Asbestos at California State University in Chico is holding up remodeling efforts at many of the school’s older buildings, prompting students and faculty to express their concerns about the dangers of exposure to the toxic material.

According to an article in the student publication The Orion, the university has been unable to do repairs on several buildings because of the presence of asbestos in the ceilings and other places throughout the structures. For example, lighting in the school’s Butte Hall has been a persistent problem, but because of asbestos in the ceiling tiles, the school has been unable to solve the problem without employing expensive solutions.

“The asbestos in Butte is not harmful to students as long as it is held in place,” said Joe Wills, director of Public Affairs and Publications.

However, the asbestos is preventing repair of lights and ballasts that control the electrical current, said James Jessee, director of Academic Publications, Facilities and Database Operations. “Although the asbestos in the building is contained, we have not been able to do any remodeling in the building for years,” he stressed. “We’re afraid to create a big problem.”

Jessee estimates complete renovation of the building, including proper asbestos removal by a licensed abatement company, would cost more than $50 million.

School officials maintain that not all the lighting problems are caused by asbestos. Some may be simply a matter of no one turning in a work order to fix the problem. However, according to political science professor Robert Jackson, whose classroom is in Butte Hall, the presence of asbestos is getting “harder and harder to ignore.”

Jackson adds that many of the building’s classrooms are in the same condition they were in 35 years ago and are getting worse.

Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology report that they have “created an acoustic sensor that can report the presence of small amounts of mesothelin, a molecule associated with a number of cancers including mesothelioma, as they attach to the sensor’s surface.”

According to an article in Science Daily, these cancer-sensing devices, which can be built quite inexpensively, could “change the way physicians detect, treat, and monitor cancer patients.” The researchers say the device demonstrates a technique that might work for the detection of nearly any biomarker – a molecular signal that denotes the presence of a disease.

“It is one thing to be able to identify biomarkers for a disease, but it is another to be able to find them in blood quickly and easily at very low concentrations,” said Anthony Dickherber, a graduate student in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech. “We envision that, one day, doctors can use an array of our sensors as a sort of laboratory in their office, where they could use a quick blood sample to detect or monitor the signs of cancer.”

The device could also save the healthcare industry plenty of money by allowing doctors to screen for disease by using this inexpensive device rather than more costly diagnostic tools such as MRIs and CT scans.
According to the article, the device, dubbed the ACuRayâ„¢, consists of a series of electrodes deposited on the surface of a thin film of zinc oxide, which allows the device to resonate, or vibrate, at a specific frequency when a current is applied, much like the quartz timing devices used in many clocks and watches.

“The sensor itself is built on a base of silicon, like a computer chip, and could be mass-produced using very well known and inexpensive microelectronic fabrication techniques,” Dickherber said.

“It is really an elegant engineering solution to a very complicated problem,” said research adviser William Hunt, a professor of electrical and computer at Georgia Tech and lead researcher on the project. “We could, for example, detect a number of different markers for a single disease on a single chip no bigger than the tip of a fountain pen. With refinement, this technology could readily lead to an inexpensive, ubiquitous technology for researchers, physicians and the clinical laboratory.”

One of England’s five National Sports Centers will be closing for nearly a year after asbestos was found inside the building.

The Crystal Palace National Sports Centre is located in London’s Crystal Palace Park and is operated by Sport England, an organization whose goal it is to promote community sport in that country. The London Development Agency, the organization responsible for the upkeep of the building, was testing the site in preparation for the closure of the centre in November, when all the mechanical and electrical systems are due to be refurbished. Test results came back positive for asbestos so the agency decided to close the centre down last Friday, reports an article in the London News Shopper.

Its director of risk, Dr David Hancock, said: “We are closing the centre as a precautionary measure as we do not want to expose the public or anybody to unnecessary risk.”

According to Hancock, the electrical and mechanical systems will still be renovated in November but he expects that the removal of asbestos will result in the centre being closed until next June or July.

Stacia Szczerbuik, a diving instructor who uses the swimming pool at the centre, said: “It’s obviously a shame [that] asbestos has been found but the building is dated so it doesn’t come as a complete surprise.”

A new DNA test that can determine whether an individual’s health has been affected by exposure to chemicals has been touted as a way to speed up civil cases by quickly confirming or denying a plaintiff’s exposure.

“The test involves taking DNA samples from a healthy person and then exposing it to the chemical in question to see which genes are affected. This is then used as a blueprint against which a claimant DNA can be compared,” says an article in the British newspaper, The Independent.

The new technique is expected to be used in civil cases, drastically reducing the time it takes to settle cases and grant compensation to those who have been exposed to toxins such as asbestos, benzene, or coal dust. These cases often drag on for months or even years as the burden of proof has often been difficult.

The scientist who helped to develop the test, Dr. Bruce Gillis of the Illinois College of Medicine, told the media that the test would allow some people to win cases they might have otherwise lost. On the other hand, he added, “others would find themselves with no case” because their diseases were not caused by any chemicals to which they were exposed on-the-job or elsewhere.

Dr. Gillis said civil courts in California have already heard more than 20 cases that used evidence from the technique. The test has swayed cases in both directions, he added, resulting in victories for both plaintiffs and defendants.

Last week, a Newport News (VA) court upheld a $3.4 million dollar verdict that had been awarded to the family of a former shipyard employee who died of asbestos-caused mesothelioma in 2005.

According to an article in the Daily Press, the court unanimously rejected an appeal by gasket maker John Crane, Inc., in the case of Garland F. “Buddy” Jones Jr., who allegedly handled asbestos-containing Crane products in the 1960s when he was employed at the Newport News shipyard.

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.

Besides John Crane, the other 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, the latter two had already settled out of court, leaving Crane as the only company to go to trial.

Bob Hatten, the attorney who handled the case, said the $3.4 million verdict was among the highest in a Virginia asbestos-related case. Jones’ wife Wanda, however, will not see any of the money. She died of an unrelated cancer just a few weeks ago. Her children will be the beneficiaries.

Ansley Higginbotham, 29, Jones’ daughter, 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.”

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.

Two New Hampshire companies that hired unlicensed contractors to carry out asbestos removal have been issued $90,000 in civil penalties for the illegal removal of the toxic material from an industrial building in the city of Dover, New Hampshire

According to an article in Occupational Health and Safety Magazine, the state Department of Environmental Services (DES) learned that unlicensed workers were hired by Kane Management Group LLC to remove asbestos flooring from the building in question. The company hired was not certified in asbestos removal nor was the DES informed about the project, as is mandated by state law. Last year, the attorney general filed an enforcement action against the defendants, which also included 85 Industrial Park II, LLC.

Under the terms of a settlement approved by the Strafford County Superior Court, Kane will pay $90,000 in civil penalties, $10,000 of which will fund air pollution and climate change education and outreach projects at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, New Hampshire.

“This case demonstrates the importance of complying with state laws that protect workers, the public and the environment from potential asbestos risks,” said State Attorney General Kelly A. Avotte. “While the defendants cooperated in resolving this case, their failure to follow state law on asbestos removal warrants the monetary penalty required under the settlement.”

DES Assistant Commissioner Michael J. Walls added: “Property owners and building contractors should conduct an asbestos survey before starting any renovation or demolition work. If asbestos is present, it should be removed by trained and licensed abatement contractors. These requirements are meant to prevent release of asbestos fibers into the environment and the exposure of unprotected workers to asbestos-contaminated material.”

A major release of asbestos fibers occurred in a Denver-area community garden last month when a contractor began digging without authorization.

A story on CBS4 Denver says the mishap occurred in the town of Lowry, between Denver and Aurora. The contractor, Lowry Assumption, had been working for three hours when inspectors from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment showed up and caught the mishap as it was occurring.

The inspectors found large chunks of asbestos within just a few feet of the Lowry Community Garden. They said the contactor was in violation of state policy that prohibits any excavation at Lowry without a certified asbestos spotter on site.

“This is why we have the concern, why we have spotter out there, so we know what is exactly in the trucks and what could have been removed,” said Jeff Edson of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

A representative for Lowry Assumption maintains that the spotter was in place for most of the excavation. “He’d been here the night before, essentially during the entire demolition,” said Brent Anderson. “So it was a very small window he was not here.”

No air quality testing was done on the day of the release but those who live in the area of the garden were notified of the concerns.

On September 12th, an exploding steampipe under a busy Boston street sent thick plumes of steam and other debris into the air, causing concerns about contamination from materials such as asbestos.

According to an account in the Boston Globe, several workers were decontaminated and streets in the area were closed because of concerns that toxic asbestos had been released. City officials report that many of the city’s old steampipes are insulated with asbestos and the potential that debris was released with the steam was great.

The steam came from a 14-inch pipe owned by Trigen Boston Energy Corp., said Larry Plitch, general counsel for the Trigen companies. Plitch told the Globe that “tests have indicated that there was asbestos in a brown material that spewed, along with the steam, out of the manhole at Otis and Summer Streets.”

He added that the air quality was still being tested and that no results were available. Plitch said it wasn’t clear how the steam was released, but he promised that the company would “get to the bottom of the incident.”

“We’re going to do a full-blown investigation, obviously, and make all of our findings available to the authorities,” he said.
A local fireman said four people had to be decontaminated but no serious injuries were reported after the incident. Tests will be ongoing to determine whether or not it’s safe for business owners and/or residents to return to the area.

A similar rupture occurred in New York City in July, prompting the closing of the affected area for several days due to the release of asbestos.

Earlier this week, the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District continued its investigation into possible illegal asbestos abatement at the old Cambria Air Force Station.

According to an article in the San Luis Obispo Tribune, pollution officials confirmed that they visited the 34-acre property early Monday morning but did not confirm whether air quality testing took place.

At the end of August, two individuals living in the old station reported that they believed they were being exposed to asbestos, caused by illegal construction within the asbestos-laden buildings and subsequent improper disposal of the material removed from the buildings in question.

The residents who reported their concerns also told The Tribune that a garbage company unknowingly collected dozens of bags containing the harmful waste and dumped them into landfills that were not slated to receive toxic waste. It is also believed that asbestos pipes were buried at sites throughout the property.

The San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department has reported that it was called in to assist in the case but it has not opened its own case at this time, according to department spokesperson Brian Hascall.

A crew of six prison inmates and two corrections officers working at the Staten Island (NY) Borough Hall were exposed to dangerous asbestos while removing a floor, the New York Times reported in a recent article.

The crew, made up of inmates from the Arthur Kill Correctional Facility on Staten Island and two supervising officers, worked at the hall last July, “yanking up carpet and floor tile with hands and ice scrapers and hauling at least a dozen plastic garbage bags of debris to the curb,” according to the article. At one point, several hours into the job, the borough’s environmental engineer told them to stop because the tiles contained a large amount of asbestos.

According to court papers filed on Monday, a tile from the floor was found to contain extremely high and dangerous levels of asbestos — “more than four times the threshold that triggers the city’s requirements that the material be removed only by licensed asbestos engineers using high-tech equipment and rigorous disposal protocols.”

The corrections officers have stated that they believe they’ve been exposed to the asbestos for nearly a year because they began work at the Borough Hall last October and were inside when contractors were tearing up other parts of the floor. None of the workers were offered protective gear, such as a dust mask.

The officers have now decided to hire an attorney and take the city to court, charging that the borough showed no regard for their health. The officers’ attorney says the inmates are considering joining the suit as well.

One of the officers on the Borough Hall job, Paul A. Zanelli, told attorney Bernadette Panzella that he felt betrayed. “I was just shocked that they would allow us to be exposed to that.”

“We were in there hands-on for quite a while,” Mr. Zanelli said. “It was very dusty. The inmates were choking. We had to turn on the A.C.”

The carpet was glued to the black-tile floor, so the tile came up, too, Mr. Zanelli said.

According to the NY Times article, city and state laws mandate that any material with more than 1 percent asbestos on a building project can be removed only by licensed asbestos engineers using proper abatement methods.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s prisoners, correction officers or other workers performing the work,” said David M. Newman, an industrial hygienist with the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health.