The Washington Post reports that this trust, dubbed the Libby Medical Plan Trust, is being organized to insure that the current Libby Medical Program will continue. This particular program was initiated in 2000 after news outlets began to bring to light the widespread cases of asbestos-related diseases and deaths among individuals who worked at and lived near the plant and mine. Grace has had the option of terminating the Libby Medical Program at any time, though it has indeed continued throughout the bankruptcy.

W.R. Grace attorney Jon Heberling told reporters that the new Libby Medical Plan Trust should put victims’ minds to rest and remove any uncertainty that the medical program will continue.  “When final settlement documents are approved by the bankruptcy court, all objections to the plan of reorganization from the Libby claimants will be settled and will be withdrawn.”

A separate fund, the Asbestos Personal Injury Trust, is also being established and claimants will draw payments from that as well. To date, more than 400 people have died in conjunction with asbestos exposure at Grace’s Libby, Montana facility and experts estimate that another 1,500 or so are currently suffering from related diseases like malignant pleural mesothelioma, asbestosis, or pleural plaques. The Center for Asbestos Related Disease in Libby, however, reports that they have a caseload of 2,800 patients suffering from asbestos ailments and are adding more each day.

The settlements, explains the Washington Post article, are subject to approval by the claimants. Some victims and their families will no doubt view them as “too little, too late”. Many families watched loved ones die while Grace filed bankruptcy to escape the onslaught of asbestos litigation that plagued the company, which operated an asbestos-tainted vermiculite mine in the small town of Libby for almost 30 years. Previous to that, the mine was owned and operated by the Zonolite Company. It closed for good in 1990.

According to a report in the The Gazette, a judge assessed the civil penalty against Affordable Housing Network last week, citing violations that involved the removal of more than 60,000 square feet of asbestos-containing materials including floor tile and linoleum flooring. Specifically, the owner failed to inspect the property for asbestos prior to commencing renovations, failed to notify the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, failed to remove any asbestos-containing materials prior to any activities that may have caused the release of toxic dust, and mishandled the demolition waste during and at the time of disposal. The non-profit maintains that the violations were unintentional but has agreed to pay the fine for settlement purposes.

Adhering to strict laws about asbestos removal is essential, and each year dozens of companies that choose to take shortcuts find themselves faced with fines for improper asbestos handling and illegal asbestos abatement. The laws protect workers and the general public from exposure to asbestos, which is a known carcinogen. Each year in the U.S., approximately 2,000-3,000 individuals die of mesothelioma – asbestos-related cancer – often due to occupational exposure. Others are exposed during DIY projects or due to instances such as this one, where proper precautions to keep residents safe are not taken.

Lujan, who has seen similar circumstances among former fellow workers at the lab, noted that “nothing else made sense” in regards to his lung cancer diagnosis. ” I never was a smoker, and my friend Ray Ruiz also worked up there with me and he had a similar situation,” Lujan stressed. “Other than that, I don’t see any other reason for me to have it.”

Lujan explained that he was once an ironworker on what locals refer to as “The Hill”, as was his buddy Ruiz, who died of lung cancer in 2004.  As an ironworker, Lujan was charged with the task of mixing dry asbestos powder into a wet solution. The powder would often become airborne during the mixing, but Lujan and fellow workers were not provided with masks or any other protective gear, he noted. A mask could have helped him avoid inhaling asbestos fibers.

Though it’s difficult to ascertain exactly how many LANL workers have developed various types of lung cancer, including mesothelioma - records aren’t that specific – over the years more than 10,000 applications for claims have been filed by 3,300 LANL employees. Thus far, the Department of Labor has paid  some $285 million in medical benefits and other compensation to those who worked at the lab, including both regular employees and contract workers.

Five years ago, Lujan formed a state agency to help workers file those claims and called it the Office of Nuclear Workers’ Advocacy. The politician, who friends and family members say is visibly weakened from his illness and will not seek re-election, believes the government holds responsibility for taking care of those who worked for their country. “I believe that it is the duty of the state of New Mexico to advocate and assist nuclear workers who have been exposed to toxic substances which have adversely affected their bodies, livelihood, and quality of life,” he told the media in 2007, the year the advocacy organization was formed.

But while Lujan says he is “certain” his disease is caused by his former contract work at LANL, officials there say it is “pure speculation”. Others know differently. Ray Ruiz’ widow, Harriet, says she has seen the same scenario too many times and has heard about countless former Department of Energy workers who are sick or have passed away due to what is clearly problems with occupational exposure to toxic materials.

Loretta Valerio, director of the aforementioned Nuclear Worker’s Advocacy Office agrees with Ruiz. She has already helped process 500 cases at her agency. The majority are related to work at LANL, she says.

According to an article in The Town Talk, Walter Monroe Smith, who is the owner of Rapides Roofing and Home Repair, ordered his employees to burn asbestos-containing roofing shingles at a property he owns in Deville, Louisiana. This particular incident occurred in 2009, notes a news release by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

After being charged in the 2009 incident, however, Smith proceeded to do the same thing less than a year later, instructing employees to burn not only additional asbestos roof shingles but also tire rims, plastic products, and other hazardous solid waste. This was done at the same location in Deville, notes the DEQ report. After this particular incident, Smith was arrested and charged with illegally disposing of toxic waste, a violation of the federal Clean Air Act.

This week, in the 9th Judicial District Court of Louisiana, Smith’s guilty plea was accepted and he was sentenced to five years of hard labor in prison – which was suspended – and three years probation. He must also pay a fine of $3,000; $2000 to the DEQ for the cost of the investigation and $1000 to the DA’s office to cover court costs. He was also ordered to publish a public apology in the local newspaper.

“There are a few business owners in the state who choose to skirt environmental and health laws by disposing of waste in an illegal and improper fashion,” stated Peggy Hatch, secretary of the DEQ. “DEQ’s mission is to aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone found to be in violation of the very laws that have been put in place to protect human life and the environment.”

Due to Smith’s actions, there is considerable concern that his employees as well as others who live in the area of his Deville property may have been exposed to asbestos dust and may have inhaled sharp asbestos fibers, which can lead to the formation of cancerous tumors and a diagnosis of the disease known as mesothelioma. Because mesothelioma has a long latency period, those exposed may not detect symptoms for decades but should regularly monitor the health of their lungs in order to detect any changes.

According to an article in the Times Herald, the former Nicolet property on Washington Street, owned by the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority (MCRA), will cost the city more than $1.1 million for asbestos abatement and demolition. The property was originally purchased in 2001 as a potential Brownfield development site. The developer, O’Neill Properties, paid $55,000 for the site, on which they had intended to build multistory apartment complexes. The county purchased the site from O’Neill last year with the hopes of instead building a new sewage treatment plant to replace an old one that frequently experiences sewage overflows.

However, due to the nature of Nicolet’s manufacturing business, the site at 500 and 600 Washington Street is strewn with asbestos, even though the plant has been dormant for quite some time. There were remnants of asbestos manufacturing in (underground) tanks and in the ground,” said Jerry Nugent, executive director of the MCRA. “The asbestos in the 500 (Washington Street) building was in the pipe wrap or tile flooring or the building facade.”

In addition, the article notes, engineers found tanks, tunnels, trenches, and concrete canals from the days of Nicolet’s asbestos processing and many of those were filled with toxic asbestos slurry.

A second phase of the clean-up will involve drilling holes throughout the site to see if any ground contamination is present. If so, additional remediation work may be required and will most likely involve the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. “It has turned out to be a huge job,” Nugent said.

The Nicolet site has long been a concern for those who live and work in the area, which is located southwest of Philadelphia. The community has long feared the potential of both air and ground contamination caused by the large amounts of asbestos left on the property. Asbestos exposure can cause myriad lung-related diseases including pleural mesothelioma and other cancers.

According to an article in the Kittaning Paper, the former Shannock Valley High School has become a danger to anyone who steps inside. Bill Henley, director of facilities and properties for Armstrong School District, says the structure, built during an era when using asbestos in schools was commonplace, has seen “better days.”

“What I’m being told by the experts is that that building is loaded with asbestos. Asbestos is crumbling in it now – the floor tiles are lifting and as you walk on it, it crumbles,” Henley explained. When you crumble asbestos, it gets in the air and becomes dangerous.”

The building also has a leaky roof and, in some areas, holes allow workers to see daylight from inside. This, and the presence of a large amount of toxic material, has caused the district to move the majority of the items stored inside to another location. However, anyone who worked inside the old school when it functioned as the main warehouse for the district may have been exposed to crumbling or “friable” asbestos, which produces airborne fibers and is easy to inhale. Once inhaled, it can become lodged in the lungs and cause diseases like asbestosis. It may even cause cancerous tumors to form.

District officials fear that demolition costs will be high, especially given the presence of asbestos, which will need to be removed before the building is torn down. Furthermore, asbestos must be removed by contractors who are trained and licensed in asbestos abatement, which limits those who can bid on the project and drives up the price.

District solicitor Lee Price has told the school board that the price will indeed be governed by the fact that so much asbestos is inside.

“What ever way’s cheaper is going to be the factor,” Price said. “With some demolition companies, if you tell them you are demolishing a building, they will give you a bid, but if they find out there’s asbestos, they are going to say they aren’t even qualified to deal with it.”

According to an article in the Montreal Gazette, the mine has been producing asbestos fiber for export for more than 50 years but halted erations last October, resulting in the loss of about 350 jobs for local miners. At the time of closure, a spokesperson for the company noted issues with labor and mine development. Originally, the mine was backed by U.S. copper and molybdenum miner and refiner Asarco Inc., but that is no longer the case.

LAB Chrysotile CEO Simon Dupéré insists, however, that the bankruptcy is just a minor stumbling block on the way to rebuilding the mine’s business. “This is a straight bankruptcy and the company is no longer financially viable in its present form,” Dupéré told the media. “I can’t discuss the financial details, but our ultimate goal is to restart operations under a new structure at the former production rate of 125,000 tonnes a year.”

Dupéré did admit, however, that many of the former employees at D’Amiante Mines have retired and others have already moved on to different jobs since they were let go last October. Changes will also have to be made, he says, to improve efficiency at the mine.

No one knows, however, from where the money to rebuild the operations will come. Unlike Quebec’s other large asbestos mine, the Jeffrey Mines,

According to an article in the Washington Examiner, Conoco Phillip’s appeal process will begin on January 30, 2012 when the Mississippi Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of  Troy Lofton, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2004 and now must wear oxygen 24 hours each day.

A 2010 jury ruled in favor of Lofton in 2010 in a suit against CP Chem, which is a large division of Conoco Phillips, a Houston-based multinational energy company and the sixth-largest private sector energy company in the world, created in 2002 as a result of a merger between Conoco Inc. and Phillips Petroleum Company. The company currently employs some 30,000 individuals worldwide and showed revenues of nearly $200 billion in 2010.

In his lawsuit, Lofton claimed that the defendant, CP Chem, knowingly shipped an asbestos-containing product that was used by oil refinery workers for more than 20 years. The produce in question was a form of “asbestos mud” that came in large bags handled by Lofton and others on a daily basis. Allegedly, the mud contained 99 percent asbestos. However, the company has denied all claims.

Inhaling asbestos fibers can result in the development of a large assortment of lung-related diseases including lung cancer as well as pleural mesothelioma, a rare cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs and is almost always attributed to asbestos exposure.

The story identifies the Rev. Timothy Fowler, principal of Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology and senior pastor of the More Abundant Living Ministries, as the culprit. According to the report, Fowler failed to file a permit to allow asbestos removal nor did he hire a licensed asbestos abatement company to do the work. City Building and Codes Director, Jeff Jamison, notes the severity of the situation but says that Fowler is not currently facing charges in the incident.

Tenant Clave Kaleel, who has lived for the past 7 years in the first floor apartment in the building owned by Fowler, told news reporters that she never knew there was asbestos material coating the pipes and insulating the boiler in her basement. However, the tenant got so sick while workers were removing the asbestos that she wound up at the local emergency room.

“I just kept coughing and coughing,” said Kaleel. It felt like pepper was in my chest. It was burning like crazy.”

It was Kaleel who tipped off the state Department of Labor (DOL) in October when two men appeared at her door to remove the material, armed with nothing more than ordinary garbage bags. A stop-work order was eventually issued but Kaleel was not ordered to vacate the property. DOL spokesman Leo Rosales refused to comment on why Kaleel was not ordered to leave the property. Earlier this week, the city finally deemed the building unfit for habitation and told Kaleel to vacate.

Further reports showed that Fowler is now suing Kaleel for back rent but an attorney for the tenant says she will not be responsible for payment if the building has been judged as unfit for habitation.

In the meantime, Kaleel is concerned about her health and has scheduled an appointment at a pulmonary clinic where her lung function will be tested.  Asbestos exposure can cause myriad lung-related health problems including severe scarring, asbestosis, and the cancer known as mesothelioma. Mesothelioma generally takes decades to develop and, once detected, is hard to treat and almost always fatal.

According to a press release by the ADAO, the document will be delivered in February 2012 to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama, explaining the position of the World Health Organization in regards to the hazards of asbestos and urging them to take action to prohibit its use. Asbestos kills approximately 107,000 workers worldwide each year. It has been a known carcinogen for decades and causes a serious and aggressive cancer known as mesothelioma.

Canada – in particular, the province of Quebec – remains one of the top miners and exporters of asbestos materials, despite the findings that the mineral is deadly. Currently, all mines in Quebec are shut down but a decision is expected soon as to whether or not the Canadian government will provide the financial support necessary to re-open the mines.

Linda Reinstein, co-founder of the ADAO, notes that she finds the use and import/export of asbestos deplorable since there are so many safer alternatives available. As a mesothelioma widow, Reinstein adds that she finds it amazing that the U.S. continues to deny decades of scientific evidence that confirms the carcinogenic properties of asbestos.

Stacy Cattran, co-found of Canadian Voices, lost her father to asbestos cancer. A laborer and electrician at a petro-chemical plant in Sarnia, Ontario, Cattran’s father was one of many in his town that succumbed to the hazards of working with asbestos, which was widely used inside chemical plants for most of the 20th century.

“After 130 years of mining asbestos, it is time for Canada to close the mines and transition the workers to other forms of industry,” Cattran said. “We must take steps now which will prohibit Canada from ongoing export of asbestos to the developing world, where it is exposing millions of workers to the same life-threatening hazards as my father experienced.”