Latest Mesothelioma News Stories about Mesothelioma Articles
May 10, 2012
RED WINE BENEFITS FOUND IN TREATING MESOTHELIOMA
Health benefits have long been attached to the consumption of red wine. In moderation, of course. Now, come finding from a Korean study that raise the possibility that red wine may have positive effects in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma, one of the most aggressive cancers.
The findings from studies at Soonchunhyant University were published in the recent edition of the International Journal of Molecular Medicine and describe the research that found that an antioxidant that is a component of red grape skins and called resveratrol was found to attack and kill some mesothelioma cells.
Mesothelioma is a cancer that in the overwhelming number of cases is caused by exposure to asbestos in the workplace. When microscopic asbestos fibers are inhaled they invade the body and lodge themselves in the linings of victims' lungs, hearts or abdominal organs and form tumors or spread to other parts of the body.
The cancer has a very long latency period -- four to five decades is not unusual -- and by the time most victims are diagnosed the cancer is so far advanced that most victims are told they will have a life expectancy of less than 18 months.
National health statistics show that about 2,000 to 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with the cancer each year. The number of victims in Korea and other countries that have undergone intense industrialization in the last several decades.
The traditional cancer treatments of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation all can have negative or debilitating side effects. The Korean study, which was conducted on mice, showed that resveratrol acted as a suppressant on mesothelioma cells by interacting with a protein called Spl, or specificity protein 1.
Media reports said that while resveratrol's benefits have long been studied these findings are the first that have addressed the antioxidant's effect on mesothelioma.
"Our results strongly suggest that Sp1 is a novel molecular target of (resveratrol) in human malignant pleural mesothelioma," the researchers wrote. The findings should encourage testing of resveratrol in controlled human tests, they said.
Although the tests were encouraging government regulatory agencies require extensive clinical trials before any new treatments or drugs for the treatment of cancer are approved. Health officials also said that while the results were encouraging and the health benefits of red wine have long been publicized any person using alcohol to treat a health problem should first consult with their physician.
The National Cancer Institute in its web site posting about red wine described it as having positive anti-cancer benefits, particularly against skin, breast and prostate cancer. The posting said "red wine is a rich source of biologically active phytochemicals, chemicals found in plants. Particular compounds called polyphenols found in red wine -- such as catechins and resveratrol -- are thought to have antioxicant or anticancer properties."
Here are some of the details provided by the National Cancer Institute:
1. What are polyphenols and how do they prevent cancer?
Polyphenols are antioxidant compounds found in the skin and seeds of grapes. When wine is made from these grapes, the alcohol produced by the fermentation process dissolves the polyphenols contained in the skin and seeds. Red wine contains more polyphenols than white wine because the making of white wine requires the removal of the skins after the grapes are crushed. The phenols in red wine include catechin, gallic acid, and epicatechin.
Polyphenols have been found to have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are substances that protect cells from oxidative damage caused by molecules called free radicals. These chemicals can damage important parts of cells, including proteins, membranes, and DNA. Cellular damage caused by free radicals has been implicated in the development of cancer. Research on the antioxidants found in red wine has shown that they may help inhibit the development of certain cancers.
2. What is resveratrol and how does it prevent cancer?
Resveratrol is a type of polyphenol called a phytoalexin, a class of compounds produced as part of a plant's defense system against disease. It is produced in the plant in response to an invading fungus, stress, injury, infection or ultraviolet irradiation. Red wine contains high levels of resveratrol, as do grapes, raspberries, peanuts, and other plants.
Resveratrol has been shown to reduce tumor incidence in animals by affecting one or more stages of cancer development. It has been shown to inhibit growth of many types of cancer cells in culture. Evidence also exists that it can reduce inflammation. It also reduces activation of NF kappa B, a protein produced by the body's immune system when it is under attack. This protein affects cancer cell growth and mestasis. Resveratrol is also an antioxidant.
May 01, 2012
VIRGINIA GOVERNOR SIGNS MESOTHELIOMA BILL
THAT WILL AFFECT VETERANS AND SHIPYARD WORKERS
Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell has just signed some important pieces of legislation addressing mesothelioma and other cancers at a bill-signing ceremony involving six pieces of legislation passed by the state’s general assembly in the areas of cancer research, treatment and education.
One of the bills McDonnell signed is legislation to designate every Sept. 26 as “Mesothelioma Awareness Day.” To victims of mesothelioma this is an important milestone given that Virginia is home to the two of the biggest shipyards and naval stations in the world: Newport News shipyard and the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
The history of shipyards and U.S. Naval personnel shows that workers at these shipyards and in the U.S. military, particularly the Navy, were among those at the highest risk of developing mesothelioma, an aggressive, deadly cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos.
National health statistics show that about 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the country each year and a disproportionately high percentage involves shipyard workers and Navy personnel and veterans.
That the governor of this state and its legislators are recognizing the significance of this important health issue and the devastation that mesothelioma has inflicted over the years is being hailed by mesothelioma victims and their loved ones.
Mesothelioma develops after victims inhale tiny, invisible particles of asbestos, usually in a workplace such as a shipyard where asbestos use is common. These fibers work their way into the linings of the lungs, hearts and abdominal organs of the victims and over a period of several decades generate cancer cells.
Because this latency period is so long and many of the symptoms of mesothelioma mimic less serious respiratory ailments most victims are not diagnosed until they are in their 50s and 60s and the cancer is very much advanced.
Because of this most of the victims cannot be effectively treated through common cancer treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiology and most are told they will have a life expectancy of less than 18 months after being diagnosed.
Asbestos has been prized since ancient times for its fire-retardant qualities and versatility and was an important part of the insulation and components of engine and boiler rooms in ships. Those who built these ships and those who served on them were at constant risk of being exposed to asbestos, be it through improper distribution and use of the toxic material or the wear and tear of shipyard life, which inevitably involved loosened asbestos fibers into the ship’s surroundings.
Although by the late 1970s the risks of asbestos caused the government and national health officials to impose strict bans, laws and regulations involving the use, handling and disposal of asbestos U.S. naval officials were found to be in violation of their own policies in regards to asbestos and continuing to use it in non-approved ways.
This changed in the 1980s and 1990s as media exposure of these dangers and a wave of asbestos lawsuits on behalf of victims who had contracted mesothelioma began flooding the courts across the country, a large number of which were filed by Navy personnel and veterans as well as shipyard workers.
Many of these victims have yet to be identified because of the long latency period of mesothelioma. Many victims may not even be aware now that they may have this cancer forming in their bodies. National health officials say they expect the number of mesothelioma diagnoses to continue at the current rate for at least the next decade.
In addition to the recognition of the dangers of mesothelioma, the other bills approved by Gov. McDonnell and Virginia legislators are bills to require health insurers to cover oral chemotherapy drugs just as they do intravenously administered chemotherapy drugs and legislations requiring that radiologists performing mammograms notify women if they have dense breast tissue, which is considered to be a risk factor for cancer.
Mesothelioma victims and their loved ones are hoping that other states that do not have similar mesothelioma awareness observances will follow in the footsteps of Virginia.
April 24, 2012
NEW YORK STUDENTS PUT AT RISK IN ASBESTOS REMOVAL
It’s not surprising that a major controversy has erupted in Brooklyn, N.Y., over an asbestos abatement project that was undertaken to remove the toxic material from a school. Parents are outraged, the media has taken note of the uproar and now school officials are in a tizzy. In the meantime, there are serious questions about whether the health of the children who attend Public School 29 John M. Harrigan has been compromised.
The project involved what administrators said was intended to be an after-school hours removal of asbestos that is necessary during an 18-month-long capital improvement project at the Cobble Hill site. Unfortunately, officials involved in the project failed to notify children, parents and teachers and when some people found out what was going on a predictably vocal response followed.
Asbestos is banned in New York and many other parts of the country and there are strict laws and regulations government the use, handling and removal of the material, which for many years was a common component in construction and other uses because of its versatility and fire-retardant qualities. Many older buildings and homes across the country have asbestos insulation, fireproofing and acoustic applications.
However, asbestos also has been proven to be the cause of the deadly cancer known as malignant mesothelioma, which is diagnosed in about 2,000 to 3,000 Americans each year and many times that number in other countries, according to health officials.
Mesothelioma develops after victims innocently inhale invisible particles of asbestos fibers that may be floating in the air. These particles then work their way into the linings of the lungs, heart or abdominal organs and generate cancer cells which form tumors and can spread to other parts of the body. Most victims are told they will have less than 18 months to live after being diagnosed because the cancer is so aggressive and untreatable by normal techniques such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiology.
There is a long latency period of several decades between exposure to asbestos and the development of the cancer and most victims are exposed as adults and diagnosed in their 50s or 60s. Exposing pre-kindergarten or elementary school children to the material would mean that they could develop the cancer in the prime of their lives, say health experts.
These factors were among the motivations for crowds of parents and others showing up at the school to protest the project. Some were wearing surgical masks and others were waving signs and placards in opposition to the plan and objecting to the health risks to almost 700 students, teachers and staff at the school.
The weather turned nasty on the day of the protest and the project was suspended, according to officials, because of the rain. Critics of the plan said they believe their objections carried more weight than the weather but the project has been delayed, nevertheless.
In the meantime, opponents of the project have mobilized and contacted the media and politicians, asking that the project be rescheduled to the summer months when the school is closed.
The New York Times posted an article on its web site about the controversy and the response:
Councilman Brad Lander, who represents the area, spoke at the rally about the city’s plan to issue a re-occupancy letter each day after abatement work is performed, indicating the building is safe for students and staff.
“Why should children have only a day’s notice to learn whether it is safe for them to attend school?” he asked. He said the abatement seemed to have come out of nowhere. “It feels like they were trying to slip it under the rug.” The crowd burst into a chant of, “Do it in the summer.”
Parents were also angry that they had not been given the requisite seven days’ notice about the removal, and questioned why signs stating that asbestos abatement would be taking place weren’t installed prominently around the school.
Students also spoke at the rally, including Cosmo Coen, 10, who lives across the street from the scaffold-encased school. His father, Bob Coen, said many of the children were already coughing and sneezing because of the dust from the ongoing project. “Even with all the scaffolding, the kids are going to school in Constructionville,” he said. “That’s the reality.”
“There is, unfortunately, a precedent of procedures not being followed, “ Mr. Coen said, pointing to a history of indictments and prosecutions, including a 2010 case in which an inspector submitted clean asbestos or lead test results for more than 200 buildings and apartments that he had never tested.
Some parents said they were considering keeping their children out of school, though this week many of the students will be taking the state math exams.
Julian Stysis, an organizer of Monday’s rally and the father of a fourth grader, said keeping his daughter out could affect her prospects for middle school, as fourth-grade testing scores are considered for entry at some schools.
Rhonda Keyser, who has a daughter in the second grade and sits on the parent committee that closely followed the construction work, said she was leaning toward keeping her child out of school. The School Construction Authority, she said, “may be doing everything completely above board. But the fact that they’ve not been forthcoming with their information is cause enough to question. They need to tell us.”
Mr. Coen said part of the frustration was that monitors like the Environmental Protection Agency did not have the jurisdiction to intervene until work actually began. By then, it could be too late, he said.
He said he met with School Construction Authority officials and asked for a delay but was told that postponing the work would set a “bad precedent.”
Earlier in the day, Mr. Coen had also met, as part of a group, with staff from Mr. de Blasio’s office, who used to represent the area around P.S. 29 in the City Council. Mr. de Blasio was out of town but issued a statement calling upon the Education Department and health experts to meet with parents and explain the steps being taken to protect the children and staff’s health. “We can’t ever leave parents in the dark when it comes to a child’s safety,” the statement said.
The principal, Melanie Woods, said that the School Construction Authority routinely performed maintenance and upkeep like this during the school year, though she acknowledged that parents should be able to receive more information.
The Education Department said that it had followed procedures and that the Department of Environmental Protection “has agreed with our notification protocol.”
“We hold a meeting with the U.F.T. and the PTA and distribute letters to the surrounding community,” a spokesman said. “We met with the PTA at P.S. 29 several times. In addition, we post notices when we begin the work.”
Other capital improvement projects at schools that required asbestos abatement have previously been done during the school year after school hours, the official said, citing work done at the John Jay Educational Campus and at P.S. 146 in Brooklyn.
Many parents said that if the work was not halted until the summer, they planned to return on Friday, when the work is scheduled to begin again, to continue their fight.
Michael Nigro, who has a 10-year-old daughter at the school, said that the construction authority couldn’t guarantee the absolute safety of the children and teachers.
“I have many friends who worked on the pile down in ground zero, and they were told it was safe,” he said. “This is just another out-of-control cog in a very broken system. And we don’t have the currency to change the system.”
April 19, 2012
PROMINENT GOLFER FRED COUPLES ANNOUNCES
GENEROUS DONATION TO MESOTHELIOMA RESEARCH
A generous contribution to mesothelioma research has come from an unexpected source: the ranks of professional golfers. It was recently announced that Fred Couples, a 15-time Professional Golfers Association tour winner designated a $25,000 check from charitable proceeds generated from the Presidents Cup 2011 at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in which Couples served as captain of the victorious United States team for the second consecutive time.
The donation on behalf of the golfers was made to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation in memory of George Elo, who lost his life to mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is an asbestos-caused cancer which claims thousands of lives each year.
The overwhelming number of cases involves circumstances in which a victim is exposed to asbestos and innocently inhales microscopic asbestos fibers, which eventually lodge themselves in the lungs, heart or abdominal organs. There, over several decades, cancer cells are generated which form tumors or spread to other parts of the body. There is no cure and most victims are given less than 18 months to live after being diagnosed.
The Presidents Cup is a unique golf event in that it offers no purse or prize money. Players are not personally paid for their participation; instead, each competitor, captain and captain’s assistant allocates their portion of the proceeds generated to chosen charitable causes.
The Meso Foundation is a leading organization dedicated to eradicating mesothelioma as a life-ending cancer by funding peer-reviewed mesothelioma research, with over $7.6 million awarded to date. The Meso Foundation also provides patients and families with personalized and up-to-date information on mesothelioma treatments, clinical trials and medical referrals.
A total of $4.5 million will be distributed to charitable causes around the world from The Presidents Cup 2011, a record-setting amount for this prestigious competition and part of the more than $27 million raised since the inception of the event in 1994.
The Presidents Cup is a biennial match-play competition between the United States Team and the International Team, which was first contested in 1994. The International Team includes the world’s best players from non-European countries.
The U.S. Team captured The Presidents Cup for the seventh time, led by Captain Fred Couples and a 5-0-0 performance by veteran Jim Furyk. Tiger Woods, one of Couples’ two captain’s picks, clinched the Cup for the United States with a 4-and-3 win over Australia’s Aaron Baddley in Sunday Singles.
The non-profit Meso Foundation describes itself as the national organization dedicated to finding a cure and eradicating mesothelioma as a life-ending disease by:
• Funding the highest quality and most promising mesothelioma research projects from around the world through our rigorous peer-reviewed process;
• Helping mesothelioma patients connect with national mesothelioma experts and obtain the most up-to-date information on treatment options;
• Advocating in Washington D.C. for federal mesothelioma research funding to stop this national tragedy.
March 28, 2012
UK SUPREME COURT ISSUES IMPORTANT RULING
FOR PAYOUTS TO ASBESTOS VICTIMS
The British Supreme Court has handed mesothelioma victims in the United Kingdom a huge legal victory that will clear the way for hundreds of millions of dollars in damages to be paid to victims and their loved ones over asbestos-caused cancer.
In the culmination of a legal battle that has stretched over more than five years, the court ruled that insurance carriers should have to pay companies for the costs they have incurred in compensating workers who suffer from asbestos-related illnesses. The key factor of the ruling is that the liability for insurance carriers starts in the time frame when the victims were exposed to the toxic material and not when the symptoms occur or a diagnosis is made.
This is an important ruling because mesothelioma usually does not become symptomatic or diagnosed until several decades after a victim is exposed to the substance. The overwhelming number of mesothelioma victims are exposed to asbestos as part of their employment and inhale tiny, microscopic particles of the substance.
The fibers then penetrate linings of the lungs, heart or abdominal organs and over a very long latency period -- sometimes as long as five decades -- generate cancer cells which form deadly tumors or spread to other parts of the body. Most victims are not diagnosed until the cancer is so far advanced that it cannot be effectively treated. Most victims live less than 18 months after being diagnosed.
Reuters News Service reported that the ruling on reinstates an established practice that had been thrown into doubt by an earlier court decision that compensation was in some cases covered by insurance held when symptoms emerge, often many years after initial exposure and that many claims had been put on hold pending clarification of the law.
Legal experts quoted by Reuters said that the ruling also will allow victims to sue insurers directly in cases in which the employers that they worked for when they were exposed to asbestos have gone out of business.
"The case was launched in 2007 by four insurers who hoped to limit their payouts by establishing that liability was triggered by the development of an asbestos-related illness, rather than exposure," according to Reuters. "One of the insurers, Municipal Mutual Insurance Limited, said: 'Whilst the ruling does not reflect MMI's favoured outcome, we welcome the clarity this judgement brings as it enables MMI to determine the extent of its liabilities and the available options for the future.'"
Estimates of how much money will be paid out to the victims ranges from several hundred million dollars to figures over a billion dollars.
"Asbestos, widely used as a building material during the mid-twentieth century, can cause fatal diseases including mesothelioma and lung cancer, with symptoms often taking years to develop," said Reuters. "According to estimates from the Health and Safety Executive, nearly 50,000 people will die from mesothelioma between 2009 and 2050, with deaths expected to peak in 2015. Asbestos-related claims contributed to mounting liabilities that threatened to overwhelm the Lloyd's of London insurance market in the late 1980s and early 1990s."
U.S. health officials estimate that there are about 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma diagnosed in the country each year and that this figure is expected to remain steady or increase over the coming decade.
One of the Supreme Court justices said "The negligent exposure of an employee to asbestos during the insurance policy period has a sufficient causal link with subsequently arising mesothelioma to trigger the insurer's obligation."UK
The Guardian newspaper reported that "Britain and Ireland's largest trade union, Unite, welcomed the 'landmark' ruling, which it said would affect 'many of the 2,500 people who are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year.' Its challenge was on behalf of the family of Charles O'Farrell, a retired member who died of mesothelioma in 2003."
March 22, 2012
NEW RESEARCH FINDINGS ON TREATMENT
OF PLEURAL MESOTHELIOMA PATIENTS
Findings of a recent medical research study are favoring a less extensive surgery treatment for victims of pleural mesothelioma were recently published in an important medical journal that tracks new developments in cancer research. The study showed that a surgery called pleurectomy/decortications (P/D), in which surgeons operate and remove part of the lining surrounding the lungs and possibly part, but not all of a lung is more effective than a more extensive surgery.
Pleural mesothelioma is the most common of the types of asbestos-caused cancers that have killed hundreds of thousands of victims. It develops after people are exposed to asbestos, usually in a workplace or occupational environment, and inhale tiny, microscopic particles of the material. These particles then work their way into the linings of a victim’s lungs, heart or abdominal organs and, over a span of several decades, generate cancer cells which form deadly tumors or spread to other parts of the body.
The findings, which were published in the April 2012 issue of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's (IASLC) Journal of Thoracic Oncology, were posted on the United Kingdom’s Medical News Today, one of the leading in independent health and medical news websites on the Internet.
The site report said that patients with early stage malignant pleural mesothelioma may be eligible for aggressive multi-modality therapy involving surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy and there has been a controversy over which of two main approaches is superior. One is called extrapleural pnemonectomy (EPP), a very extensive surgery where surgeons remove the entire diseased lung, lung lining (pleura), part of the membrane covering the heart (pericardium) and part of the diaphragm. The other approach, P/D involves a less extensive surgery called pleurectomy/decortication (P/D), where surgeons remove part of the lining around the lungs, potentially part, but not all, of the lung, and potentially part of the diaphragm and/or membrane around the heart.
Medical News Today said that according to the study, "EPP resulted in higher mortality and morbidity than P/D, and P/D resulted in significantly better survival in our experience as in others." The authors of the study "propose that P/D becomes the standard surgical procedure offered as part of multi-modality therapy in malignant pleural mesothelioma." Until recently, EPP was the considered the standard of treatment. But this latest study along with other recent research seems to point to P/D becoming the new standard of treatment.
The report said that Dr. Michael Weyant, thoracic surgeon and assistant professor at the University of Colorado, wrote an editorial in the April JTO about this topic. He concludes that, "the results of the current study by Lang-Lazdunksi et al provide additional data that should lead us to consider P/D in all trials of treatment for MPM. It is too early based on this data to completely abandon EPP altogether as there may be patient subsets where the potential reward outweighs the risks of the procedure."
Medical News Today said the lead author of this work is Dr. Loïc Lang-Lazdunski, and co-authors include Dr. David Landau and Dr. James Spicer, all at King's College London-Division of Cancer Studies for the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.
In the United States health officials say there are about 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of malignant mesothelioma diagnosed each year. Treatment of this form of cancer is very difficult because few cases are diagnosed early enough to treat effectively because the disease has such a long latency period. Published data shows that most victims are told they will have less than 18 months to live after being diagnosed.
March 21, 2012
NEW STUDY SHOWS PROMISE FOR CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT OF MALIGNANT MESOTHELIOMA
New advances in medical research continue to raise hopes that a cure can be found for malignant mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, as well as other forms of cancer. Each day news studies are being published in respected medical journals that demonstrate that researchers are continuing to seek a medical breakthrough. One recent study involving studies on tumors has scientists optimistic that they may have found the key to developing a new drug that could lower the damaging effects of chemotherapy while increasing the power of this medical approach to treating cancer.
Most everyone is familiar with the sometimes-debilitating side effects of chemotherapy with patients losing hair, energy among other issues. Now, a team of Duke University researchers has broken down the components of a key molecule that can be a transporter of chemotherapy directly into diseased cells without harming healthy tissue. This has been a continual health issue in the treatment of cancer since chemotherapy was introduced decades ago.
"Knowing the structure and properties of the transporter molecule may be the key to changing the way that some chemotherapies, for example, could work in the body to prevent tumor growth," said senior auth or Seok-Yong Lee, assistant professor of biochemistry at Duke, in comments posted on the university's medical school web site. The posting provides the following details:
The transporter molecule, called a concentrative nucleoside transporter, works by moving nucleosides, the building blocks of DNA and RNA, from the outside to the inside of cells. It also transports nucleoside-like chemo drugs through cell membranes. Once inside the cells, the nucleoside-like drugs are modified into nucleotides that are incorporated into DNA in ways that prevent tumor cells from dividing and functioning.
"We discovered the structure of the transporter molecule, and now we believe it is possible to improve nucleoside drugs to be better recognized by a particular form of the transporter molecule that resides in certain types of tissue," Lee said. in the posting. "Now we know the transporter molecule has three forms, which recognize different drugs and reside in different tissues."
The team determined the chemical and physical principles a transporter molecule uses to recognize the nucleosides, "so if you can improve the interactions between the transporter and the drug, you won't need as much of the drug to get it into the tumor cells efficiently," Lee said. "Knowing the shape of the transporters will let scientists design drugs that are recognized well by this transporter." Because the drugs enter healthy cells as well as tumor cells, giving a lower dose of drug that targets tumor tissue would be the best scenario, said Lee, who is also a member of the Duke Ion channel Research Unit. "Healthy cells don't divide as often as tumor cells, so lowering the amount of drug given overall would be an effective approach to killing tumors while protecting patients."
The researchers studied transporter molecules from Vibrio cholera, a comma-shaped bacterium. The bacterial transporter serves as a good model system for studying human transporters because they share similar amino acid sequences. They found that both the human and bacterial transporter use a sodium gradient to import nucleosides and drugs into the cells.
Lee and his team said that they will next try to understand which features of the transporter confer the ability to recognize certain chemo drugs and ultimately to design drugs that can easily enter the cells. The posting also said the work won a prize for Dr. Lee, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences Award, which he will receive at the Biophysical Society meeting in February.
The web site said that work on the project was funded by the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Klingenstein Fund, the Mallinckrodt Foundation, the Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Research Award from the March of Dimes Foundation, and the NIH Director's New Innovator Award, in addition to start-up funds from the Duke University Medical Center.
March 19, 2012
VIRGINIA SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS ASBESTOS VERDICT
The Virginia Supreme Court has upheld a jury’s verdict that found a manufacturer liable for damages in an asbestos case in which a former Navy petty officer died of mesothelioma. The high court found the verdict proper but reduced some of the damages awarded to the former sailor’s family on a legal technicality.
Robert Hardick, according to trial testimony, worked as a shipfitter and machinery repairman onboard Navy ships and breathed in asbestos fibers when he worked on Navy ships between the 1950s and the 1970s. Lawyers said Hardick was a resident of Kentucky when he died of mesothelioma, a deadly cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, in 2009 at age 69.
Hardick’s family was awarded nearly $6 million damages after a trial in 2010 in which Hardick’s lawyers proved that John Crane Inc., a Chicago-area maker of valves and gaskets for ships and submarines was liable for the exposure to asbestos that caused Hardick’s mesothelioma. John Crane has been the defendant in numerous asbestos cases because its product was once commonly used in ships built at the Newport News shipyard and other shipyards.
The high court ruled that while the verdict was proper the jury should not have been allowed by the trial judge to consider and award damages for pain and suffering involving a sailor.
According to a report in the Virginia Daily Press, “The Virginia Supreme Court ruled that pecuniary damages — losses that can be firmly calculated and defined — are allowed for seamen in federal maritime cases. Non-pecuniary damages, such as those caused by suffering and emotional losses, are barred, the court said. Citing U.S. Supreme Court rulings, the high court said a "seaman" is a broadly used maritime term. To meet the definition, you only have to "contribute to the function of the vessel or to the accomplishment of its mission." Everyone from cooks to cabin boys to ship firemen can be considered seamen.”
In doing so the court ruled that Hardick’s family was legally entitled to nearly $3 million for medical expenses, funeral expenses, and the income and "services" that Hardick would have provided to his family if he lived.
Legal experts say that it is not unusual for judges to make technical errors during trials and note that the verdict in favor of Hardick’s family is one of the latest in asbestos-based litigation that has occurred in the court system for several decades. The legal point, they say, is that manufacturers, distributors, employers and others responsible for exposing individuals to workers are continuing to be found liable in asbestos cases and have paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in jury verdicts and settlements.
Many of these victims have been Navy veterans who were routinely exposed to asbestos-laden parts and structures in ships during their careers at a time when the use of asbestos was not under the strict regulations that are currently in place out of concern for human safety.
National health statistics show that a disproportionate number of Navy veterans are among the 2,000 to 3,000 new mesothelioma cases that are being diagnosed in the United States each year. Most victims are told they will have less than 18 months to live after being diagnosed.
This is because the cancer is usually so far advanced by the time it is detected that most cases are untreatable by traditional methods such as surgery, radiology and chemotherapy.
Most cases of mesothelioma are similar to Hardick’s, in that victims unknowingly inhale invisible particles of the material at work. The particles then work their way into the linings of the lungs, heart or abdominal organs and, over several decades, generate cancer cells which form tumors or spread to other parts of the body.
March 1, 2012
MESOTHELIOMA VICTIM SEEKS
NATIONAL REGISTRY FOR ASBESTOS SITES
As a huge controversy continues to swirl around Canada’s asbestos industry and whether it should be abolished a man who suffers from asbestos-caused cancer is demanding that the government create a national registry of buildings that contain the hazardous material to help prevent others from developing the deadly cancer.
The campaign is being led by Howard Willems, a 59-year-old Saskatoon man who is now fighting the malignant mesothelioma he developed from his work as a federal food inspector at older food plants in Saskatchewan. His case was profiled by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), which has conducted in-depth investigations about the country’s asbestos mining industry.
The national network uncovered financial links between asbestos interests and researchers who produced studies that downplayed some of the dangers of asbestos, exposure to which is the overwhelming cause of malignant mesothelioma. The investigation has caused a sensation in the Canadian media and raised concerns about the integrity of the one of the nation’s most prestigious institutions, McGill University.
The CBC investigation comes in the midst of a national debate over whether Canada should join most other western countries in banning asbestos out of moral and health concerns or whether the last remaining mines should receive government financial assistance.
In another CBC report about Willems’ drive for a national registry he argues that “everyone has a right to know when they go into a workplace or when they’re going into a building, it is safe.”
As the CBC reported:
Only a short time ago, Willems was fit enough to hike the Grand Canyon with his wife. Today, he needs a cane to walk. Though he remains upbeat, Willems had one lung removed in 2011 and his other lung is continually monitored. Research shows that 98 per cent of people with mesothelioma die within three years.Willems has been a federal food plant inspector for more than 30 years. He says he now realizes he was exposed to asbestos when he inspected plants while they were being renovated, especially during the removal of pipes with asbestos insulation. “When the light hit the right way you could see the fibres in the air.”He says no one seemed to be concerned at the time about the dangers of breathing in the fibres, and that a registry would help workers to be better informed. “Something as simple as knowing and putting on a mask going into those scenarios could have prevented all of that,” he says, referring to his lung cancer.
Willems’ campaign follows on the heels of similar requests by the Canadian Cancer Society and environmental activist Daniel Green, who says the Quebec government has a list of 1,550 buildings containing asbestos, but won’t allow the public to see it.
“When we asked the government to give us the list [of addresses] they refused.… the government is telling us, 'We will not tell you of the asbestos in buildings you own as taxpayers,'” Green told the CBC.
In the United States the government has imposed much stricter laws and regulations involving the use and handling of asbestos and there are numerous resources available from government agencies detailing areas in which asbestos has been found. There are also many local, state and federal hot lines on which citizens can report asbestos incidents or dangers.
Government authorities also prosecute individuals and companies who violate laws involving the handling or disposal of asbestos. In addition to government regulations, there have been tens of thousands of asbestos lawsuits filed on behalf of mesothelioma victims who have won hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and jury awards against manufacturers and distributors of asbestos and employers who were negligent in providing for worker safety.
February 27, 2012
EXXON SUES INSURERS TO RECOUP ASBESTOS LAWSUIT COSTS
If there was ever any question about the huge amount of money that asbestos victims are recovering in settlements of their asbestos lawsuits and jury awards it was certainly answered in a recent legal action by Exxon Mobil Corp., which has been described as the second-most valuable company in the world.
Exxon, which has climbed to that exalted financial status in part because of its 1999 purchase of former rival Mobil for $85.2 billion in stock and assumed debt, recently filed suit in New York state court against dozens of insurance company with which the corporate giant had taken out policies.
The reason: Exxon wants the insurers to pay up for the huge amounts of costs that Exxon has suffered over asbestos lawsuits. According to Bloomberg News, "The oil producer filed the lawsuit yesterday against some underwriters at Lloyd’s of London and other insurers, seeking a declaration of their 'rights, duties and obligations' to cover Exxon Mobil’s defense costs and indemnify the company for money it’s obligated to pay as a result of asbestos claims."
Bloomberg said that, according to filings in the case, the claims arise from alleged exposure during several decades to asbestos-containing materials at facilities owned by Exxon Corp. and Mobil Corp., and Mobil’s manufacture and distribution of asbestos-containing products from 1963 until about 1980.
“Claims by thousands of plaintiffs against Exxon Mobil have been settled or otherwise disposed of,” the Irving, Texas- based company said in the complaint. “Thousands more remain pending against Exxon Mobil, and Exxon Mobil expects many more to be filed in the future,” reported Bloomberg News, which said Lloyd’s of London declined to comment on the lawsuit.
February 24, 2012
ASBESTOS FROM FATHER’S OVERALLS CITED
IN MAN’S SAD DEATH FROM MESOTHELIOMA
When Keith Turnbull was a wee lad growing up in Watford, a town northwest of London, his father was an asbestos molder and used to come home with his overalls covered in a chalky dust. That dust – a conglomeration of asbestos-contaminated debris – wound up causing Turnbull’s recent death to mesothelioma, according to a British coroner. The death of Turnbull, a retired printer, is another tragic case of second-hand exposure to asbestos becoming fatal.
Mesothelioma is one of the deadliest forms of cancer and as is seen in Turnbull’s case it can take five or six decades to develop within a victim who has been exposed to asbestos. In most cases of mesothelioma the victim is exposed directly, usually at a workplace. In Turnbull’s case it was through exposure from his father, who worked at Cape Universal asbestos factory in nearby Croxley Moor.
Turnbull’s obituary was written up in the Watford Observer newspaper, which reported:
“Coroner Edward Thomas said Keith’s father was exposed to asbestos while working at Cape Universal and it was brought home with him. Martyn (Keith’s brother) recalls his father, an asbestos molder, coming home wearing his work overalls. He remembers them covered in dust. At one time he describes him looking like a snowman.
‘The family would greet him and hug him as he came through the door and they were clearly exposed to asbestos at that stage. He had no knowledge that there was any particular problem. Those who worked in that industry had no idea.’”
Mesothelioma in the overwhelming number of cases occurs when a person unknowingly inhales tiny particles of asbestos which work their way into the linings of the lungs and over several decades generate cancer cells which can form deadly tumors. In most cases mesothelioma is not diagnosed until it is too late to treat and most victims are given less than 18 months to live after the cancer is discovered.
In Turnbull’s case, he was diagnosed in 2008 and was told he had just six months to live. He took expensive trips to Germany for radical treatment of the cancer and managed to hold on for three years before dying at the age of 66. His widow, Judith, said that “because he came into contact with asbestos before the dangers of the material were known, Mr. Turnbull could not claim any compensation for his condition and was forced to retire.”
Now, Linda Turnbull fears for others who may have been directly or indirectly exposed to the dangers of an asbestos factory that was only about 500 meters from where her husband grew up. It was not until 1985 that a ban was placed on asbestos there.
“It will almost certainly affect many people who were in contact with asbestos 20 or 30 years ago and who so far will be unaware that the clock is ticking,” she told the newspaper.
Asbestos exposure had been an increasing problem in the United Kingdom where the number of cases of mesothelioma has risen in recent years. The UK’s imposition of stricter regulations and bans on asbestos usage trailed similar action which was taken in the United States by the late 1970s.
National health statistics show that about 2,000 to 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma each year. Most of these cases are through direct exposure, normally in the workplace, but numerous cases of second-hand exposure like Turnbull’s are also reported.
February 23, 2012
DEVELOPER FACES FIVE YEARS IN PRISON
FOR ASBESTOS REMOVAL VIOLATION
In yet another reminder that the dangers of asbestos are still ever-present, a New York developer has been indicted on federal criminal charges for his role in violating the Clean Air Act by not following strict asbestos laws designed to protect the public. Federal officials said that Anastasios Kolokouris, a 28-year-old Avon, N.Y., man could face a prison sentence of five years and a $250,000 fine on charges of hiring workers who had no training in asbestos handling to work on large amounts of asbestos in a downtown warehouse.
Legal experts say that it is not unusual for federal authorities to strictly enforce asbestos environmental laws because of the toxic dangers of the material. Since the 1970s strict rules and regulations about the handling of asbestos have been put in place and criminal charges have been filed in hundreds of cases in which these rules were not followed. In many of the cases, according to court filings by federal prosecutors, developers or work crews attempted short cuts in order to maximize their profits at the expense of public health.
Exposure to asbestos has been identified as the overwhelming cause of a deadly cancer known as malignant mesothelioma. Victims typically are exposed at a worksite and unknowingly inhale tiny, microscopic particles of asbestos which work their way into the linings of the lungs, heart or abdominal organs. In most cases the particles, over about 30 to 40 years, generate cancer cells which form deadly tumors or spread to other parts of the body. Most victims are not diagnosed with the cancer until it is so far advanced that it is untreatable by common methods such as surgery, radiation or chemotherapy.
The indictment by a federal grand jury of Kolokouris is the latest development in a case that began two months ago, according to News10 in Rochester, N.Y., which reported that “an inspector from the Asbestos Control Bureau of the state’s Department of Labor visited the property on Dec. 13 following a complaint. There, the inspector observed large quantities of material that looked like asbestos in and around the dumpster where people were working.”
Federal officials said that more than 90 bags of dry, friable asbestos were seized at the site and tested positive for asbestos. Officials also warned that “any person who was in or around 920 Exchange Street between Aug. 1 and Dec. 14, 2011, may have been exposed.”
There have been several recent cases of asbestos crimes committed in New York, primarily at redevelopment sites at which it was necessary to remove large amounts of asbestos from buildings. In one case government officials as well as private businessmen were charged in a massive case.
2/21/2012
ASBESTOS VICTIM'S FAMILY AWARDED $9 MILLION
IN DAMAGES BY A VIRGINIA JURY
In the most recent of a long history of jury awards in asbestos exposure cases, a Virginia jury has awarded the family of a former shipyard worker who died of an asbestos-caused cancer $9.18 million in damages. The verdict was returned by a Newport News jury on behalf of the widow and ton sons of John K. Bristow, who was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma after he retired from Newport News Shipbuilding, where he had worked for 37 years, according to testimony in the case.
The defendant in the case, asbestos manufacturer John Crane Inc. was found to have "substantially contributed" to the Virginia Beach man's death at the age of 68 a year ago. Bristow retired as a design engineer at the shipyard and, according to medical testimony at the trial, probably was exposed to the asbestos that led to him developing mesothelioma in the 1960s to 1970s.
Bristow's lawyers argued that John Crane should be held liable for damages because it should have known about the hazards of asbestos and exposure to it and did not take adequate measure to warn workers and ensure their safety. They had asked for nearly $10 million in damages.
2/17/2012
LAWSUITS CLAIM TRUST TRYING TO AVOID ABESTOS PAYOUTS BY DISCRIMINATING NAVY SHIP WORKERS
Those who are accused of negligently causing asbestos-caused illnesses have long employed unique defenses in attempting to avoid financial responsibility. A recent lawsuit filed in New York City claims that one of those companies is unfairly discriminating against men and women who worked on U.S. Navy ships abroad and developed malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and gastrointestinal cancer.
At issue a refusal by a trust set up by Johns Manville Corp., which manufactured building materials that included asbestos, to pay benefits to those who developed asbestos-caused illnesses because of the asbestos in the company's materials. The suit was filed by men from England, Greece and Malta who, according to the suit, were employed as workers on U.S. Navy ship, while the ships were docked in those countries. The men also worked on the ships while they were docked in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Norfolk Naval Shipyard, in Virginia, according to the suit.
"In the face of both domestic and international law to the contrary, let alone common sense, the trust and the [trust's claims processing company] have each taken the position that active naval warships of the United States Navy, while being repaired, maintained, serviced, or refurbished at both civilian and military shipyards of other nations and the United States, somehow lost their sovereignty as territory of this country," the plaintiffs said in their court filing.
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, "Each man (or his representative) filed a claim against a trust set up to compensate those who became ill from Johns Manville's products. The men say their illnesses resulted from their exposure to the asbestos dust and fibers contained in Johns Manville products found in the U.S. naval ships boiler rooms, engine rooms and other confined areas. They say the trust has wrongly concluded that their exposure occurred off U.S. soil."
For many decades, asbestos was a key component of any U.S. Navy construction or repair project. It was prized for its versatility, fire-retardant and insulating qualities and resistance to corrosion. It was not only a vital part of every ships boiler room as well as lining the vessels compartments, it was also part of the fabric of the textiles used in clothing and equipment for both shipyard workers and military personnel. Tons of asbestos were used in every ships insulation and in the fireproofing of countless miles of pipe and the walls, doors, ceilings and floors over section of every ship. Important parts of machinery such as clutches, brakes, gaskets, meters, electrical fixtures also included asbestos.
It was impossible for most crew members or shipyard workers not to come into regular contact with materials that put them at high risk of exposure to asbestos particles. Some personnel reported being showered by asbestos debris while others never saw the microscopic particles they inhaled. The typical way that malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related cancers develop is for these particles to invade the body, fight off the immune systems defenses and, over several decades, generate cancer cells which form deadly tumors and spread to other parts of the body.
National health statistics show that it is a tragic fact that a disproportionate percentage of the victims of asbestos-caused diseases are military personnel or veterans, particularly those who served in the U.S. Navy due to the prevalence of asbestos in shipyards and on virtually every naval vessel that had been constructed into the 1970s. There are also many reported cases of second-hand exposure in which workers or military personnel unknowingly carried asbestos in their clothing to their homes and exposed their families to the particles. In general, the greater the exposure to these dangerous asbestos particles, the more likely a person was to fall victim to these diseases.
2/15/2012: ALARM-RINGER FOR 9/11 ASBESTOS DANGERS DIES
One of the key figures in focusing public and governmental attention on the dangers faced by responders to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City has died. Dr. Stephen M. Levin, a co-director of the Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan died at 70 years of age in his home in Upper Grandview, N.Y. of cancer, according to his wife.
Levin earned a reputation as one of the nation's leading experts on occupational medicine and was one of the loudest voices warning about the health threats posed by asbestos and other materials released by the collapse of the World Trade Center towers after the attacks. Tens of thousands of firefighters, police officials, construction workers and others were exposed in the fallout after the attacks and Levin and other medical officials were at the forefront of a plan to provide health screenings for those who might have been exposed.
There were many materials released into the air after the attack and much of the concern focused on asbestos, which is strictly regulated because of the lethal health hazards posed by exposure. The overwhelming numbers of cases of malignant mesothelioma - one of the deadliest cancers - are caused by asbestos exposure, in most cases in the workplace. However, in cases such as building demolitions or disasters such as the 9/11 attacks, huge amounts of asbestos can be spread.
After the 9/11 attacks Levin was quoted in the media as saying: "I'm not saying we'll see a huge wave of cancers in 20 years, but I know the rate won't be zero. The point is not to count statistics but to plug the people who need it into care and to detect the diseases as early as possible, when we still might have a shot at curing them."
2/13/2012: EUROPEAN EXECS SENTENCED TO JAIL, ORDERED TO PAY MILLIONS IN DAMAGES OVER ASBESTOS DEATHS
In a stunning development that has made international headlines two prominent European business executives had been sentenced to 16 years in jail and ordered to pay millions of euros to victims who suffered asbestos-caused diseases due to the executives' negligence at Italian plants.
Reuters News Agency reported that the verdict and sentencings might establish a precedent in safety-in-the-workplace litigation that has been filed or may be filed in other countries and that relatives of the victims and others who filled the courtroom were crying and applauding when the judge in the case handed down the severe sentences.
The case involved allegations against a billionaire Swiss industrialist and a Belgian executive who were charged and found guilty of failing to protect their workers from the dangers of asbestos at Italian plants that have been linked to more than 2,000 asbestos-caused fatalities.
The defendants are the former owner of the Swiss fibre cement firm Eternit, Stephan Schmidheiny, 64, and former executive Jean Louis Marie Ghislain de Cartier de Marchienne, 90. Lawyers for both defendants, who were tried in abstensia, said they will appeal the verdicts and the sentences that were imposed by a Turin judge.
The Senate Rejects Asbestos Trust Fund
The Senate stood up for the rights of working people throughout America when it struck down a proposed bill that would have established a $140 billion trust fund to compensate victims of asbestos-related diseases.
Asbestos ads don't flood Sessions with angry phone calls
An advertising blitz criticizing Sen. Jeff Sessions' support for asbestos trust fund legislation didn't result in a flood of angry phone calls to his office, but it sure got him upset with the trial lawyers who helped pay for the ads.
Surgery After Chemotherapy Shows Promise for Patients With Mesothelioma
Results from a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology indicate that neoadjuvant chemotherapy appears promising for the treatment of patients with malignant mesothelioma.
Experimental Surgery Gives Cancer Patient Hope: Woman Diagnosed With 'Untreatable' Disease
Nine months ago, Karen Grant was diagnosed with a cancer that doctors said was untreatable, but an experimental surgery gave her a sliver of hope.
Halliburton Co. to pay $30 million to asbestos victims
About 120 families of people exposed to deadly asbestos while working in shipyards, construction sites and industrial plants in the Pacific Northwest or serving on Navy ships serviced in Seattle will be paid $30 million by the Halliburton Co. as part of a recent $4.3 billion national settlement to wrap up asbestos liabilities.
Yonkers schools fined by EPA for failing to comply with federal asbestos laws
Under the federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, local New York education authorities since 1986 are required to inspect all school buildings for asbestos damage, develop abatement plans and keep the public, students and teachers informed about asbestos related hazards.
Nation's largest asbestos cleanup scam results in two longest federal jail sentences for environmental crimes
In the longest terms of imprisonment in U.S. history for a federal environmental crime, father and son owners of asbestos abatement companies in New York State were sentenced December 23, 2004, in U.S. District Court in Syracuse to 25 years and 19.5 years of imprisonment.
"Family of mesothelioma victim awarded $10 million from Ford Motor Company"
A jury ordered Ford Motor Co. to pay $10 million to the family of a Michigan woman who died of mesothelioma in 2000.
"Pfizer agrees to pay $430 million for asbestos litigation"
Pfizer, Inc. is the world's largest drug maker and has now agreed to pay $430 million to resolve most personal injury claims against its subsidiary Quigley Co. Pfizer bought Quigley in 1968, which sold products containing asbestos in the 1970s used to coat steel-making equipment.
Over 100,000 people at risk for mesothelioma after 9/11 attacks
According to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF), over 100,000 individuals present in Manhattan during and immediately after the collapse of the Twin Towers are at risk for developing mesothelioma.
"CDC: No end in sight for asbestos deaths"
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a tremendous rise in the number of deaths related to asbestos exposure from the late 1960s to present day - and they only expect death tolls to rise.
Report: Auto Mechanics Exposed To High Asbestos Levels In Brakes
Auto mechanics are being exposed to dangerous levels of cancer-causing asbestos used to line brakes and are not informed of the risk, a study commissioned by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has found.
2 Texas Juries Award Tyler Pipe Employees $26 Million For Occupational Exposure To Asbestos
Twice in less than a week, a jury here awarded longtime employees of Tyler Pipe Industries Inc. a multimillion-dollar award for occupational injuries from exposure to asbestos at Tyler's iron foundry in Swan, Texas.
Baltimore Jury Awards $10.3 Million To 14 Plaintiffs In Last Round Of Consolidated Asbestos Cases
In the last set of 400 consolidated asbestos cases to be decided in a month-long trial in Baltimore City Circuit Court, a jury on Aug. 9 awarded 14 people suffering from asbestos-related diseases $10.3 million.
Georgia-Pacific Knew of Asbestos Dangers, Report Charges
Georgia-Pacific kept selling asbestos-containing joint compounds in the 1960's and 1970's even though its leaders knew about the serious health problems caused by asbestos, according to a recent news story (Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Patty Bond, September 15, 2002).
San Francisco Jury Awards $33.7 Million To Former Navy Electrician
In what is believed to be the largest verdict ever in a California asbestos case, a San Francisco jury awarded a total of $33,700,000 to a former navy electrician and his wife.
CDC Says Asbestos Deaths Are Skyrocketing
Asbestos deaths in the United States have skyrocketed since the late 1960s and will probably keep on climbing through the next decade because of long-ago exposure to the material, once widely used for insulation and fireproofing, the government said Thursday.
Bankruptcy exit plan for generator firm gains
The Babcock & Wilcox unit of McDermott International Inc. has won court approval of its plan to emerge from bankruptcy by putting assets worth about $1.8 billion into a trust to pay more than 222,000 asbestos-injury claims.
Find more articles from me on Google+ WJ Callahan Mesothelioma Lawyers.
