The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation has designated $37.5 million dollars for the deconstruction of the former Deutsche Bank tower, which is situated south of the former World Trade Center towers.

The former Deutsche Bank building has been deemed unsafe after several contaminants, including asbestos, were found within the structure. Construction work on the building was stopped during the summer of 2007 after two firefighters were killed at the site.

Funding for the demolition will come from Federal funds that have been set aside for the repair of various structures in and around the WTC site. Due to the heavy contamination of the Deutsche Bank tower, Mike Murphy, spokesman for the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., says that the demolition must begin immediately.

Exposure to asbestos has been conclusively connected to the eventual onset of mesothelioma, a deadly lung cancer that has a survival rate of less than 1% and no known cure.

The Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center will have to pay a significant fine after a U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspector discovered a lack of appropriate asbestos removal and disposal during a December 2007 remodeling project. The inspection, which was ordered after a medical center employee made a complaint, turned up an array of possible health risks.

“There was a breakdown of essential precautions before, during and after this work,” claimed Arthur Dube, the Buffalo-area OSHA Director.

The inspection report states that employees did not wear proper safety equipment, including protective clothing and breathing apparatuses. In addition, employees did not properly dispose of the asbestos-containing materials during the renovation process. There were also no air quality tests conducted before, during or after the remodel was completed.

The OSHA’s report indicated that Niagara Falls Med Center officials did comply with inspectors and began working to remedy the situation immediately. The center has 15 days to pay a hefty $110,000 fine.

“The medical center’s failure to supply and ensure these basic and required safeguards placed these employees at risk of debilitating disease,” said Dube.

Exposure to asbestos has been linked to the eventual development of mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that attacks the pleural lining of the lungs. Mesothelioma can lie dormant in the body for up to fifty years, and mesothelioma victims will generally survive for an average of two years upon diagnosis. There is no known cure.

Concerns over the lack of air quality tests remain, as workers have no way of knowing if they were exposed to high levels of asbestos while working at the medical center.

Approximately 200 middle school students were forced to evacuate the Renaissance Middle School Building in May after officials determined that there were high levels of asbestos-containing materials had been disturbed during construction work. Officials from the New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior Services located asbestos-containing plaster products within the school and deemed that students may have been at risk for inhalation.

Dana Sullivan, Business Administrator for Montclair, NJ schools, assured parents that Renaissance Middle School is now “completely safe” and that the 100-plus air quality tests that have been conducted within the building have indicated that there is no longer a threat of asbestos inhalation. Despite this, Sullivan stated that a dining hall that had previously contained asbestos would no longer be used by students or staff as an additional precaution.

Sullivan’s statements did not satisfy all parents in the Montclair district. In fact, it was parents that first complained about conditions in the Renaissance building after their children divulged that constant construction led to dust and debris on tables, chairs, and other surfaces in Madonna Hall, where the students ate lunch. New Jersey health inspectors were brought in after the initial complaints and confirmed that there were in fact asbestos-containing materials within the school.

Complaints poured in again in mid-May, and health inspectors were again called in to investigate. The school released a letter to parents stating that plaster ceiling tiles may have been “disturbed” during construction. The following day, students were removed from the school and were kept at home for two days while professional cleaning crews were sent in to properly decontaminate the affected areas. School resumed on May 21st, after health agencies deemed Renaissance an asbestos-free building.

Despite the Montclair districts best efforts to promptly remove all asbestos, parents continue to be unhappy in regards to the way the situation was handled by school officials. Several parents claim that, although asbestos was found in March, they were not informed until mid-May. The omission has prompted several parents to write angry letters to school administrators.

New Jersey has several school buildings that are in desperate need of structural repairs, and the potentially dangerous affects of asbestos exposure are expected to become a serious issue. Asbestos exposure has long been linked to the eventual development of mesothelioma, a deadly cancer affecting the pleural lining of the lungs that has no known cure and a survival rate of less than 1%. Mesothelioma can lie dormant in an individual for upwards of fifty years, a fact that promotes fear for the future in Montclair students and their parents.

“Nobody was really watching out for the kids,” said Mary Ann Cucci, PTA president and student parent. “The level of trust is just not there anymore.”

Residents on Chestnut Street in the city of Hartford discovered over a dozen garbage bags filled with asbestos-laden insulation this week. Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection officials believe that someone dumped the asbestos illegally in an attempt to save money.

“They were open to the public where anybody could have walked over the bags,” stated Brian Emanuelson, a DEP official. The eighteen garbage bags were carelessly tossed into a pile in a small field on the side of the street and were discovered by residents who lived nearby. DEP officials removed the bags and safely transported them to a landfill.

Chestnut Street resident Nancy Walker claims that this is not the first time that garbage has been carelessly left on the side of the street. Other residents told the DEP that various items, such as old mattresses, couches, and even deceased animal carcasses, have been found in the same area before – an area where neighborhood children often play.

“We have a lot of children here growing up,” stated Walker. “…if they were exposed to asbestos, we don’t know what the long-term effects could possibly be.”

The potential long-term effects associated with exposure to asbestos include the development of mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs. Mesothelioma has a survival rate of less than 1% and has no known cure. Asbestos fibers can be inhaled and will settle into the lungs, where they can remain for up to fifty years before an individual will begin to experience symptoms associated with mesothelioma.

The DEP has no suspects, but urges residents in the neighborhood to be on the lookout for suspicious dumping. “My daughters plays outside,” said Hartford resident Denell Hicks. “I just think it’s disgusting that people think this is a city dump.”

As New Yorkers made their way to work on Tuesday, May 20th, they more than likely noticed the surge of water gushing from broken, 85 year old pipes beneath the Fortunoff Store on 57th Street. Con Edison workers hurried to contain the water and repair the pipes, but the water main break caused traffic problems during the morning commute in what is considered to be one of Manhattan’s busiest areas.

Officials tested a small mud sample from 57th Street after the water main break and determined that the water contained traces of asbestos. Asbestos has been linked to the development of pleural mesothelioma, a deadly cancer affecting the lungs. Subsequent tests determined that no other samples tested positive for asbestos. Con Edison workers surmised that the intense gushing of the water may have extricated pipe wrapping that contained asbestos, thus releasing it into the water. Asbestos-containing structural materials, such as pipe wrapping, were widely used in construction prior to 1980, when the use of asbestos was banned in the United States. However, hundreds of miles of subterranean piping throughout New York City most likely contain significant levels of asbestos, putting clean up personnel and city dwellers at risk in the event of a disaster.

The Fortunoff store was closed Tuesday due to flooding and concerns that the 100 gallons of stagnant water inside the building may put employees at risk for asbestos exposure. However, as clean up efforts wrapped up on Tuesday evening, City Department of Environmental Protection officials declared that no one had been at great risk after the break. In addition, the water main break was found to have caused no structural damage, as city officials had feared initially. Con Edison workers washed the street thoroughly and air-monitoring equipment was left in place for continued monitoring of air quality. According to authorities, in the event that the equipment detected traces of asbestos in the air, final clean up efforts would have been suspended and appropriate precautionary methods would have been implemented.

In the February 2008 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers from Columbia University reported that combined resection, intraperitoneal chemotherapy, and whole abdominal radiation therapy has shown to be an effective treatment for malignant peritoneal mesothelioma.

Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for less than 20 percent of all mesothelioma cases and its latency period is even longer than the average 20 – 40 years for those developing the more common pleural mesothelioma. Currently, notes an article on CancerConsultants.com, controlled clinical trials of various treatment options are not available for peritoneal mesothelioma due to the relative rarity of this disease.

The Columbia University study involved 27 patients who had been diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the abdomen. The treatment regimen involved surgical debulking followed by four intraperitoneal courses of cisplatin alternated with four intraperitoneal courses of doxorubicin, four doses of intraperitoneal gamma interferon, a second laparotomy with resection of residual disease plus intraoperative hyperthermic administration of intraperitoneal mitomycin, and cisplatin followed by whole abdominal radiation therapy.

The authors of the study reported a median survival of 70 months and a three-year survival of 67 percent. They also reported that seven patients were alive without evidence of disease at a median of 17 months. The results prompted the researchers to conclude that intensive multimodality therapy was effective for patients with peritoneal mesothelioma.

A Department of Education spokesperson announced that Staten Island’s New Dorp High School would be temporarily closing its doors for asbestos abatement, but parents, students, and faculty shouldn’t worry, she added.

“Whenever we do any kind of renovation, there’s always some type of asbestos abatement to ensure that every safety method is followed,” said Marge Feinberg in an article in the Staten Island Advance, noting that she was unsure of the type of renovation the high school plans on doing.

“It’s not clear if there really is asbestos,” said Ms. Feinberg, who added that if the toxic mineral is indeed present, it’s likely embedded in the floor, is not exposed, and does not present a danger in its current state. “They’re just following all asbestos abatement regulations, just as a precaution,” she explained.

Feinberg also added that the work would be performed by a state licensed asbestos abatement team that is well-versed in all the particulars of asbestos removal and knows what precautions to take to ensure safe removal.

Feinberg said the School Construction Authority for the district would be monitoring the abatement and any subsequent repairs. “Although class is dismissed due to Easter break, students and faculty will not be able to enter the high school beginning Friday at 7 a.m.,” Feinberg explained. The precautionary abatement process will conclude the following day. The athletic field will not be affected and if all goes as planned, classes will resume on Monday.

The family of a New York man who once worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard has been awarded $2.25 million by a New York City jury in compensation for his pain and suffering due to exposure to asbestos at his workplace.

Leonard Shafer, who worked at the shipyard in the 1950s, died at age 73 from malignant pleural mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs. There is no cure for this cancer and victims usually die within a year or two of diagnosis.

“Mr. Shafer endured pain and suffering that spanned an eighteen month time period from the time he was diagnosed until the time of the death,” said Carmen St. George, attorney for the Shafer family. “Many years ago, nobody knew the affects of being exposed to asbestos in the workplace and unfortunately today, we are being faced with the dangers.”

Because Shafer was unaware of the hazards of working with asbestos, he and his co-workers never wore protective gear, St. George explained.

A press release issued by the attorney notes that the defendant, John Crane Inc., manufactured and supplied an asbestos-containing stuffing-tube packing material to the U.S. Navy for use on its ships. In this asbestos exposure lawsuit, the jury determined that exposure to the John Crane packing material caused Mr. Shafer’s mesothelioma, and that his illness was “reasonably foreseeable to the company.”

Two men associated with a general contracting firm based in the town of Chili, New York, near Rochester, have been indicted on charges of illegal asbestos removal and lying to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

According to an article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Keith Gordon-Smith, president of Gordon-Smith Contracting, and David Vega Jr., a project manager, have been accused of exposing employees to asbestos during a demolition project at the former Genesee Hospital in nearby Rochester.

According to court records, the indictment states that Gordon-Smith, 50, and Vega, 28, both residents of Rochester, demanded employees remove copper piping and other materials from ceilings at the hospital during a project that took place last winter and spring, even though they knew asbestos was present. In addition, Gordon-Smith and Vega are accused of lying to an OSHA inspector about the incident.

Two months ago, Gordon-Smith’s company was ordered to pay $100,000 in federal fines. However, this indictment carries the potential of additional fines of $250,000 for each defendant and a maximum of five years in prison. The company faces an addition half-million dollars in fines as well, according to U.S. Attorney Terrance P. Flynn of the Western District of New York.

Genesee Hospital is currently being redeveloped as a mixed-use urban center.

The Cayuga County (NY) employee who’s been the centerpiece of an ongoing investigation alleging illegal asbestos removal was fired late last week from his job at the county’s Buildings and Grounds Department. The same day, arguments in a small claims case brought against him by the county were being heard in a local court of law.

According to an article in The Post-Standard, Chick admitted in U.S. District Court to conspiring to violate the federal Clean Air Act while supervising the removal of asbestos from the county Board of Elections building. Sentencing we’ll take place in February and Chick could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Chick, 65, of Auburn, had been on administrative leave since Dec. 26, 2006, stemming from allegations that he replaced personal tools at the county’s expense. However, the county listed eight reasons for his dismissal last week, including the asbestos issue.

• He lied on his employment application.
• He directed employees to remove asbestos and lied to them about the substance.
• He took and sold copper piping.
• He denied employees’ requests for proper equipment for asbestos removal.
• He purchases tools without the proper authority.
• He lied to county employees.
• He stated on the employment application that he had a high school diploma when he
only finished 10th grade.
• He received a check for $300 and did not turn it over to the county.

“Frankly, from the asbestos case on down, I’ve been the scapegoat for the county,” John M. Chick said after the day’s proceedings had concluded last week. “Everyone’s throwing blame at me.”