A new study out of the Netherlands has concluded that an investigational vaccine for the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma is safe. The vaccine’s main agent is an immune system booster rooted in the body’s dendritic cells.

A group of Dutch researchers tested the vaccine, which infuses a patient’s own cells with antigens designed to combat mesothelioma tumor cells. The study was carried out on 10 patients, producing a T-cell response against malignant mesothelioma tumors.

This trial would mark the first time dendritic-cell immunotherapy has been used in patients diagnosed with mesothelioma.

While prognosis in those diagnosed with mesothelioma is typically quite poor, researchers hope that dendritic-cell immunotherapy will not only be able to extend survival rates, but also prevent the development of mesothelioma in those previously exposed to asbestos.

Traditional mesothelioma treatment regimens will typically utilize some combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Even with treatment, mesothelioma patients average only 12 months survival at diagnosis.

The study was published online March 4^th and will appear in an upcoming issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Following a Beacon Hill Roll Call, the approval of both House 155-1 and Senate 36-0 provided new and improved benefits to the veteran community of Massachusetts.

Both expand the current law which provides a one-time $1,000 “Welcome Home” bonus. This is given to those returning home from their first deployment. The expansion of the law would award an additional $500 for each subsequent home-coming that follows deployment.

Further, Massachusetts residents on duty will be able to cast their votes on an absentee ballot for the possible creation of a Medal of Liberty. This medal would be awarded by the governor to family members of service members killed in action or killed due to wounds received in action.

The house stood alone on voting for the version that would give disabled veteran-owned businesses the same advantage as women and minority-owned businesses when bidding on the state’s contracts. Veterans labeled disabled because of health ailments will now receive incentives to strengthen their businesses or even start up new endeavors. This bill promises to also give the nonprofit Home of the Brave additional funds to provide housing to veterans.

The expansion of support that the state of Massachusetts is providing to veteran focused non-profits and families of those who have served, is an initiative that is well deserved. Those who were left hindered by their service should not be penalized, rather they should be assisted.

Veterans suffering from mental illness such as post-traumatic stress disorder or physical ailments such as mesothelioma, asbestos-caused form of cancer, need ample aid for living with their service-caused health conditions. The hazardous environment that soldiers are faced with while in service is able to cause life threatening conditions. In the case of asbestos exposure, veterans make up the largest group of those diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Mental conditions such as PTSD are common among veterans coming home from their service overseas. Supporters of this bill noted that one in five U.S. veterans suffer from PTSD. Further, 11 percent suffer from traumatic brain injuries.

Health concerns that are often triggered by war can be detrimental to a veteran’s life post-war. Given this new state-wide support, the 44,000 Bay State veterans that will benefit from this bill will be able to worry a little less about their transition to civilian life and focus more on their new beginnings

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.

Building owners in Ontonagon, MI are concerned about asbestos exposure after several historical River Street buildings burned in a major fire.

City officials and the Michigan State Fire Marshall have informed building owners that they will need to make arrangements to have asbestos removed and disposed of safely before they can begin to rebuild.

“What’s going to happen is they’re going to contact the proper company to come in, contain it, put it in containing units, and haul it to a local landfill,” said Sheriff John Gravier.

Many of the buildings were over 100 years old and had been severely damaged in another fire almost a century ago.

Officials located asbestos in all burned buildings in the form of insulation, siding and floor tiles. All contaminated areas are roped off to the public.

EPA announced on Wednesday that it will consider including the Borit Asbestos Site in Ambler, PA to the Superfund National Priority List (NPL) in an effort to provide funding for asbestos cleanup and removal.

The site was previously used between 1930 and 1970 by Kane-Core, Inc. as a dump for asbestos-containing materials. The site has been divided into three areas – a waste pile still owned by Kane-Core, Inc., a water reservoir owned by the Wissahickon Valley Water Association, and a former Whitpain Township playground.

The Borit Asbestos site covers approximately six acres. The two-acre waste area includes insulation, piping, floor and ceiling tiles and other asbestos-laden materials. The eleven-acre former Whitpain Township park is situated directly over buried asbestos waste and was closed in the 1980s after officials deemed it a contaminated area.

The site has been added to the NPL list because EPA officials estimate that nearby residents were most likely exposed to errant airborne asbestos, as well as asbestos that may have been present in the water of Wissahickon Creek. Citizens and local officials are concerned about the potential long-term health consequences of ongoing asbestos exposure, including the development of mesothelioma cancer.

After a sixty-day period the NPL will make a decision regarding the admittance of the Borit Asbestos site. Another eleven contaminated sites throughout the U.S. are also being evaluated by the EPA and may also be admitted to the NPL list.

A Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal upheld a $3.2 million verdict on behalf of plaintiff Ray Rando against contractors Parsons Infrastructure & Technology Group, Inc. and Jacobs Constructors, Inc. Rando worked as a welder and pipefitter from 1965 to 1985 and developed mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure while he worked for the defendants. He was diagnosed with the disease in 2006 and the original case was heard about 15 months ago.

“Ray Rando’s employers tried repeatedly to evade responsibility for his injuries, but these committed attorneys convinced the trial court, and then the Court of Appeal, that these companies were responsible to their employees for exposing them to dangerous levels of asbestos,” said attorney Russell Budd in a recent press release.

“The appeals court confirmed that Louisiana’s 1952 Workers’ Compensation Act does not cover mesothelioma and so does not bar suits by mesothelioma victims against their employers,” the press release noted. Also, the Court of Appeal ruled that Rando’s case “was not barred by Louisiana’s 10-year preemptive period to bring claims for injuries arising from deficiencies in the construction of improvements to real property.”

The court also ruled that, because Rando’s employer, a contractor who did major “turn-key” construction jobs at a chemical plant, had “control over the construction” at the time of his asbestos exposure, Rando’s claims against his employer “fell within the statute’s exception and were not untimely.”

A Montclair, New Jersey school remained closed today after high levels of hazardous asbestos were found in side the building.

According to an article in The Star-Ledger, Renaissance Middle School, which houses 239 students, was evacuated last Friday after testing found airborne asbestos in one of four samples taken during the installation of fire doors on the school’s third floor.

The sample had a reading of “460 structures” which, according to Steve Jaraczewski of Detail Associates, the Montclair school district’s asbestos consultant, is more than six times the acceptable levels. The school was build in 1899, when asbestos was regularly used as a fire retardant in schools and other commercial buildings. The mineral is a known carcinogen.

Parents were astounded at the news. “You want to keep them home tomorrow?” asked Frank Alvarez, the superintendent of schools, at a meeting held with parents on Monday morning. “Yes, Yes,” most of the parents shouted.

Cleanup was to begin over the weekend and was overseen by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Parents requested that the students’ lockers also be included in the cleanup. Jaraczewski also told parents they should discard their children’s backpacks as a safeguard against asbestos fibers adhering to the porous fabric.

“If it was my kid … I’d get rid of the backpack,” Jaraczewski said.

The building that houses Renaissance Middle School is owned by the Archdiocese of Newark and leased to Montclair School District. Jaraczewski blamed the archdiocese for their poor asbestos management plan but parents were annoyed at the finger pointing.

Dana Sullivan, the Montclair schools’ business administrator, said the district just discovered that asbestos was present in a brown undercoating of plaster that is found on the walls throughout the school.

“We had not yet informed [the archdiocese] because we had not received a written report yet,” Sullivan said. “I wish we had. I don’t know that it would have mattered. I don’t know.”
The diocese, which performed the fire-door replacement at the district’s request, informed the district that work would begin last Monday, several days before school officials noticed the broken plaster, Sullivan said.

“We knew they were putting in fire doors. What we didn’t know was that they were disturbing this plaster, this brown coat,” Sullivan explained.

A group of 178 construction workers and members of their families as well as families of deceased workers have filed a 6.6 billion yen suit against the government and 46 manufacturers when they claim did not “swiftly ban the production and use of construction materials containing asbestos.”

According to an article in the Asahi Shimbun, the plaintiffs, many of whom are suffering from asbestos-related illnesses such as asbestosis and mesothelioma, are each demanding about 38.5 million yen in compensation for their suffering.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs note that this is the first time a group of workers filed a suit against the government for asbestos-related claims. It was also noted that this is one of the largest suits of its kind ever filed in Japan.

“The construction workers handled construction materials containing asbestos in the Tokyo metropolitan area starting in the 1960s,” the article explains. “Many have since died of lung cancer, mesothelial tumors and other ailments. About half of the plaintiffs are bereaved family members.”
The plaintiffs’ argument states that “the Japanese government should have heeded warnings from international organizations in 1972 that asbestos could be a carcinogen and taken steps to ban the production and use of the substance.”

The complaint also cites Japan’s Building Standards Law, which authorizes the use of construction materials containing asbestos. It also holds the industry ministry responsible for approving the material under Japanese Industrial Standards.

A 2006 law provides monetary relief for workers and residents living near asbestos-related plants who are not covered by labor accident compensation insurance. But the plaintiffs say the compensation amount offered is too small, the article notes.

Several guards at the Cape Breton (Nova Scotia, Canada) Correctional Facility remain off the job this week, awaiting the results of asbestos testing at the prison.

According to a Canadian Press article, some guards stopped coming to work last Thursday night when they learned that the prison may have a potential asbestos problem.

Joan Jessome, president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, announced that a group of guards attended an emergency union meeting Friday night to discuss the issue and to clarify the findings.

“There’s very strong support for the position they’ve taken,” said Jessome. “It’s my understanding that they’re not going back (to work) until the results are in.”

The facility is 33 years old and was built during a time when asbestos use was quite commonly used as a fire retardant. During routine air testing by the Justice Department on May 8, asbestos material was found wrapped around some piping inside the institution.

However, department spokeswoman Sherri Aikenhead has said no traces of the cancer-causing mineral were found, but a second round of testing was conducted on Saturday and results were expected early in the week.

Aikenhead stressed that when asbestos is left undisturbed, “it’s not considered a health hazard.”
Jessome said an inmate staged a complaint about asbestos last fall and Aikenhead confirmed that the maintenance staff at Cape Breton Correctional Facility was aware of the problem. However, nothing had been done to address the issue after the complaint.

A Washington man who worked as a U.S. army machinist for more than 40 years has filed suit in a Madison County (Ill.) Circuit Court, alleging he has developed mesothelioma due to wrongful exposure to asbestos.

James Regal was a machinist for the army from 1962 until 2003 in Illinois and in other locations and also was employed as a maintenance man at various sites in Illinois, Washington and Massachusetts throughout his working career.

Though the U.S. army cannot be sued by Regal for asbestos exposure, the companies that manufacture asbestos products used by the army can indeed by sued. In the case of Regal’s suit, some the 68 defendants include Bondex International, CBS, Chrysler, Federal-Mogul Asbestos Personal Trust, Ford Motor Company, General Electric, General Motors, Goodyear, Honeywell International, Ingersoll-Rand, International Paper, John Crane, MetLife, Owens-Illinois, Philips Electronics and Riley Stoker.

“The plaintiff’s exposure and inhalation, ingestion or absorption of the asbestos fibers was completely foreseeable and could or should have been anticipated by the defendants,” the complaint states.

Regal says he was diagnosed with mesothelioma on February 8 of this year. He is currently undergoing treatment for the disease and seeks damages to help pay for the cost of his treatment. In addition, Regal is seeking at least $300,000 in damages for “negligence, willful and wanton acts, conspiracy, and negligent spoliation of evidence” among other allegations.