Tests conducted on the water supply in Lufkin, Texas back in 1991 showed that asbestos was present in the city’s water. Shortly after the discovery, in 2001 the city was awarded a grant in the amount of $16 million to remove the cause of the asbestos tainted water and now officials are stating that the work should be completed by January 2009.

The cause of the presence of asbestos in the water is outdated and ill repaired water lines and pumps which are and have been in the process of being replaced.

Asbestos was used in a variety of building, plumbing, and automotive products throughout the early twentieth century. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that it was realized how dangerous the substance was. Upon the creation of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration by congress asbestos began to become more regulated.

Exposure to asbestos-containing materials can lead to a range of health problems with lasting effects. Diseases which can be caused by the dangerous toxin include asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Because such diseases have such a long latency period treatment options are often very limited by the time that diagnosis occurs.

According to Public Director of Engineering for the City of Lufkin, Chuck Walker, asbestos in the water is not dangerous due to the fact that the water breaks the material down. According to officials the project is mainly being executed in order to reassure residents.

On December 12th the United States Supreme Court announced their agreement to consider the possibility of reinstating a $500 million asbestos-related settlement involving Travelers Companies Inc. The company has been named in a number of suits alleging that they attempted to intentionally hide the dangerous nature of asbestos.

Exposure to asbestos may result in any one of a number of asbestos-related diseases that have a considerably long latency period. For this reason treatment options for the diagnosed are often very limited. Such diseases include mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis.

Asbestos was used in a variety of building and automotive materials throughout the early twentieth century. It was not until the late 1970’s that the dangerous substance began to become regulated. If the settlement was to be reinstated it would mean than no additional lawsuits can be filed against Travelers in the future.

It is the feeling of the company that settlements should be paid out of a trust fund set up largely by insurers and created by Johns Manville back in the 1980’s. The fund was approved by a federal bankruptcy judge who some think did not have the power to approve such decisions.

The decision of the bankruptcy judge was overturned by the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York. In March the Supreme Court will consider the extent of the bankruptcy judge’s power and make a decision on the settlement.

A man residing in Vallejo, California has recently won a lawsuit awarding him $7.5 million for his asbestos-related injuries. Robert “Bobby” Hilt allegedly developed mesothelioma while employed as a janitor and marine machinist on Mare Island and in San Francisco. Hilt was diagnosed at the age of sixty-four.

Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Due to its considerably long latency period those diagnosed are often left with very few treatment options by the time that the discovery is made. Other diseases that are caused by asbestos exposure include but are not limited to asbestosis and lung cancer.

Asbestos was used often during the early twentieth century in a variety of building and automotive products. In the 1970’s it was realized how dangerous exposure to the substance was and it began to become regulated by the government.

Hilt previously has worked for the Schlage Lock Co. Bayshore plant as a janitor between 1963 and 1965. Following his time there he was employed with the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard up until 1972. Hilt has also done some work at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard.

Hilt is said to be in considerably good health considering his diagnosis. Typically those diagnosed with diseases such as mesothelioma live only twelve to eighteen months following the initial diagnosis. The trial was carried out in the San Francisco Superior Court and began last month

The Washington Supreme Court has recently ruled on two cases calling into question the accountability a company should have regarding products manufactured by them that have asbestos materials added to them after production. The plaintiffs in the two cases were Joseph Simonetta and Vernon Braaten who both have previously worked aboard naval ships.

Both men have developed fatal diseases caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. Asbestos was used in a variety of building and automotive materials for many years throughout the early to mid twentieth century. It was discovered in the 1970’s that asbestos was dangerous if exposed to and the government began to regulate its use and handling.

Joseph Simonetta was diagnosed with lung cancer thought to be caused by working with equipment used to take salt out of sea water.

Vernon Braaten was diagnosed with mesothelioma thought to be the result of his work as a pipefitter.

According to the Simonetta suit the evaporators that were used to remove the salt were manufactured by Griscom Russell and then sent off and insulated with asbestos-containing materials before being sent to companies for use.

In the Braaten suit it is stated that the pumps and valves used by Braaten were manufactured by an outside company and then insulated by the Navy with asbestos insulation.

The Washington Supreme Court ruled in both cases that the defendant companies could not be held liable for the men’s development of asbestos-related diseases due to the fact that they did not manufacture, distribute, or sell the asbestos that was present in the products.

Union workers in Lyndhurst, New Jersey were sighted protesting regarding asbestos on December 9th outside of what was formerly known as the Bedroc building located in Lyndhurst. The protesters were from the Laborers Local 78 Union and they were protesting what they believed to be unsafe practices regarding roof work being conducted by non-union members.

Due to the attention that the protest drew local officials became concerned also that improper asbestos removal may be being conducted as well. Because of this an investigation into the matter is now underway. Local officials are being aided by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Mayor of Lyndhurst, New Jersey Richard DiLascio has had previous concerns about asbestos at the site where the building is located earlier this year when asbestos was discovered in newly developed athletic fields in the town in close proximity to the site. The air around the fields was tested to be sure that dangerous exposure to the materials did not occur.

Exposure to even a minimal amount of asbestos can lead to the development of a number of asbestos-related diseases which include but are not limited to asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. These diseases often have a considerably long latency period which in many cases leaves the diagnosed with very few effective treatment options.

The mayor is hoping to establish a new ordinance that would require notification to the township of renovation projects being conducted within the town’s vicinity.

On States Street in Bridgeport, Connecticut a long abandoned building is now being rid of asbestos. The building is located at 333 State Street near Housatonic Community College.

Asbestos was widely used throughout the early twentieth century in a variety of building and automotive products. It wasn’t until the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was formed by Congress that the dangerous material began to become regulated by the government.

Exposure to materials containing asbestos can result in the development of any one of a number of asbestos-related diseases. Such diseases include asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer. Due to the long latency period of these diseases the diagnosed are often left with very few effective treatment options by the time the discovery is made. In many cases it is too late to administer any effective treatment at all by the time diagnosis occurs.

Because of the dangerous nature of the substance safe removal is extremely important and must be conducted by a licensed professional.

On November 24th a permit was issued for the abatement of asbestos at the site to First National Development according to Department of Public Health spokeswoman Jennifer Squires. The permit for the abatement project is valid until February 1st of next year. The firm is allowed a total of thirty-six months to complete the entire renovation project with extensions available if considerable work is being completed in a timely fashion.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced on their official website that February 4th will again be designated as World Cancer Day, a day where citizens worldwide are encouraged to increase awareness of what WHO is calling a “global cancer crisis.”

WHO researchers estimate that 84 million people across the globe will die of cancer by 2015. The majority of these individuals will not receive treatment, and many may not even be formally diagnosed.

In some nations, such as India and China, cancer is not considered a serious health threat. An increase in population, as well as tobacco use and exposure to other carcinogens, such as asbestos, is to blame for the worldwide increase in new cancer cases.

In India, the cancer crisis is of special concern, as the number of individuals exposed to carcinogenic asbestos is said to be the highest in the world. India imports an alarming amount of Canadian-mined asbestos each year, and because there are no asbestos-usage regulations in their country, the number of Indian citizens dying from mesothelioma cancer has increased in recent years.

WHO will team up with the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) to promote cancer research and increased funding. The UICC is also giving people an opportunity to sign their “World Cancer Declaration” and devote themselves to the mission of worldwide cancer control.

For more information about WHO, UICC, and the global cancer crisis, please visit uicc.org.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created usage regulations – called a “significant new use rule,” or SNUR – for nanoparticles. The regulations fall under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and will require people to notify the EPA at least ninety days prior to manufacturing, processing or importing nanomaterials.

The TSCA has designated certain nanomaterials as requiring a SNUR, including carbon nanotubes, which were added to their list in October. Carbon nanotubes, or CNTs, are different from traditional carbon compounds and are still being investigated. Studies in the last year have revealed that CNTs may cause cancerous tumors when injected into the abdomen of laboratory mice that are biologically similar to mesothelioma cancer tumors.

News stories published over the summer months created a panic around the use of CNTs, claiming that they were “the new asbestos” and that people who came into contact with CNT-containing products were at risk of one day developing cancer.

According to the EPA, the “significant new use rule” was instituted because nanomaterials “may be more chemically reactive, have different strength or electrical properties, or be more mobile, than similar materials that are larger in scale.” In other words, the extremely tiny size of nanomaterials (including CNTs) presents the potential for more frequent and misunderstood chemical reactions, which essentially renders nanomaterials an “unstable” material.

Both the EPA and nanoscientists agree that further research into the safety of nanomaterials, CNTs included, is absolutely necessary. For now, the EPA has created the SNUR in an effort to protect the health and safety of all individuals who come into contact with nanomaterials.

Air quality testing at a Fort Bragg Army barrack this week did not reveal asbestos contamination, according to an Army doctor. Tests were conducted after 10 soldiers were ordered to rip up old asbestos-containing floor tiles in a barrack storeroom, which may have released asbestos fibers into the air.

Dr. Bryan Sleigh, who represents the 82nd Airborne Division, said that the levels of asbestos exposure in the last three weeks following the removal of contaminated tiles “were not harmful.”

The Army will continue to monitor the soldiers who may have been exposed by providing medical tests once a year for the next five years. Tests after that time period will be provided every five years.

Concerns about exposure were voiced last week after a soldier called his father to express his concerns following orders to rip up and replace old floor tiles. The solider told his father that an Army sergeant warned him and other soldiers to “be careful” of the asbestos-containing tiles, but failed to provide them with masks or other safety equipment.

The soldier’s father reportedly called a sergeant at Fort Bragg to explain the dangers of asbestos exposure, and the tile removal project was halted temporarily. Soldiers were eventually ordered to finish the project, still without safety equipment.

Fort Bragg officials stated that an enviromental group came into the area in question to properly seal it off and clean it. The state is also conducting an investigation to determine whether or not the Army mishandled the situation.

If the soldiers had inhaled asbestos, they would be at a heightened risk of one day developing mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer that has a latency period of as many as 50 years.

A resident of Hastings, Minnesota has died after a battle with mesothelioma cancer. Kenneth B. Kjos, age 88, passed away at home on December 9, 2008.

Mesothelioma, also known as asbestos cancer, is a fatal disease caused by previous exposure to asbestos. Due to the latency period associated with this type of cancer, newly diagnosed patients are generally in their late sixties to mid-seventies when diagnosed. There is no cure for mesothelioma, and treatment options are unfortunately only a means of controlling pain for a temporary period of time.

A service for Kjos will be held on December 13th at a local church.