What a month. In September, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued two reports. On Monday, the EPA OIB issued the report revealing that“Asbestos in Schools Not a Top Priority for EPA.” The next day, the EPA OIG published the second report revealing that it took seven months for North Carolina officials … [Read more...]
It’s time for the EPA to ban asbestos once and for all
Nearly 40,000 Americans die from preventable asbestos-caused diseases every year, yet the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) still hasn't banned this toxic substance. Asbestos was once marketed as a "miracle mineral" for its flame-resistance, strength and flexibility to use in construction, but has since been revealed for what it truly is: a … [Read more...]
Killed by a cuddle: Woman died after exposure to second-hand asbestos on husband’s overalls
Babcock International Ltd has been ordered to pay compensation to the children, grandchildren and siblings of Adrienne Sweeney, who lost her battle with mesothelioma - an extremely aggressive form of lung cancer - in August 2015 [after her exposures to second-hand asbestos years earlier]. The mother-of-three, from Paisley in Renfrewshire, had … [Read more...]
Past and current asbestos exposure and future mesothelioma risks in Britain: The Inhaled Particles Study (TIPS)
Background: Occupational and environmental airborne asbestos concentrations are too low and variable for lifetime exposures to be estimated reliably, and building workers and occupants may suffer higher exposure when asbestos in older buildings is disturbed or removed. Mesothelioma risks from current asbestos exposures are therefore not … [Read more...]
Court Grants New Chance for Suit Linking Lawn Fertilizer, Mesothelioma
A New Jersey appeals court has reopened a wrongful death suit on behalf of a man who, plaintiffs claim, developed mesothelioma as a result of using Scotts lawn fertilizer. The appeals court, reversing the trial judge, said newly discovered evidence required reopening the case. Scotts had secured dismissal of the lawsuit on summary judgment in … [Read more...]
Johnson & Johnson says talc products have always been asbestos-free. Court documents suggest otherwise
Facing thousands of lawsuits claiming its talcum powders have caused harm, Johnson & Johnson has argued that science is on its side and that its products do not contain asbestos. But documents filed in the ongoing legal saga, provided to FiercePharma, suggest some tests found asbestos and that the company debated internally about the … [Read more...]