Actor and former NFL star Merlin Olsen has passed away following a battle with the asbestos cancer mesothelioma, according to the St. Louis Rams. Olsen was 69 years old and had been diagnosed with mesothelioma in July of last year.

Olsen, who began his NFL with the St. Louis Rams and was voted into the Pro Bowl as a rookie, alleges that a handful of companies, including 20^th Century Fox Film Production and NBC Studios, as well as asbestos manufacturer Bondex International Inc. were responsible for his mesothelioma cancer diagnosis. Olsen believes that his contact with asbestos materials dates back to his childhood years, when he would work with asbestos-containing products after school and during the summers. He also stated that he came into contact with workers who had been exposed to asbestos drywall patching compound, and that he may have been exposed secondhand.

Asbestos exposure is the only known cause of mesothelioma, a fatal form of cancer that has no cure and is generally unresponsive to palliative treatments like chemotherapy. A survival period of about nine months, like Olsen’s, is not rare, as the majority of patients do not survive beyond two years.

After an illustrious NFL career, Olsen began acting. One of his most well-known roles occurred on Little House on the Prairie, with teen star Melissa Gilbert and legend Michael Landon. He also had a role on the series Father Murphy. Melissa Gilbert shared her sadness following Olsen’s passing via Twitter, saying “My heart go out to his fear family…forever now, a guardian angel.”

Olsen, whose wife, Susan, was also named in the lawsuit, died in Utah at home. He had previously undergone chemo in an attempt to ward off his mesothelioma symptoms. Olsen’s lawsuit is still pending.

In Columbus County, North Carolina, county officials have begun the first of several expected meetings to determine how the county’s historic courthouse will be used in the coming years. The building, which is nearly a century old, has fallen into disrepair. Many improvements are needed: windows need to be repaired, cracks in the walls must be addressed, and the flooring is distressed and worn down. The building is also small given the demands modern legal proceedings would place upon it, and the cramped nature of the building poses something of a fire hazard.

In addition to the numerous structural issues which plague the property, concerns have also been raised about the presence of toxic mold and asbestos.

Asbestos exposure is conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year, and while there are palliative treatment methods available, including chemo, there is no known cure. The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms, and the majority of mesothelioma patients succumb to this aggressive form of cancer in less than two years following diagnosis.

County commissioners have voted to allow an architect to assess the building. The architect will then determine if the historic courthouse can be renovated, or if it would make more sense to build an entirely new courthouse. The historic courthouse will not be demolished regardless of what the architect recommends. According to County Commissioner Amon McKenzie, the building has been registered as a historical site.

In New London, Connecticut, the building which once was home to Lyric Hall is undergoing major renovations, with a grand reopening celebration gala planned within the coming months. Lyric Hall was once home to dance recitals, live theatre, and concerts. Two projects are going on simultaneously in the former Lyric Hall building: a retail art gallery and a Russian tea room, both of which should be open in the spring.

According to building co-owner Dylan Gaffney, "There’s a lot of restoration going on, and we basically had to gut the building to deal with issues like asbestos and so on. The downstairs is nearly done and the upstairs is a longer process. But the facility was so beautiful and had such a wonderful history that we want to restore this for the community at large."

Asbestos removal is important, as exposure to the material can lead to serious health problems such as mesothelioma, a rare but lethal cancer that may affect the lungs, abdominal cavity, or even the lining of the heart.

"Lyric Hall traditionally was a place where people staged their own events…Lyric Hall will be small enough so that everyone can feel like they can stage an event in grand surroundings," Gaffney told local reporters.

"This should be a place where profit and nonprofit activities can both take place," local nonprofit founder George White added. "You should feel welcome having a wedding reception at Lyric Hall. If you’ve got a string quartet or want to host a dance class or deliver a lecture, this is the place. It will be a place to harbor ideas."

The Shoshana S. Cardin School has decided not to move in to the former Rosewood Center in Owings Mills, Maryland after an environmental report revealed the presence of both asbestos and PCBs.

"It’s very, very disappointing," said Shoshana S. Cardin, who is the co-founder of Baltimore’s only independent Jewish high school. "We were on a high. Parents, students, faculty, we were on a high that we’d have our own building and be in there in September."

According to school officials, the decision to back out of the deal was made after examining a preliminary environmental study of the 55 acre site. The buildings on the site contains asbestos and the ground is contaminated with PCBs. School officials are wary of purchasing the site without knowing more about the extent of the contamination, which could be very costly to clean up.

Asbestos exposure is conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year; sadly, there is no known cure. The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms, and the majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years.

The school has retained an option to purchase a separate parcel on the same site. According to Cardin, the school’s current space is "inadequate for our needs," but the school is contractually obligated to stay there for two more years. The school has a small student body of only 56 children.

In Chattanooga, Tennessee, the old Central Baptist Church at 800 McCallie Avenue has been demolished. According to Gordon Hall, director of grants for the Salvation Army, the old church building was facing a large number of problems, making it more cost-effective to tear down the building rather than repair all of the issues facing the building.

The roof was damaged, the floors were not structurally sound, and the building was rife with both lead-based paint and asbestos. In addition, the building had been badly damaged during a fire several years ago.

Asbestos exposure is conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. There is no known cure for this disease, which typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms. Sadly, the majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years following diagnosis. The cancer affects thousands worldwide, with less than 3,000 new patients diagnosed each year in the United States alone.

The church building was dedicated in 1909, and was designed by the famous Chattanooga architect R.H. Hunt. The church has not been used for decades. In fact, according to local news reports, “The last service at the Central Baptist Church on McCallie Avenue was on Wednesday night, May 28, 1958. The congregation then moved to the Woodmore section of Brainerd”. The historic bell of the church was salvaged prior to demolition.

In Saranac Lake, New York, the village Board of Trustees has voted 3-2 to finance the removal of asbestos from a property on Neil Street. The site has fallen into disrepair, and contains a dilapidated trailer. All told, it has been reported that it will take $12,000 to remedy the asbestos situation.

The removal of asbestos is important, as exposure to the material can cause serious health problems. Inhaling or ingesting asbestos fibers can ultimately prove lethal, with asbestos exposure linked to lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma, a rare cancer, can affect the lungs, the lining of the heart, and the tissues in the abdominal cavity. Sadly, the disease can kill within months of being diagnosed in some cases.

The village had planned to sell of the Neil Street property once it had been cleaned up, but the parcel is so tiny (about a tenth of an acre) that developing the land could be tricky. "At this point, the property is useless unless someone wants to put a trailer back there," said Trustee John McEneany.

"The board’s intent was to clean up the property," McEneany added. "I also know it was the intent of the board to get it back on the tax rolls and possibly put in some kind of workforce housing. But at these particular dimensions, that isn’t going to happen."

Village Manager Marty Murphy recommended that in order to entice buyers, the property should be clean and free of asbestos. "I would recommend we put it out to the open market first, and if we’re not able to sell it that way, perhaps we can approach some not-for-profit agencies and see if we can structure some kind of a partnership," Murphy said.

Concerns have been voiced that inmates and staff at a Kansas prison may have been exposed to asbestos, a known carcinogen linked to the development of lung cancer and mesothelioma. Now, a former vocational instructor at Topeka Correctional Facility has gone on the record saying that inmates and prison employees who worked on a renovation project at the facility several years ago were exposed to a work environment where, to quote local sources, “asbestos…hung so thick in the air it covered clothing and clogged furnace filters.”

According to Mr. Robert Ames, who performed heating and air-conditioning maintenance at the prison and supervised prisoners who worked on the project, "Their [prison officials] tactics for handling asbestos in a safe manner was nonexistent…Everything in there was full of asbestos. They had ground up the floor. The pipes were cut into sections…They took the utmost precaution to maintain the historic integrity of the building. They did little to nothing to care for the safety of their workers."

Now, officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are investigating these allegations. The incident in question allegedly took place during 2005, when one of the prison’s dormitories underwent major renovations. Inhaling or ingesting asbestos can lead to health problems later in life. Sadly, many of these health problems take decades to emerge, but are conversely very aggressive once the first symptoms have surfaced.

"The governor is aware of the issue and appreciates the Department of Corrections’ full cooperation with the EPA," said Seth Bundy, a spokesman for the state’s governor.

In Bellows Falls, Vermont, state officials are taking an interest in the way one local construction company has handled demolition debris. The Agency of Natural Resources has cited the 12 Tribes religious community and its construction company, Commonwealth Construction, for the way in which it handled debris generated by two recent local projects. The first was the demolition of Oona’s Restaurant in Bellows Falls, and the second was at a farm in Westminster. At this latter site, the demolition debris was burned.

According to Mr. Sean McVeigh, the state of Vermont’s chief environmental enforcement officer, the investigation into the way the two incidents were handled has wrapped up, and while some formal paperwork has been issued to the company, McVeigh told reporters that "There’s potential for further action."

According to Mr. McVeigh, while the company did have a demolition permit in hand, they violated the terms of that permit when they burned the debris. McVeigh added that while the construction company said that they had tested the property for the presence of asbestos prior to starting demolition, McVeigh had not reviewed that asbestos report, and is worried that it may not have tested the building extensively.

If asbestos was still present in the building, it would have likely become airborne during demolition, possibly exposing workers and neighbors to particles of asbestos. When inhaled, these minute strands of asbestos can cause serious health problems, such as lung cancer and mesothelioma.

"You can’t turn your backyard into a landfill," McVeigh said.

According to a new report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, levels of asbestos in and around schools in Libby, Montana have decreased for the first time in many years. According to EPA officials, the small amount of asbestos present is considered safe.

“The first, probably most important question is, is it OK to send my children to school here in Libby, and I think the answer is yes,” said EPA Toxicologist David Berry during a recent public meeting. “Levels that were detected in the activity-based sampling were within acceptable exposure levels as evidence and used at other Superfund sites in the United States.”

“The numbers we are using are based on the (toxicity value) for chrysotile tremolite [asbestos], so they don’t specifically address Libby amphibole but they give us an idea of what the theoretical risks would be for Libby amphibole [asbestos],” he added. “It’s the best method we have for detecting Libby amphibole in the soil at this time.”

Exposure to asbestos can lead to serious health issues, which include lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare but deadly form of cancer. Mesothelioma often takes many decades to develop, but once the first symptoms emerge, the disease can progress rapidly. In most cases, a patient suffering from mesothelioma is not expected to live for longer than 24 months after being diagnosed.

“The outdoor levels have been significantly reduced. The air quality has significantly improved,” Berry said. “Libby amphibole will remain at low levels in the Libby valley for probably a long time. We can expect to see sporadic detections of Libby amphibole in indoor and outdoor areas.”

In Waynesville, North Carolina, aging county buildings are facing increased scrutiny. The buildings in question are the DSS and health department properties, which serve a combined total of 22,000 Haywood County residents every year. Roughly 20 percent of the Haywood County population receives services at DSS, making the state of the building an important matter for locals.

The current DSS building started life as a county hospital back in 1927, with an addition being constructed in 1950. The health department, located about a mile further down the Old Asheville Highway from DSS, operates out of a building that is over half a century old.

While county officials are eager to repair and improve the buildings, the budget needed for these projects could be astronomical. According to local architects, the staff in these buildings would have to be relocated for an entire year during renovations. These renovations include removing lead and asbestos, as well as installing modern heating, venting and air conditioning.

Asbestos exposure is conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer for which there is no known cure. The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms, and the majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years following diagnosis.

Commissioner Skeeter Curtis says that the current state of disrepair at these buildings comes from lack of regular maintenance. “I think this is a lesson that all of us should learn,” said Curtis.

“The better you take care of your facilities and your belongings, the better off you’re going to be in the long run.”