Now that the federal environmental trial against W. R. Grace & Co. has concluded with an acquittal, a Montana senator is looking to Washington for assistance for his constituents in the town of Libby.

Montana Senator John Tester spoke up during a Senate hearing yesterday in order to raise awareness of the plight of the citizens of Libby, Montana. Libby is a small town that has been making big headlines for months, as it is the site of a former W. R. Grace mine that produced asbestos-tainted vermiculite. Many of the townspeople in Libby have now developed asbestos-related illnesses, and many have passed away.

Asbestos is linked to illnesses such as lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma.

During the hearing on Wednesday, Senator Tester urged the US Environmental Protection Agency to work in tandem with the Department of Health and Human Services in order to create a cleanup plan for the town of Libby. Senator Tester hopes that with the joint efforts of both organizations, the town of Libby can finally be made safe again.

“I think we can get a big bang for the buck,” said Senator Tester. “We can help make this community whole again, and we can solve a huge problem that we have in one of the most beautiful places in the world.”

Senator Tester also made a point of telling the EPA that he felt the Justice Department was to blame for the failure to convict Grace of environmental crimes in Libby. Local residents have echoed this sentiment, calling out Judge Donald Molloy for failing to protect the citizens who have suffered as a result of W. R. Grace’s negligence and lies.

The town of Sanford, Maine has just received a federal cleanup grant from the EPA in the amount of $600,000.

The funds will be used to conduct an environmental clean up on a local mill.

The town will receive a single $200,000 cleanup grant from the EPA, as well as two Brownfield grants in the amount of $400,000. A Brownfield is the term used to describe a site that is not currently usable due to previous occupants who may have contaminated the area with pollutants. Common issues facing Brownfield locations include asbestos, lead, or mercury.

According to EPA Administrator Stephen Perkins, this money is just the tip of the iceberg. Perkins stated that the state of Maine is receiving approximately $6.1 million, which is allotted for cleanups and economic development projects throughout the state.

The cities of Bath, Augusta and Lewiston are also receiving grants, as are the towns of Howland, Orono and Windham.

These generous EPA grants are part of the massive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that the Obama Administration signed into existence back in February.

Sanford will use some of the EPA funds to clean up the mill and the surrounding area. This will include removal of rubble, asbestos, and lead paint from the collapsing roof.

Asbestos removal is critical, as the airborne asbestos particles could pose a health threat for the entire town. Once inhaled, asbestos particles may become permanently lodged in the mesothelium, or lining of the internal organs, and may lead to certain medical conditions such as pleural mesothelioma.

The town hopes the space, once cleaned up, will be a prime location for office and retail space. The cleanup effort is expected to take about six months.

Earlier this year, an asbestos contamination scandal made headlines when it was discovered that areas of the Illinois Beach State Park had tested positive for the deadly carcinogen.

Now, officials have announced that they will be holding a hearing about this deadly contamination this afternoon.

Community members who are concerned about the asbestos contamination issues and ongoing investigation facing Illinois Beach State Park, outside of Zion, are invited to attend one of the two sessions being held today.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will give a talk regarding the asbestos findings from 3 to 5 p.m. A second meeting will be held shortly thereafter, and is expected to run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The informational sessions will be held at the Illinois Beach Resort & Conference Center.

Concerned citizens will have the chance to speak with representatives from various federal and state agencies. These agents will also present additional findings and respond to questions raised by the public.

Officials will be accepting public comments on the health consultation until June 12. A copy of the health consultation is also available at Zion-Benton Public Library, 2400 Gabriel Ave.

Asbestos is a deadly carcinogen that is considered the major cause of the rare cancer mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is rare, but very aggressive. It is not uncommon for those suffering from mesothelioma to perish mere months after being diagnosed with the disease. Because the disease has a long latency period, it is possible for a patient to develop initial symptoms of mesothelioma decades after the initial exposure to asbestos fibers or dust.

Students walking through the halls of the Grandview Student Center at Central Oregon Community College have noticed a change over the past week. The building now contains sections that have been sealed off by plastic sheeting, and the sounds of construction echo throughout the building.

The reason for these changes is simple: the college is conducting asbestos abatement, a step that should protect the health of COCC students, faculty, and staff.

Signs on the doors and on the plastic sheeting warn students that asbestos abatement is ongoing behind the sealed partitions.

The northern end of the building faced demolition and new construction earlier in the year. The next step for the student center building will be continued expansion. School officials hope to expand the building to include more offices and classrooms.

The student lounge currently undergoing asbestos abatement will be turned into offices. The building will also have an elevator installed, in order to bring the building up to the standards required through the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The first phase of the project is expected to finish in June, and the second phase will continue through the summer months. The student lounge was tested, and was found to have small (but detectable) amounts of asbestos. The asbestos was present in the glue that held the tiles in place, as well as in a thin wash over the drywall.

When inhaled, asbestos can cause serious health problems, including mesothelioma. This is why parts of the building were sealed off; as asbestos can become airborne during renovations.

A negative air machine was also used to change the air pressure in the sealed areas, which will prevent air that may contain asbestos particles from leaving the room.

Mesothelioma is often considered to be a disease that is contracted by older people. However, one young woman has been fighting mesothelioma for nearly a decade. Now, her friends have formed a new charitable organization to raise money to pay off mounting medical bills.

Shanna Kurtz of Cuero, TX has been fighting her peritoneal mesothelioma cancer since 1999.

Gay Wickham, Cheri Travis and Kelly Young are the core members of Cook for the Cure. They gather on Sundays to prepare a delicious meal, and ask those who attend and enjoy the food to make a small donation. The donations are given to Shanna to help defray the costs of her mesothelioma-related expenses.

Although Cook for the Cure has only been in operation for a month, they have already raised more than $1,100.

Shanna Kurtz is 30 years old and lives in Cuero, TX. While attending North Arizona University, she received a heartbreaking diagnosis. At the tender age of 20, doctors told Shanna that she had developed peritoneal mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare but aggressive form of cancer. Shanna was told her doctors that 80 percent of people with this disease do not live very long after being diagnosed.

Shanna, ever the optimist, decided that she would focus on the positive side of this terrible news, and always keep in mind that she still had a twenty percent chance of survival.

Shanna leads an active life of charity work. She recently chaired Project Cinderella, where underprivileged boys and girls are given a chance to go to the prom. The project provides a prom dress or tux, dinner for two and makeup services for the girls.

Cook for the Cure members are now planning a charity bike ride to provide additional support to Shanna. This Saturday, residents of Shanna’s hometown are invited to attend the bike ride and benefit BBQ. The event will begin in the town of Victoria, TX Saturday at 2 pm.

Bike riders will pay an entry fee of $30 to ride in honor of Shanna. The entry fee also allows riders to take part in the BBQ.

An appeals court in Madison, Wisconsin says the widow of a manufacturing worker will be allowed to sue the company that supplied asbestos-laden brake parts for the death of her husband.

The District 1 Court of Appeals reinstated a lawsuit filed by Ms. Vicki Tatera. Her husband, Walter Tatera, passed away due to complications from mesothelioma cancer in 2004.

Ms. Tatera’s lawsuit claims her husband developed the rare but aggressive form of cancer after working at a machine shop. Mr. Tatera’s job at the shop was to grind automobile brake linings into specific shapes to be installed in automobiles.

The court ruling says that Ms. Tatera can now sue the supplier of the linings, FMC Corp., for neglecting to warn workers that the auto parts sold by the company contained deadly asbestos.

Asbestos poses a variety of health risks. In addition to lung cancer, asbestos inhalation is also linked to asbestosis, a chronic respiratory condition where the lining of the lungs becomes scarred. This condition can lead to severe shortness of breath, and even respiratory failure.

Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, is linked almost exclusively to exposure to toxic asbestos fibers.

There can be a long latency period, meaning that it can be decades after the initial exposure to asbestos before patients develop symptoms of mesothelioma. The disease is aggressive, and has been known to kill its victims within months of diagnosis. Few patients live more than two years after being diagnosed with this killer disease.

The company has denied the allegations, and Tuesday’s ruling sends the case to trial.

Government officials from around the world met in Hong Kong yesterday to discuss how the make the process of recycling aging ships more environmentally friendly, and how to best protect people all over the world from asbestos and other deadly carcinogens that can often be released during that process.

Critics of the conference have argued that the proposals brought forth at the meeting would fail to limit pollution and would do little to protect workers in the industry.

The five-day meeting in Hong Kong aims to have many countries reach an accord regarding the international rules governing the ship breaking industry. This industry occurs all over the world, but some of the most egregious violations are occurring in South Asia, where unsafe practices kill many workers each year. As a result of ship breaking and so-called ship recycling, beaches in the area are constantly being contaminated by oil, asbestos, PCBs, and other chemicals.

Critics of the convention argue that the measures proposed by delegates at the meeting are unlikely to take effect, as there is no solid system in place to enforce the regulations.

Many older ships contain a great deal of asbestos, located in boilers, pipes, and even the hulls of aging ships. As a ship ages, asbestos products often become brittle and friable, and the likelihood that asbestos fibers will be released is high. Asbestos exposure is linked to the eventual development of various cancers, including pleural mesothelioma.

Greenpeace and other environmental groups have estimated that 50 to 60 workers die each year in the shipyards of India and Bangladesh. Hundreds more are injured or sickened from work-related exposure to toxic substances ranging from asbestos to mercury.

In the city of Auckland, New Zealand, officials and ordinary citizens have become concerned about the possible health risks associated with a recent fire at a West Auckland business.

The commercial building caught fire early Monday morning. Now New Zealanders are worried that asbestos that was present in the building may have become airborne during the blaze, possibly endangering lives of many neighbors and firefighters.

Asbestos has been known to become airborne during fires with alarming ease. Once airborne, the toxic, deadly fibers can then travel on the wind currents to neighboring homes and businesses. Airborne asbestos particles can be easily inhaled by a human, where the fibers then become permanently lodged in the soft tissues of the body.

One health risk posed by these airborne fibers is mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive form of cancer. Mesothelioma has been known to affect the soft tissues of the abdomen, heart, and lungs. There is no cure for the disease, which has been known to kill victims within months of diagnosis.

The first calls regarding the fire at the West Auckland business were taken by the New Zealand Fire Service around 7 am Monday morning. Callers told dispatchers that smokes and flames were clearly visible at that time. The cause of the fire is still unknown, but is being investigated by fire fighters.

According to Fire Service shift manager Steve Smith, Fire Safety will continue to investigate the cause of the blaze. In addition, because there are known problems with asbestos in the building, Health and Safety staff will also inspect the site to catalog the possible asbestos-related risks associated with the fire.

Students and teachers at Colorado’s Louisville Middle School can feel free to take a deep breath. Asbestos tests at the school have returned negative for asbestos, and the school will reopen this week.

Asbestos in the school could have had deadly repercussions, as it is well known that asbestos is the major cause of the rare cancer mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that commonly attacks the soft tissues of the lungs.

Environmental health officials that studied the school have now declared that the asbestos found in an older section of the school is not harmful. The asbestos tests showed that asbestos was not present in levels detectable by the tests.

Principal Adam Fels notified parents Saturday that air samples taken last Friday showed no detectable level of asbestos.

The school was evacuated Friday afternoon when asbestos was found in an area of the building that is currently ongoing major renovations.

Students were forced to attend classes on Friday held in portable classrooms. The portable classrooms were on site because the school was using them to house students until the new Louisville Middle School was opened at the end of April.

“Homework and academic due dates are all being adjusted in recognition that students could not access their work over this weekend,” said Principal Fels in a letter posted on the school district’s Web site.

The source of the asbestos is still unclear. No students were present in the area of the asbestos release on Friday.

The issue of asbestos exposure in schools is a nationwide health and safety concern, as school districts are often without funding necessary to conduct asbestos abatement.

Two airmen who were formerly stationed in Iraq have filed a lawsuit against four defense contracting companies, alleging that these companies burned trash that contained asbestos materials, toilet waste, and toxic plastic water bottles. The airmen claim that they inhaled smoke emitted from the fires and that their health has been jeopardized as a result.

Staff Sergeant Wendy L. McBreairty and Senior Master Sergeant Glen S. Massman, both from Cheyenne, Wyoming, were stationed at military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2004 to 2009. They say the defense contractors conducted open-air trash burning on several occasions.

Named in the suit as defendants are KBR Inc., Haliburton, Kellogg, Brown & Root Services, and Kellogg, Brown & Root, LLC.

The plaintiffs stated that trucks and automobile parts, human waste, rubber tires, asbestos insulation and a large number of empty plastic bottles were thrown into pits and burned, and military personnel nearby were exposed to harmful airborne toxins released from the fire.

When burned, asbestos fibers may become friable and airborne, and those present may inhale or ingest these fibers. Asbestos fibers that enter the human body may cling to the mesothelium, or lining of the internal organs, for up to fifty years before they form a malignancy known as mesothelioma. Upon diagnosis, mesothelioma patients typically lose their battle with this aggressive and always-fatal type of cancer in less than two years.

Plastic bottles contain dioxins, which, like asbestos, are carcinogens and may lead to the development of cancer.

Sgt. Massman said that he inhaled airborne toxins during his time at Camp Bucca in Iraq in 2006 and 2007. He now experiences ongoing respiratory issues, which include a constant cough, allergies, headaches, and chest pain. Sgt. McBreairty claims that she was exposed to toxins while in Balad, Iraq, and that she now suffers from similar ailments as Massman, as well as arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

The dangers of asbestos in Iraq are not limited to open-air trash burning. Soldiers residing in deteriorating housing, for example, may be exposed to asbestos fibers, and those who work on military automobiles may also breathe in asbestos fibers that are released from brake pads.