between 2011 and 2015 as the condition takes between 30 to 40 years to emerge. Jackie Lowe, aged 35 of Brixton, Mr Lowe's daughter, said: "This meeting is going to be a big push to raise awareness and help build a supportive network for those who suffer from this awful disease." Full story in tomorrow's Herald

Asbestos could have caused man's death

2007-09-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

EXPOSURE to asbestos while training as an electrician could have caused the death years later of an East Bergholt man.

Michael Trinder, 61, of Hadleigh Road, East Bergholt, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in February 2006 and died on June 26 this year at the St Elizabeth's Hospice, Ipswich.

During an inquest held yesterday at South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court, coroner Dr Peter Dean read from statements from his family which said he had trained as an electrician during his youth.

Since then he had studied at Loughborough University and the University of Essex, before working as an acoustic consultant to the air conditioning industry.

Following his death, the cause was given as mesothelioma, which can be caused by asbestos exposure, by consultant respiratory physician Nicholas Innes.

Dr Dean said: “While he was ill Mr Trinder said the only exposure to asbestos he could recall was when changing soffit boards.

“However he could not rule out that he may have encountered it during his earlier training as an electrician, although he had no recollection of contact.

“We are left with the question of whether this was industrial exposure or domestic exposure, or one of the very small percentage of cases where there was no exposure at all.”

Dr Dean recorded an open verdict and extended his sympathy to the family who were present at the inquest on Tuesday .

SOURCE.

National Mesothelioma Cancer Awareness Day- September 26th

2007-09-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

Meso is a Rare Form of Cancer Caused by Asbestos Exposure. While It's Survival Rate is Dismal, More People Should Become Aware of This Form of Cancer.

September 26th is National Meso (mesothelioma) Awareness Day. Begun by the Meso Foundation, this day is dedicated to raise awareness of the problems, symptoms, and need for research into mesothelioma, one of the lesser-known forms of cancer.

In simplest terms, the tissues that line our lungs, heart, stomach and other organs are called "mesothelium." When these cells develop cancer, it's called mesothelioma, or meso for short. Meso is very painful because as the cancer cells grow, they crush the lungs. A person with mensothelioma may eventually be suffocated so that breathing is painful, or the heart or other organs can be crushed as the cancer grows. Most people who are diagnosed with meso die within 4 to 14 months.

Meso is caused by asbestos exposure. It can take years (30, 40, or even 50 years) to develop. According to the Meso Foundation, the U.S. EPA identified asbestos as," one of the most hazardous substances to which humans are exposed in both occupational and non-occupational settings."

The Navy, shipyard workers, household products, and many appliances, residential and commercial construction have all used asbestos. It's still around and in many schools, homes, and businesses. Even small exposure to asbestos particles can cause meso. Although the air was declared "safe" after 9/11, rescue workers and first-responders may have been exposed to high amounts of particulates in the air, including asbestos. Some people estimate that at least 400 tons of asbestos was released into the air in New York after the towers collapsed on 9/11.

The EPA estimates that over 20 million American workers have been exposed to asbestos particles. Every year approximately 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma. While it's still a rare form of cancer, it is expected to affect more people since it takes so long to develop and so many, many people have been exposed to asbestos in recent years.

According to the Meso Foundation, treatments for mesothelioma were largely ignored. While asbestos was known to be a carcinogenic, businesses were allowed to continue using it. Developing treatments for meso were ignored, perhaps because of potential legal minefields.

With a myriad of reasons behind it, the bottom line is that funding for research into treating meso has lagged far behind that of other forms of cancer. The Meso Foundation hopes to change this by drawing awareness to this rare, but painful, form of cancer. Todays treatment consistes of chemotherapy and radiation.

There is a growing need to understand more about meso. It can be difficult to diagnose and is regularly missed. Once a meso diagnosis is finally made, survival rates are bleak.

Actor Steve McQueen died of meso only 11 months after his diagnosis in 1980. In 2003, singer-songwriter Warren Zevon was also diagnosed with meso. He died one year after being diagnosed with it. The treatment of meso has not changed much since 1980.

Sources:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mesothelioma.html
http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/myPRNJ.jsp?profileid=1151896&resourceid=3564922

Fury at low cash awards for asbestos victims

2007-09-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

FORMER York Carriageworks union leader Paul Cooper has blasted the levels of compensation paid to victims of the asbestos timebomb.

Mr Cooper, who has long campaigned on behalf of people killed because of their exposure to asbestos dust, claimed today that sufferers and their families were getting less in damages than criminals who injure themselves.

He said in a letter to York MP Hugh Bayley that the Government had failed to act on a Law Commission report of 1999, recommending increases in damages for victims of serious diseases such as abestosis and mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos dust.

He claimed the Government was currently looking at the law of damages, and was planning to study various Law Commission reports from the 1990s which had not been actioned - but the review had left out the crucial 1999 report.

"It would oblige our members, many of whom are your constituents, if you could investigate this new matter and press the concerns of our members and affected constituents," he said.

"We continue to have victims/sufferers of asbestos mesothelioma facing a death sentence, with wives and children receiving little more than £200,000 in compensation for their loss. Criminals who self-injure get £500,000, even though they suffer no losses whilst in prison. It is time for our workers to have real justice."

Mr Cooper, who received a Community Pride Volunteer of the Year award in 2005 for his work on behalf of asbestos victims, said he had written to the MP twice before on the subject, but the Government appeared still to be trying to avoid the issue.

"In the case of the victims from the Carriageworks, the state was responsible for their deaths, so the state should accept responsibility."

Scores of former Carriageworks employees have died from mesothelioma over the years, following widespread exposure to the deadly dust, particularly in the 1950s, 60s and early 70s.

Hugh Bayley said he had been campaigning on behalf of carriageworks asbestos victims since becoming MP, and he had helped ensure that they remained entitled to compensation when the railway industry was privatised in the 1990s.

He said he had only recently signed a Commons Early Day Motion calling for people suffering from pleural plaques - scarring of lung tissues caused by exposure to asbestos - to be given more compensation.

SOURCE

Asbestos Claim won by Air Guard mechanic's widow

2007-09-27T07:07:00.000-07:00

A Windsor Locks woman whose husband died of respiratory failure in 2003 while suffering from asbestosis, apparently stemming from asbestos exposure during his 32-year career as an aircraft mechanic for the Connecticut Air National Guard, will receive workers compensation benefits.

The woman, Rita M. Fredette, won the right to the benefits through a state Supreme Court decision this month, following an extended legal tussle with the state that turned entirely on procedural issues.

Fredette is the widow of John O. Fredette, who died at age 65 on March 25, 2003. He worked as a civilian mechanic for the Air National Guard from July 1960 until he retired at the end of 1992.

The medical validity of the claim never was litigated before the state Workers Compensation Commission because the state claims administrator missed a 28-day deadline for contesting Rita Fredette's claim. As a result, a workers compensation commissioner granted a motion by her lawyer to preclude the state from contesting the compensability of her claim.

But the state fought back, arguing that the Workers Compensation Commission lacked jurisdiction over the case because Rita Fredette filed her claim too late.

The case turned on the interrelationship of two provisions in the state's workers compensation law setting different deadlines for filing claims. The issue was technical and legally complex, but the state Supreme Court ultimately ruled that Rita Fredette filed her claim on time because it came less than three years after her husband's diagnosis with asbestosis of the lung.

It isn't entirely clear whether Rita Fredette's workers compensation claim would have succeeded if the state claims administrator had met the deadline for contesting it.

The notice of workers compensation claim filed in May 2003 by Rita Fredette's former lawyer, Richard L. Gross, lists the nature of John Fredette's injury as follows: "Occupational disease/pulmonary asbestosis from exposure to asbestos as an aircraft mechanic and death caused by complications of occupational disease."

Different picture

But in a death certificate on file at the Windsor Locks town clerk's office, Dr. Martin Forrest of Hartford, who was John Fredette's internist, certified the cause of death as respiratory failure due to "pneumo thorax," which, in turn, was due to "bullous emphysema."

Pneumothorax - which John Fredette suffered in the last three days of his life, according to the death certificate - is a type of lung collapse caused by leakage of air into the space between the lungs and the chest wall.

Bullous emphysema - which the death certificate says he suffered for more than 20 years - involves complete destruction of lung tissue, producing an air space greater than a centimeter in diameter.

Smoking is the most common cause of emphysema. A Hartford Hospital discharge summary from the September 2000 admission during which John Fredette was diagnosed with asbestosis of the lung says he "quit tobacco use approximately 10 years ago."

Asbestosis is listed on the death certificate under the heading, "Other significant conditions: Conditions contributing to death but not related to cause."

Manchester lawyer Brian E. Prindle, an emeritus member of the Connecticut Bar Association's Workers Compensation Executive Committee who isn't involved in the Fredette case, said death certificates aren't the final word on the validity of a workers compensation claim.

"The legal test for workers compensation is if asbestos exposure is a substantial factor in causing his death," Prindle said. He said doctors aren't trying to make that legal determination when filling out death certificates.

John Fredette's death certificate shows that no autopsy was done on him, and Prindle said that is common.

"Death certificates typically might carry some evidentiary weight but not typically very much," said East Hartford lawyer Robert J. Enright, who heads the bar association's Workers Compensation Section. He said the determination of cause is typically based on medical records and the deposition testimony of doctors.

Matthew Shafner, a partner in the Groton law firm representing Rita Fredette, said the death certificate would "not really" have been a problem if she had had to prove her case.

Combined cause?

"They both combined to cause significant problems," Shafner said of the emphysema and asbestosis. "The last person in the world who should be exposed to asbestos is a person who has an emphysema problem. They don't have much margin of tolerance for another pulmonary insult."

Rita Fredette declined requests for an interview, citing the emotion surrounding her husband's death.

The amount of compensation she will receive hasn't yet been determined, according to Betty Rainey, the administrator of the Workers Compensation Commission's 8th District office in Middletown, which handles asbestos cases from throughout the state.

But Prindle said the calculation of workers compensation benefits is usually a straightforward process based on formulas - and often can be accomplished without a formal hearing. He said a dependent would be entitled to 75 percent of the employee's after-tax earnings - or the earnings of someone doing his former job - plus a $4,000 burial allowance.

John Fredette was diagnosed with asbestosis in September 2000, when he went to Hartford Hospital with chest pains after painting a snow blower and spreading fertilizer on his lawn, according to the hospital discharge summary, which is part of the court record.

He told medical personnel at that time that he had experienced difficult or painful breathing on exertion for several years, with the condition growing progressively worse.

John Fredette also reported a history "of significant asbestos exposure in the National Guard," and Forrest agreed that he had "extensive asbestos exposure and asbestosis," according to the discharge summary.

At the time of the hospital admission, John Fredette had an "intermittent nonproductive cough" and couldn't complete sentences without shortness of breath, the discharge summary says. He was sent home on oxygen therapy.

SOURCE.

$3.4M asbestos verdict upheld

2007-09-16T00:51:00.000-07:00

NEWPORT NEWS - The Virginia Supreme Court upheld a $3.4 million jury verdict to the family of a former Newport News shipyard worker who died in 2005 of mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer.

The court said Friday it unanimously rejected an appeal by John Crane Inc., the Illinois-based maker of gaskets and other asbestos parts that were handled by shipyard worker Garland F. "Buddy" Jones Jr. in the 1960s.

But the woman who spearheaded the case - Jones' wife of 41 years, Wanda T. Jones - won't see that money. She died of an unrelated cancer just three weeks ago. The couple's three children are the beneficiaries.

In July 2006, a Newport News jury determined that the family deserved $10.4 million in the wrongful death suit filed by Jones against three companies that made equipment with asbestos components.

Aside from John Crane, the defendants were Denver-based Johns Manville Corp., a maker of insulation industrial materials, and Garlock Sealing Technologies of Palmyra, N.Y.

A judge reduced the jury verdict to $10 million, the amount the family initially sought. John Crane, the jury said, was responsible for $3.4 million, with Johns Manville and Garlock Sealing each responsible for $3.3 million. However, Johns Manville and Garlock Sealing settled their cases before the verdict - for far less than the jury-determined amounts, Hatten said.

The $3.4 million award still ranks among the largest verdicts in a Virginia asbestos case, said Bob Hatten, the attorney with Patten, Wornom, Hatten and Diamonstein who handled the case.

Ansley Higginbotham, 29, Jones' daughter who lives in Orange, northeast of Charlottesville, said she and her two brothers are disappointed their mother didn't live to see the court uphold the verdict, but are grateful the "greatest legal minds in Virginia" found the award just. "It's a bittersweet day for our family," Higginbotham said. "It was important to our mother to receive justice in this case. She worked very tirelessly to make it happen, and I'm very proud of her for seeing it through during such a difficult time. She did not allow such a big company to intimidate her."

Because shipbuilding involved the use of asbestos for so many years, Hatten asserted, the Peninsula has one of the nation's highest rates of asbestos-related cancers.

Jones worked at Newport News Shipbuilding between 1963 and 1967, later becoming a computer programmer near Richmond. But he had enough exposure to asbestos fibers in those years to spur mesothelioma, a cancer that forms in the lungs, some decades later.

Jones was diagnosed with that cancer in January 2005 - 38 years after he last worked at the yard - and died within six months at age 60. He initiated the lawsuit in Newport News Circuit Court before he died.

Higginbotham testified that her father's death in a nursing home was an "absolute nightmare."

"It was intractable pain, pain that is not eliminated with any type of narcotics, and it's constant," Hatten said.

Jones' three children will share two thirds of the $3.4 million verdict against John Crane, or $2.27 million. Because the family had spent $100,000 for expert testimony at the trial, their effective award is $2.17 million.

The lawyers on the case, Patten Wornom, Hatten and Diamonstein, and the Colorado firm of Trine & Metcalf, will share the remaining one third of the verdict, or $1.13 million.

John Crane could still appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The company could also seek a rehearing by the Virginia Supreme Court.

Officials with John Crane did not return attempts to seek comment. The company had appealed the case on several grounds, including assertions that the trial court judge erred on evidence rulings and allowed the case to proceed under federal maritime law rather than Virginia law.

State and federal courts have the authority to hear federal maritime cases. Federal maritime law is considered a better route for the plaintiffs in wrongful death cases because it has a lower burden of proof and allows recovery for the suffering of the deceased.

But the Virginia Supreme Court disagreed with Crane on all counts and rejected the company's contention that the verdict was too big. "We cannot say the trial court abused its discretion in determining that the verdict was not excessive and not so out of proportion to the injuries suffered," the court's opinion noted.

SOURCE: DailyPress

New Guidelines Issued on Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Management

2007-09-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) has issued the second edition of clinical practice guidelines on lung cancer diagnosis and management, which are published in the September supplement issue of Chest.

"Other than skin cancer, lung cancer is now the most common cancer and is the most frequent cause of death from cancer in both men and women," write ACCP chair W. Michael Alberts, MD, FCCP, and colleagues. "In recognition of the importance of lung cancer in the population and with the rise of evidence-based medicine as a basis for diagnosing the disease and managing those afflicted, in the year 2000 the ACCP, through its Health and Science Policy Committee, commissioned the development of evidence-based guidelines on the diagnosis and management of lung cancer.... Fortunately, the pace of discovery in the diagnosis and management of lung cancer has quickened."

The new guidelines, which update and expand those first published in January 2003, were developed by nearly 100 voluntary faculty and ACCP staff, using rigorous adherence to formal guideline methodology, attention to process detail, and the newly developed ACCP grading system. The updated recommendations incorporate findings published in the literature since 2002.

New chapters added to the second edition guidelines deal with diagnostic surgical pathology in lung cancer, bronchioloalveolar lung cancer, and complementary therapies and integrative oncology in lung cancer. Topics that have been extensively revised to reflect recent advances include screening for lung cancer, criteria for determining when a pulmonary nodule is lung cancer, management of bronchial intraepithelial neoplasia/early central airways lung cancer, palliative care consultation, quality-of-life measurement, and bereavement for end-of-life care in patients with lung cancer.

Some of the recommendations include:

The use of β-carotene supplementation is not recommended for chemoprevention of lung cancer in individuals with a greater than 20–pack-year history of smoking or with a history of lung cancer (grade of recommendation, 1A).
The guidelines recommend against the use of serial chest radiographs or the use of single or serial sputum cytologic evaluation to screen for the presence of lung cancer (1A).
Reporting histologic type, tumor size and location, tumor grade (if appropriate), lymphovascular invasion, involvement of pleura, surgical margins, and status and location of lymph nodes by station is recommended for pathological diagnosis of lung cancer (1B).

To differentiate pleural adenocarcinoma from pleural-based malignant mesothelioma, a structured approach using a limited panel of histochemical and immunohistochemicalassays is recommended to increase the diagnostic accuracy; ultrastructural analysis and other studies may be needed in more challenging cases (1B).

Small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and non–small-cell carcinoma parenchymal-based tumors should be differentiated, using a diagnostic panel of immunohistochemical assays if needed (1B).
In every patient with a solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) visible on chest radiography, previous chest radiographs and other relevant imaging tests should be reviewed (1C), and computed tomography (CT) of the chest should be performed, preferably with thin sections through the nodule (1C).
Tissue diagnosis is recommended, unless specifically contraindicated, for an SPN that shows clear evidence of growth on imaging tests (1C).
An SPN that is stable on imaging tests for at least 2 years does not require additional diagnostic evaluation, except that patients with pure ground-glass opacities on CT should have a longer duration of annual follow-up (2C).
An SPN that is calcified in a clearly benign pattern does not require additional diagnostic evaluation (1C).
When SCLC is suspected from radiographic and clinical findings, the diagnosis should be confirmed by the easiest method (sputum cytology, thoracentesis, fine-needle aspirate, bronchoscopy including transbronchial needle aspiration and endobronchial ultrasound-needle aspiration, endoscopic ultrasound-needle aspiration), based on the patient's presentation (1C). When there is an accessible pleural effusion, thoracentesis is recommended (1C). If pleural fluid cytology findings are negative after at least 2 thoracenteses, thoracoscopy should be performed if establishing the cause of the pleural effusion is thought to be clinically important (1C).
A multidisciplinary team including a thoracic surgeon specializing in lung cancer, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, and pulmonologist should evaluate patients with lung cancer for curative surgical resection (1C). Lung resection surgery should not be denied based on age alone (1B). Patients with major factors for increased perioperative cardiovascular risk should undergo a preoperative cardiologic evaluation (1C). Spirometry is recommended for patients being considered for lung cancer resection (1C).
Patients with known or suspected non-SCLC (NSCLC) who are eligible for treatment should have a CT scan of the chest with contrast including the upper abdomen, liver, and adrenal glands (1B). Those with enlarged discrete mediastinal lymph nodes on CT (> 1 cm in short axis) and no evidence of metastatic disease should have further evaluation of the mediastinum before definitive treatment of the primary tumor (1B).
Surgical resection is recommended for patients with clinical stage I and II NSCLC and no medical contraindication (1A). Even if these patients are being considered for nonsurgical therapies, such as percutaneous ablation or stereotactic body radiation therapy, they should be evaluated by a thoracic surgical oncologist with extensive experience in lung cancer (1B). Lobectomy or greater resection is preferred to sublobar resection (wedge or segmentectomy) if patients are medically fit (1A).
In patients with stage IA NSCLC, adjuvant chemotherapy is not routinely recommended outside the setting of a clinical trial (1A). Patients with completely resected stage IB NSCLC should not routinely receive adjuvant chemotherapy (1B). Platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy is recommended for patients with completely resected stage II NSCLC and good performance status (1A).
Curative intent fractionated radiotherapy is recommended for patients with stage I or II NSCLC who are not candidates for surgery or who refuse surgery (1B).

Chest. 2007;132:1S-19S.

Clinical Context

Lung cancer is the most common cancer and is the most frequent cause of death from cancer in both men and women. In 2003, the ACCP first published guidelines for the diagnosis and management of lung cancer. However, many recent changes have occurred in the diagnosis and management of lung cancer, resulting in a need for updated guidelines to reflect these changes.

The aim of this article is to report on the second edition of ACCP evidence-based, clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of lung cancer.

The Study Highlights section highlights the chapters that have been extensively updated; these include "Screening for Lung Cancer," "Management of Patients with Pulmonary Nodules," "Palliative Care Consultation," "Quality of Life Measurement," and "Bereavement for End-of-Life Care in Patients with Lung Cancer."

Study Highlights

Low-dose helical CT, serial chest radiographs, and single or serial sputum cytologic evaluation are not recommended to screen for the presence of lung cancer.
When pathologically diagnosing lung cancer, the reporting of histologic type, tumor size and location, tumor grade (if appropriate), lymphovascular invasion, involvement of pleura, surgical margins, and status and location of lymph nodes by station is recommended.
Treatment of Patients With Pulmonary Nodules
- In every patient with an SPN, it is recommended that clinicians estimate the pretest probability of malignancy.
- In patients who have an SPN that shows clear evidence of growth on imaging tests, a tissue diagnosis should be obtained unless contraindicated.
- In patients with a low to moderate test probability of malignancy (5% - 60%) and an indeterminate SPN that measures at least 8 to 10 mm in diameter, fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography should be performed to characterize the nodule.
- Patients with an indeterminate SPN that measures at least 8 to 10 mm who undergo observation need serial CT scans repeated at least at 3, 4, 12, and 24 months.
- Patients with an indeterminate SPN that measures at least 8 to 10 mm and who are candidates for curative treatments need transthoracic needle biopsy, especially for peripheral nodules, or bronchoscopy in the following circumstances: when the clinical pretest probability and findings on imaging tests are discordant, when a benign diagnosis requiring specific medical treatment is suspected, and when a fully informed patient desires proof of a malignant diagnosis prior to surgery.
- In surgical candidates with an indeterminate SPN that measures at least 8 to 10 mm in diameter, surgical diagnosis is preferred when the clinical probability of malignancy is moderate to high (> 60%), when the nodule is hypermetabolic by fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomographic imaging, and when the fully informed patient prefers undergoing definitive diagnostic procedure.
- For the patient with malignant SPN who is not a surgical candidate and who prefers treatment, referral for external beam radiation or to a clinical trial of an experimental treatment such as stereotactic radiosurgery or radiofrequency ablation is recommended.
- For surgical candidates with subcentimeter nodules who have no risk factors or have 1 or more risk factors for lung cancer, the frequency and duration of follow-up (preferably with low-dose CT) should depend on the size of the nodule.
- In surgical candidates with a solitary pulmonary metastasis, a pulmonary metastasectomy is recommended if there is no evidence of extrapulmonary malignancy and there is no better available treatment.
All patients with advanced lung cancer (and their families) should have palliative care integrated into their treatment.
Clinicians of dying patients with lung cancer should encourage caregivers to maintain a healthy lifestyle during the period of caregiver burden.
Clinicians of patients dying from lung cancer should honor rituals of death and mourning in a culturally sensitive manner.

Pearls for Practice

It is not recommended to screen for lung cancer using low-dose helical CT, serial chest radiographs, and/or single or serial sputum cytologic evaluation.
Important factors regarding the management of pulmonary nodules include the pretest probability of malignancy, evidence of growth of the SPN, the determinate/indeterminate nature of the SPN, and the surgical candidacy of the patient.

SOURCE:http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/562778

Diseases Associated with Asbestos

2007-09-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

Dallas, TX: Although it was once commonly used for insulating buildings and machinery, the use of asbestos has declined sharply over the last several decades as people became more aware of the serious health consequences associated with asbestos exposure.

However, due to the widespread use of asbestos in the 20th century and the length of time it sometimes takes after exposure for a person to develop an asbestos-related disease, many people who were exposed to asbestos decades ago are only beginning to show symptoms of a serious and potentially fatal illness.

One of the most deadly diseases associated with asbestos exposure is mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer which can occur in the lining of the lungs, heart or abdomen. Some of the most common mesothelioma symptoms include severe chest pains, shortness of breath and a persistent cough.

Individuals who have manufactured, installed or worked with products containing asbestos are at a much greater risk of developing mesothelioma symptoms. People who live close to asbestos mining areas, factories that make asbestos products or shipyards where asbestos is used may also be at risk of receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis. In some cases, the relatives of workers who accidentally carried asbestos fibers home with them on their work clothes have also been diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Patients who have suffered asbestos exposure may take up to 50 years before they begin to show the first signs of mesothelioma. But in spite of its long gestation period, there is no known cure for malignant mesothelioma and the disease is almost always fatal.

Most patients who receive a mesothelioma diagnosis survive for an average of one to five years. The prognosis for each patient depends on the tumor's size and stage, the type of cells and whether or not mesothelioma treatments are effective at treating the disease.

The greatest number of deaths related to asbestos exposure are the result of lung cancer. The rate of lung cancer cases in workers who are directly involved in the mining of asbestos, or in the manufacturing or installation of asbestos-containing products, is much higher than for the general population. It is not necessary for a person to have smoked cigarettes in order to develop lung cancer as a result of asbestos exposure.

The most common lung cancer symptoms for people who have been exposed to asbestos include coughing and breathing changes. Other symptoms include persistent chest pains, shortness of breath, hoarseness and anemia.

Individuals who have worked or lived around asbestos may also develop asbestosis or silicosis. Asbestosis and silicosis are serious respiratory diseases that can be caused by exposure to asbestos or silica. Inhaled asbestos fibers and silica dust aggravate lung tissue, causing scarring which may eventually lead to these diseases.

The most common asbestosis symptoms include shortness of breath and a dry, crackling sound in the lungs when a person inhales. In its most advanced stages, asbestosis may also contribute to cardiac failure.

In some cases, an individual who has developed asbestosis or silicosis may experience no noticeable symptoms. Currently, there are no effective treatments to reverse the scarring in lung tissue caused by inhaling asbestos or silica. These diseases can be extremely disabling or, in the most serious cases, even fatal.

SOURCE:http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/01373/asbestos_diseases.html

Ireland has a high rate of incurable asbestos-related lung cancer

2007-09-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

An asbestos-related cancer called mesothelioma is a particularly deadly cancer that has little help these days from the global medical community (probably due to not being a highly popular cancer).

That doesn't mean a possible treatment should be put on hold, but that is the way some Northern Ireland cancer sufferers are probably feeling right now. A new mesothlioma drug called Alimta will make it to Northern Ireland sometime in the near future (just no this year), as it'll be the last UK region to receive access to the drug.

What's worrisome is that Ireland has a high rate of incurable lung cancer due to its history as a shipbuilding country where workers were regularly exposed to dangerous airborne particles, with some causing mesothelioma cases.

SOURCE:http://www.topcancernews.com/news/1293/1/Ireland-has-a-high-rate-of-incurable-asbestos-related-lung-cancer

Wisconsin laborer claims mesothelioma in Madison County suit

2007-09-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

Philip Cieslek of Wisconsin filed an asbestos suit against 88 defendant corporations alleging he was exposed to asbestos while working from 1959 to 2003 as a laborer, environmental engineer and wastewater treatment supervisor at various locations.

Cieslek claims that during the course of his employment and during home and automotive repairs he was exposed to and inhaled, ingested or otherwise absorbed asbestos fibers emanating from certain products he was working with and around.

According to the complaint filed Sept. 6 in Madison County Circuit Court, Cieslek was diagnosed with mesothelioma on May 21.

"The plaintiff's exposure and inhalation, ingestion or absorption of the asbestos fibers was completely foreseeable and could or should have been anticipated by the defendants," the complaint states.

Cieslek claims the defendants knew or should have known that the asbestos fibers contained in their products had a toxic, poisonous and highly deleterious effect upon the health of people.

Cieslek also alleges that the defendants included asbestos in their products even when adequate substitutes were available and failed to provide any or adequate instructions concerning the safe methods of working with and around asbestos.

He also claims that the defendants failed to require and advise employees of hygiene practices designed to reduce or prevent carrying asbestos fibers home.

Cieslek also claims that he has sought, but has been unable to obtain, full disclosure of relevant documents and information from the defendants leading him to believe the defendants destroyed documents related to asbestos.

"It was foreseeable to a reasonable person/entity in the respective positions of defendants, that said documents and information constituted evidence, which was material to potential civil litigation-namely asbestos litigation," the complaint states.

He claims that as a result of each defendant breaching its duty to preserve material evidence by destroying documents and information he has been prejudiced and impaired in proving claims against all potential parties.

"Plaintiff has been caused to suffer damages in the form of impaired ability to recover against defendants and lost or reduced compensation from other potentially liable parties in this litigation," the complaint states.

As a result of the alleged negligence, Cieslek claims he was exposed to fibers containing asbestos. He developed a disease caused only by asbestos which has disabled and disfigured him, the complaint states.

He seeks damages to help pay for the cost of his treatment.

Cieslek also suffers "great physical pain and mental anguish, and also will be hindered and prevented from pursuing his normal course of employment, thereby losing large sums of money," the complaint states.

He is seeking at least $550,000 in damages for negligence, willful and wanton acts, conspiracy, and negligent spoliation of evidence among other allegations.

"In addition to compensatory damages, an award of punitive damages is appropriate and necessary in order to punish the defendants for willful, wanton, intentional and reckless misconduct and to deter them and others from engaging in like misconduct in the future," the complaint states.

Cieslek is represented by Shane Hampton and Tim Thompson of SimmonsCooper in East Alton.

The case has been assigned to Circuit Court Judge Daniel Stack.

SOURCE: Madison Record

Mesothelioma treatment the traditional way

2007-09-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

Mesothelioma Treatment

Cancer has become a major issue in the world of medicine given its growing number of types and causes. One can never escape the hazards of the world. Cancer normally occurs when a person is exposed to harmful substances for an extended period of time. One type of cancer that is fast gaining attention nowadays is mesothelioma. Traditional mesothelioma treatments are widely gaining popularity, too.

This is true when you have cancer known as mesothelioma. Having this disease means that you have a malignant tumor originating from mesenchyma. A large portion of the tumor grows into adipose tissue. Parts of the body commonly attacked by pleomorphic type mesothelioma include the leg, shoulders, gluteal region and the retroperitoneum.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that involves the mesothelium. The mesothelium is the tissue that is made up of mesothelial cells. These mesothelial cells are the ones damaged in cancer of the mesothelium or mesothelioma. The mesothelium is can be found as the covering of the internal organs such as the pleura, which is the covering of the lungs and the peritoneum, which is the covering of the internal organs of the abdominal cavity.

THERE IS HOPE

What do we do when we are diagnosed mesothelioma? Are there any traditional treatments that we can use to cure the disease.

It is not easy to diagnose or treat mesothelioma. There is no specific screening for mesothelioma. People who are high risk to develop mesothelioma should be checked periodically in order to spot mesothelioma at the earliest stage possible so prompt treatment could be done. There are some signs and symptoms the doctors watch out to get further tests to confirm mesothelioma. Pain, swelling tenderness to any area and a possible lump are the common complaints that are considered.

Blood test is then done to evaluate the person's general health. If doctor suspects that the person may have peritoneal mesothelioma, the person may have abdominal x-ray, abdominal CT scan or abdominal MRI scan to check and confirm for swelling and fluid accumulation in the abdomen.

Abdoparacentsis or fluid drainage from the abdomen may be done to relieve the swelling and pain around the abdomen and to see if there are malignant or cancerous cells in the fluid. Laparoscopy or biopsy of the abdominal lining or peritoneum may be done, wherein they get a tissue sample of the abdominal lining and check if the mesothelial cells are damaged by cancer.

SICK BUT HAPPY WORLD

No matter what sickness you have there is a specialist out there who can help you find the proper cure even if it is for mesonthelioma. After the diagnosis and determining the gravity of the mesothelioma, treatment is done and there are different doctors that facilitate the treatment of the mesothelioma.

If treating mesothelioma is done through via surgery, the services of a thoracic surgeon may be needed. The thoracic surgeon is trained and is specialized to do surgeries of the lung, heart, chest and esophagus. If a patient has been diagnosed with plemorphic type mesonthelioma and it has been decided that the best treatment is surgery, then this physician is the one qualified to do the job.

Here are the specialists you should approach for your problems. They can recommend traditional treatment for mesothelioma or push for new methods given the advances in science.

A physician who specializes in mesothelioma is called an oncologist. The Radiation Oncologist is a physician specialized to render radiation therapy if it has been determined that the best treatment for the mesothelioma is through radiation therapy. This physician has the extensive knowledge and skills and is highly trained to administer radiation therapy to treat the plemorphic type mesonthelioma.

The pathologist is a physician who specializes in analyzing cells. This doctor has the extensive skill and knowledge and is highly trained to monitor and evaluate the significant cell changes that may point to mesothelioma. They analyze the cells through the specimens that are brought to them such as the blood, fluid obtained from the abdomen or lung, or tissues from the mesothelium. They interpret the changes and they are the ones responsible to spot damaged mesothelial cells by cancer or the mesothelioma.

The Medical Oncologist is a physician specialized to render chemotherapy if it has been determined that the best treatment for the mesothelioma is through chemotherapy. This physician has the extensive knowledge and skills of the treatment modalities of cancer specifically chemotherapy.

Looking ahead, never lose hope on how science can help a person recover from a serious illness. All that is needed is a little faith in the human spirit to triumph from such adversity. There is a cure for mesothelioma, whether traditional mesothelioma treatments or modern ones, and it is just there waiting to be discovered.

SOURCE: EmaxHealth

Signs and Symptoms

2007-09-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

Early Signs of Mesothelioma

The early signs and symptoms of mesothelioma are quite similar to pneumonia. They won’t be very apparent until one gets exposed to asbestos ranging from 20-50 years of vigorous contact with it. The early ciphers of mesothelioma are:

Chest Pain (Right, Left or even in sides)
Sudden Loss of Weight
Nausea
Pain and Swelling in abdomen
Difficulty in breathing
Sudden rise in temperature
Swelling of face, neck or chest.
Pain in Chest
Persistent Cough

Since, this cancer is caused due to the Chest cavity and the abdominal cavity, so the above mentioned symptoms are the most common ones in this disease.

Because the chest cavity and abdominal cavity are the primary sites of origin for this form of cancer, most patients who are later diagnosed with mesothelioma have the following signs and symptoms:

Generally, there are two types of Mesothelioma- Pleural and Peritoneal Mesothelioma.

Pleural (Chest) Mesothelioma: Patients suffering from pleural mesothelioma generally experience breathing problems and/or pain in chest or backs. In this form of mesothelioma, thickening of Lung’s membrane takes place which interrupts in the general expansion and contraction of the lungs. The presence of Pleural effusions (the fluid build ups) makes the breathing difficult for the patients.

Peritoneal (Abdominal) Mesothelioma: Patients suffering from peritoneal mesothelioma generally experience pain in abdomens and/or swelling in face/chest or backs. Similar to Pleural Mesothelioma, thickening of the membrane also takes place here, while the fluid gets accumulated in the abdomen.

Anyone with a history of asbestos exposure is strongly recommended to get qualified medical treatment and check up immediately, if they experience any of the symptoms mentioned above. God Bless.

Causes of Mesothelioma

2007-09-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

The main cause that can generally cause Mesothelioma is Asbestosis, which are fibers ranging from 50 microns or more in length and less than 0.5 microns in its width. The inhalation of such fibers generally results in Asbestosis.

The airflow supports its movement which makes its move in a longitudinal direction in the air. The asbestosis can penetrate respiratory walls as well.

Main Sources of Asbestos: The following are the main sources that can cause the asbestosis:

·Mining of Asbestos
Asbestos Milling
Construction Factory
Textile Industries
Fire Proofing Industries
Paint Industry
Plastic Industry
Hardwares for Automobiles Industry (Brakes and Clutch)

Asbestosis is generally not confined to the people working in such industries. Their families are equally prone to this disease as well since they get exposed up to the fibrous dust coming out of the person’s clothing’s working in such factories.

The asbestos related diseases can develop in any general public if they are exposed to fibrous dust or wastes coming across from asbestos plants in the proximity of their residence. Typical residents exposure to such types of fibers is quite low, though and generally don’t relate to any diseases associated with asbestos.

Once the Asbestos fibers get inside their body, they get trapped in the form of brown colored scabbard, having rich density of iron, the asbestos bodies, which are generally found in the tissues of sputum and lungs. Then this leads to the formation of interstitial fibrosis in the lower zone of lungs sourcing to massive demolishing changes in pleurae and lung parenchyma.

Always keep yourself safe by learning how you can evade such diseases cropping up from asbestosis. Keep alert, keep fit and stay healthy. God Bless.

What is Mesothelioma (Also called malignant mesothelioma)?

2007-08-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

The next time you hear the disease, Mesothelioma, from one of your family doctor, friends, or parents, don’t ignore it. Though it is a kind of a cancer, I doubt very few people across the world might know lot about it.

Reason: It is very rare amongst people. Mesothelioma affects the mesothelial cells which are located at the outer layer which protects the major organs of our body like stomach, heart and even lungs.

Symptoms: Researches have concluded that it results when one comes in direct and unprotected contact to asbestos. The symptoms are very strange, which might be an intricate task to diagnose. The latency period of the disease is difficult to find out as well.

How is it caused: The people who have worn-out most of their lives under the regular exposure to asbestos; are the most prone people to this disease. The fibers and the dust coming out from the asbestos cause the mesothelium cell to become malfunctional.

Thus Mesothelioma is a dangerous cancerous disease case due to the malfunctioning of the tissue Mesothelium, which takes care of may important organs of your body.

Treatment: Mesothelioma is treated by combinations of surgery, direct radiations, and/or chemotherapy.