Asbestos spike in women

(Tasmania Mercury)- THE number of Tasmanian female mesothelioma victims is rising as more women join the renovation craze sweeping the nation.

Statistics showing how many people in each state are suffering from asbestos-related diseases are due out soon and Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia president Barry Robson said they could provide stark reading.

Mesothelioma has been viewed as a mostly male condition in the past because men, historically, have had the most exposure to asbestos in factories and within the home.

"But we have already seen an increase in the number of women affected by asbestos-related conditions over the past decade or so and that is increasing," Mr Robson said yesterday. Read more here…

UPenn receives a $10 million donation to study mesothelioma and other rare diseases

(Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center)- The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia has received an anonymous donation for the sum of $10 million, which it will use to the Penn Center for Orphan Disease Research and Therapy.  The new center will focus on discovering novel treatments for rare diseases.  There are a nearly 7,000 rare diseases, yet only 200 of them currently have any effective treatments.

Mesothelioma, a cancer of the protective lining of the lungs, heart, chest and abdomen that is caused exclusively by prolonged asbestos exposure, is considered an orphan disease.  Like so many of these diseases there is no known cure, and current therapies are palliative rather than curative.  What makes malignant mesothelioma so difficult to treat is the fact that it doesn’t become symptomatic until it reaches stage three or four.  By that time, standard mesothelioma treatment, which includes some combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, only tends to add between six months to a year to a patient’s life expectancy. Read more here… 

Mesothelioma Victims Center Offers Unequaled Free Services Including Treatment Options & The Best Mesothelioma Lawyers For A Diagnosed US Navy Veteran or Individual

(San Francisco Chronicle)- If you are a US Navy Veteran, an individual, or a family dealing with a mesothelioma diagnosis, the Mesothelioma Victims Center offers an unparalleled free service, that provides a customized treatment options report, for this rare form of cancer, and they will provide a mesothelioma victim, or their family with the names of the most successful mesothelioma lawyers, or trial law firms in the nation. No other group, or organization in the United States offers anything close to this type of personalized service, or offers this type of resource. The Mesothelioma Victims Center says, "Our free service to victims of mesothelioma, or their families has no equal in the United States.  Read more here…

Law firm highlights rise in asbestos-related deaths

(Liverpool Daily Post)- A MERSEYSIDE law firm is highlighting a rise in the number of people dying from asbestos-related industrial disease both nationally and across the North west.

The latest statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that, out of the thousands of people dying each year from work-related diseases due to past working conditions, asbestos is the biggest killer.

Out of about 8,000 cancer deaths in Britain each year caused by past exposure to cancer-causing substances, about half of these are asbestos-related, including those from the cancer mesothelioma.

Paul Currie, a specialist in asbestosis claims at EAD Solicitors, said: “The statistics really bring home the ongoing rise in the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma – nationally there were 2,249 deaths caused by mesothelioma in 2008 alone, with 1,865 being among men. The HSE is predicting that this will increase to peak at over 2,000 male deaths around the year 2016. Read more here…

Eleven Indicted in NY Asbestos Removal Project at Buffalo Housing Project

(AboutMesothelioma.net)- Three New York inspectors are among nine people and two companies indicted on criminal charges involving illegal asbestos removal at a Buffalo, N.Y. housing complex. Breathing asbestos causes life threatening diseases including mesothelioma and lung cancer so New York and federal laws strictly regulate the handling of asbestos-containing materials.

The 62-page federal indictment, handed down Aug. 4, focuses on work done by two companies that were hired to remove asbestos from the Kensington Heights housing project before its demolition. Johnson Contracting of WNY, Inc., was contracted to remove and dispose of an estimated 63,000 square feet of hazardous asbestos from each of six housing towers in the 17-acre complex. JMD Environmental Inc. was hired as a sub-contractor to monitor the asbestos removal work and do air sampling. Read more here…

It's Surprising Where Asbestos and Mesothelioma Lurk…

(Gordon Gibb)- Asbestos has served as the catalyst for many Asbestos Lawsuits, as victims come to terms with just what may have fostered exposure to the deadly carcinogen. However, as more and more people are diagnosed with asbestos disease from exposure that may have likely occurred as far back as thirty years ago or more, it remains surprising to note some of the circumstances that led to such exposure. Read more here…

Mesothelioma Verdicts Highlight the Asbestos Danger

(Surviving Mesothelioma)- Some large mesothelioma settlements this summer have resulted in more $25 million for victims of the disease from coast to coast.

In New Orleans, former shipyard worker Leopold Granier, Jr. won his $1.5 million suit against Union Carbide, Avondale Shipyards and Cajun Insulation, alleging that the companies were negligent in allowing his exposure to cancer-causing asbestos.  Granier worked at the Avondale shipyard, which was once the largest employer in the state of Louisiana.  The jury found that the companies named in the suit produced products that were a “substantial and contributing cause” of Granier’s mesothelioma.  The shipyard is slated to close in 2013 because of reduced business from the Navy. Read more here…

Longer Survival in Mesothelioma Patients Attributed to Advances in Treatment and Increased Medical Knowledge

(MesotheliomaHelp.net)- A new study by Australian medical researchers at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney shows that mesothelioma patients are living longer today than they were 20 years ago.  Their increased longevity is credited to new treatment techniques and more experienced doctors. Read more here…

Mesothelioma Overview

Mesothelioma is a relatively rare form of cancer with approximately 2,000 to 3,000 new cases diagnosed annually in America. This form of cancer is likely to be diagnosed in men over the age of 65, but has also been diagnosed in women; extremely rarely in children.

Mesothelioma is the presence of abnormal or malignant mesothelium cells which attack the surrounding tissues. These cells are aggressive and likely to spread beyond the point of origin, attacking other body systems. Read more here…

Newsletter for Mesothelioma Cancer Clients Just Released

(DigitalJournal.com)- In an ongoing effort to create a supportive network for clients suffering from mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, the law firm of Clapper, Patti, Schweizer & Mason is now publishing a bi-monthly newsletter. The first edition was released this week with positive response from mesothelioma patients as well as their family members and caregivers. Read more here…

CT Accuracy May Vary for Mesothelioma

(Surviving Mesothelioma)- A group of French doctors has a warning for people exposed to asbestos and concerned about the possibility of mesothelioma: watch out for false positive CT results.

Their new meta-analysis of current radiological techniques found that there is a wide margin in the way CT results are interpreted in cases of cancer in the lungs and chest including mesothelioma. The study may have important implications for mesothelioma, where early, accurate diagnosis is critical. CT (computed tomography) and the newer high-resolution volume CT (HR-VCT) which takes multiple two-dimensional images, are among the most popular imaging modalities for diagnosing and staging malignant pleural mesothelioma. Read more here…

Kitchen equipment deemed responsible for asbestos exposure

(Mesothelioma.com)- Italian chef Luigi Pes, 60, was born in Sardinia, but moved to Great Britain at the age of 31. It was while he was working at La Gondola Italian Restaurant in Salisbury, England that he was first exposed to asbestos. This highly toxic mineral fiber was found in the restaurant’s pizza ovens, which had asbestos seals, and in the storeroom ceilings. Microscopic, carcinogenic asbestos fibers were likely released whenever the ovens or storeroom ceilings were disturbed. Once airborne, the fibers could be inhaled, ultimately lodging in the lungs and causing damage over several decades. Read more here…

Electricians at elevated risk of asbestos exposure, mesothelioma

(Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center)- Electricians are one of the types of workers most at risk of exposure to toxic asbestos.  This naturally occurring mineral fiber was regularly used in construction materials throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and was only banned from use in the United States in 1989.  When contractors and electricians work in a building constructed prior to the 1980’s, they are often at risk of inhaling microscopic asbestos fibers.  These fibers can lodge in the lungs and cause the onset of such fatal diseases as asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the protective lining of the lungs, heart, chest and abdomen. Read more here…

Mesothelioma Cases Growing at an Alarming Rate - Expected to Peak by 2020

(San Francisco Chronicle)- Mesothelioma is a debilitating disease that is caused from exposure to asbestos. For several years, businesses, schools and even homes had asbestos in the walls. Until just a few years ago, researchers had no idea that this material could cause such a deadly disease. Asbestos dust can pose a health hazard and companies now are under strict regulations to keep asbestos out of their workplaces. Read more here...

Legal Issues Behind Mesothelioma: The Basics

(www.mesothelioma-blog.com)- Whether you were exposed to asbestos at the job, school or home, the legal issues behind mesothelioma are not often easy to navigate. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), nearly 19 million U.S. citizens were exposed to serious levels of asbestos at work between 1940 and 1979. In addition, common household products such as stove mats, clothes iron rest pads and paint may contain asbestos due to the material’s resistance to heat and fire. Even asbestos-lined materials in schools including insulation, ceilings and decorative materials can be a contributing factor in a mesothelioma diagnosis. Knowledge of your legal rights is paramount if you are considering a lawsuit. Read more here…

HIDDEN DANGER FROM ASBESTOS THREATENS 1.8M

(Express.co.uk)- More than 1.8 million people are exposed to deadly asbestos every year, with one dying from asbestos-related cancer every four hours.

The shocking figures from the UK Health and Safety Executive reveal at least 5,000 deaths from mesothelioma a year are expected by 2015, although some experts say the figure could be far higher. Read more here…

Surviving Mesothelioma: A Patient’s Guide

Subtype and Stage Affect Mesothelioma Surgery Survival

Another study of mesothelioma treatments has confirmed that the best candidates for aggressive therapy, including radical surgery, are those patients who are in overall good physical condition and have the epithelial subtype of mesothelioma. Read more here…

Nanoparticles could contribute to the early detection of mesothelioma

(Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center)- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first-in-human clinical trial of a new technology, which will be a joint effort between Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City.  The trial will study the effectiveness of Cornell Dots, nanoparticles that light up cancer cells in PET-optical imaging.

Already considered a breakthrough in cancer diagnostics technology, Cornell Dots may help identify aggressive cancers sooner.  Mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the protective lining of the lungs, heart, chest and abdomen caused by prolonged asbestos exposure, is a particularly difficult cancer to detect.  This silent killer takes decades to develop and does not become symptomatic until it reaches later stages. Malignant mesothelioma is often misdiagnosed and, even when diagnosed properly, it is rarely detected early enough to preserve the patient’s life.  The development improved diagnostic tools absolutely is absolutely essential to winning the battle against mesothelioma disease. Read more here…

Mesothelioma Lawsuit Against Ford Results in $2.5M Jury Award

(AboutLawsuits.com)- A New York jury has awarded $2.5 million in damages to a former chemist who filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against Ford Motor Company, in which he accused the company of making a machine that exposed lab workers to asbestos. 

The asbestos exposure lawsuit was filed by James Ginter, who used a Friction Assessment Screening Test (FAST) Machine manufactured by Ford while working at Durez Plastics in the 1980s. According to allegations raised in the complaint, the machine exposed Ginter to breathable asbestos fibers, resulting in a diagnosis of mesothelioma. Read more here…