Pa health department says borit site is not hazardous to the public

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has issued a health consultation document stating that the BoRit asbestos site is not dangerous, saying the site poses “no apparent public health hazard to the community for cancer effects or no cancer effects.” Asbestos fibers have been found in soil, surface water, sediment, and air samples at the BoRit site over the years. The document was released on July 14 by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. The document was prepared at the request of the Region 3 Environmental Protection Agency, but the organizations also hope that the document will alleviate some of the public’s concerns about the safety of the BoRit site. The document includes details of a study carried out to “determine if levels of asbestos detected in the EPA’s 2006-2007 on-site and off-site ambient air sampling at the BoRit site in Ambler were at levels of public health concern.” According to the study, the site is not harmful to the public, but “exposures to asbestos fibers when on-site soils and asbestos-containing material are disturbed are a public health hazard to area residents.” Essentially, the site is safe for now, but could become a hazard once the clean-up begins. In addition, activities such as on-site sampling, which the EPA carries out to determine the extent of contamination at such sites, may disturb soil and materials to the extent that they may become hazardous to the public. The document also states that in dry weather conditions such as those seen in the area in September 2007 might cause an increase in airborne asbestos levels at the site and potentially create a public health hazard. This month, the EPA issued a fact sheet to be distributed to area residents, to let locals know that EPA contractors will soon begin preparing the BoRit site for clean-up. This work involved clearing vegetation, repairing fencing, and building access roads so that the site can be cleaned efficiently and safely. An EPA on-scene coordinator estimates that these preparatory activities will take around 45 days to complete. The public can read the Pennsylvania Department of Health health consultation document online at www.epaosc.net/borit, under the “Documents” heading. There is a 45-day comment period, which ends on August 31. Comments must be mailed to the following address: Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology, Health Assessment Program, ATTN: Christine Lloyd, Health Assessor, Room 933, Health and Welfare Building, 7th and Forster Streets, Harrisburg, PA, 17120 (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)

W.r. grace bankruptcy court sets bar date for zonolite claims

The Delaware Bankruptcy Court which has been overseeing the W.R. Grace & Company case has set a bar date for claims related to Zonolite attic insulation which are to be filed in the W.R Grace case. In order to preserve their case against the company, anyone who wishes to make a claim relating to Zonolite attic insulation must file that claim on or before the bar date, which has been set at October 31, 2008. For the purpose of the bar date, Zonolite claims are property-related claims. These may include the costs of asbestos abatement, and any reduction in property value or other economic loss which results from the presence of W.R. Grace-manufactured Zonolite in a home. Zonolite is a type of loose-fill, non-roll vermiculite insulation produced and sold by W.R. Grace & Co. The company mined the vermiculite from a mine located in Libby, Montana. The mine, the vermiculite, and all the insulation sold under the brand name Zonolite is contaminated with tremolite asbestos. The contamination of the mine where the substance was obtained is so severe that the entire town of Libby has been declared an EPA superfund site for almost a decade, with hundreds of millions spent on clean-up. More than 1,000 residents of Libby have been diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases as a consequence of working in or living near the mine. At the end of this year, the criminal trial against W.R. Grace and several of its top executives finally get under way. The consequences of the production and use of contaminated vermiculite are even more far-reaching than appears at first glance. Many more people than those residing in Libby may eventually be affected, as Zonolite is present in millions of American homes. Zonolite was sold from the 1920s up until the 1980s under several brand names, including Attic Fill, Attic Plus, Cashway Attic Insulation, Econofil, House Fill, Wickes Attic Insulation, Zonolite Insulating Fill, Sears Micro Fill, Quiselle Insulating Fill, Mica Pellets Attic Insulation, Unifil, and Ward’s Mineral Fill. Zonolite insulation may appear as a glittery granular substance. Granules may be silvery, gold, or brown in color, and their color may have darkened after being present in an attic for several years. Even homes with newer insulation may still contain Zonolite, as the substance may be found underneath newer rolled insulation. For more information about filing claims, interested parties can visit www.graceclaims.com, call 1-877-465-4817, or write to Claims Processing Agent, W. R. Grace & Co. Bankruptcy, P.O. Box 1620, Faribault, MN 55021-1620. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)

More criticism for epa’s asbestos regulations plans

The federal Environmental Protection Agency continues to come under heavy fire over its proposed changes to asbestos regulations. This time, experts are accusing the EPA of watering down the regulations in an attempt to placate big industry. Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to hold a public meeting to discuss the method of assessing asbestos-related carcinogenic risks as outlined by the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER). Many public health experts have subsequently spoken about their concerns with the EPA’s plans. The meeting, held on the 21st and 22nd of July, was attended by asbestos and asbestos disease experts, including Richard A. Lemen, a pioneering asbestos researcher and former Assistant Surgeon General, and Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization director Linda Reinstein. Currently the EPA uses methods which were developed in the 1980s, based on phase contrast microscopy as a measure of numbers of asbestos particles in samples being tested. This method was developed using existing data from cohorts of workers previously exposed to asbestos in various industrial settings. However, the EPA methodology currently in use does not account for differences between different types of asbestos, and varying sizes and shapes of asbestos fibers. OSWER is proposing that an interim method be developed which accounts for these and other factors when assessing asbestos exposure risks. The problem, some public health experts say, is that this may lead to some types of asbestos being considered “safer” than othersâ€"and that this is a dangerous way to regulate a highly toxic substance. Many high respected asbestos experts believe that all asbestos should be considered dangerous, and that there is no safe level of exposure. After the EPA’s meeting this week many of the attendees have denounced the plans, but according to recent reports the EPA may end up making the changes regardless. Another concern for experts is that the EPA’s proposal seems to be being rushed through the approval processâ€"many physicians and scientists in federal organizations who would normally have a chance to review such plans haven’t had so much as a quick glance at the EPA’s proposal. Even worse are the rumors that the EPA is rushing its proposal through in an effort to appease complaints from the automotive, mining, construction and chemical industries, all of which are feeling the sting of lawsuits from people who have developed asbestos-related diseases due to exposure over the past several decades. The EPA appointed twenty scientists to its Scientific Advisory Board asbestos panel, asking them to evaluate the agency’s plan to change the way chrysotile asbestosâ€"the most common typeâ€"is assessed in terms of the risks of exposure. Decades worth of research confirming that chrysotile is deadly were ignored by the EPA in favor of other studies claiming it does not cause mesothelioma. According to one report, lawyers who routinely defend corporations against asbestos claims say passage of the EPA’s proposed regulation concerning chrysotile would vastly increase their chances of winning lawsuits relating to diseases caused by exposure to this type of asbestos. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)

Appellate decision may allow resurrection of thousands of asbestos suits

A decision from the 4th District Court of Appeal may help thousands of people with pending asbestos-related lawsuits, by invalidating a retroactivity law which was designed to limit the number of people who were eligible to sue. The ruling was a reversal of thirteen decisions previously made by Palm Beach Circuit Judge Elizabeth Maass, which upheld the retroactivity law. Some of the cases on which the ruling was based date back as far as 1999. This week’s decision now allows plaintiffs the chance to revive those cases. Not surprisingly, plaintiffs’ attorneys say the ruling is a new victory for thousands of people who are still waiting to have their cases heard in court. “It certainly means that there are thousands of cases that were in the pipeline that were retroactively thrown out by this legislation that now may see new life,” said one attorney. Another said that the new ruling could revive as many as four thousand asbestos-related lawsuits across Florida. On the other hand, lawyers working for defendant companies are less than thrilled. One said, the law was created to “put people who were sick at the head of the line,” but now that it’s been overturned, there is the potential for “people who aren’t really sick…[to be] cutting in the line ahead of people who are sick.” If the decision is appealed, it would likely be based partially on a conflict between District Courts of Appeal in West Palm Beach and Miami. The 3rd District Court of Appeal in Miami concluded that the retroactivity law was valid, and since the 4th District Court ruling in West Palm Beach disagrees, the conflict could allow for an appeal and review by a higher court. Judge Gary Farmer wrote for the 4th District Court’s unanimous decision that the Florida Asbestos and Silica Compensation Fairness Act “may not constitutionally be applied to eliminate the existing vested rights in the lawsuits pending when the act became effective [on July 1, 2005].” The Florida Asbestos and Silica Compensation Fairness Act set new impairment standards on which plaintiffs’ eligibility to file suit became based. People affected with asbestosis (a non-malignant disease) must have lost at least 20% of their breathing capacity, and people with lung cancer would have to have diminished breathing capacity and asbestosis (to rule out the effects of smoking as a causative agent in the cancer). (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)

Boulder apartment fire prompts concern over asbestos

Boulder, Colorado â€" Fire and flames spread quickly when a burning bush ignited an apartment complex in Boulder, Colorado. Police and firefighters responded quickly and all residents of the complex escaped without serious injury. However, due to the presence of asbestos in the building, there are still concerns over safety and air quality. Fire investigators believe that the fire started when a juniper bush outside the apartment complex caught fire. The flames quickly spread from the bush to the building, and spread throughout the complex. Witnesses reported seeing the bush burning and igniting the building, but investigators don’t yet know how the juniper bush itself caught fire. Several of the units in the apartment complex were damaged by smoke and fire, but no residents or firefighters were injured. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blazing building quickly, fighting the fire from outside the building. Public Information Officer for the Boulder Fire Department Sarah Huntley confirmed that firefighters wore protective clothing while fighting the fire because it was suspected that the building contained asbestos. David Lowery, Chief Fire Marshall for the Boulder Fire Department, said “It was confirmed that there was asbestos in the sheet rock of the building material that was used back when this structure was built.” Ironically, asbestos was often used as a fire proofing and flame retardant material. On that basis it was added to many different types of construction products up until the mid 1980s. However, inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause cancer and other serious diseases, meaning that for residents and firefighters there are health and safety concerns. The hazards of asbestos made it necessary for firefighters to protect themselves from the possibility of exposure. During a fire, asbestos fibers can easily become airborne as burned materials disintegrate and are spread around by high-pressure water blasts. Residents of the burned building will return today to retrieve emergency items with the help of firefighters wearing protective clothing. The American Red Cross is helping to find accommodation for the fire’s victims, who will not be allowed to return to the building for several days. According to the fire marshall, air quality inside the building will need to be tested to ensure that the building is safe for residents. Those whose units were severely damaged may need longer term accommodation. However, the quick response of firefighters means that serious damage was minimal. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)

More asbestos found in newton fire station

Newton, Massachusetts â€" More deposits of asbestos have been found in the Newton, Massachusetts-based Fire Station 3. The station was the site of a renovation project in which asbestos was discovered and dispersed while firefighters were present in the building. The exposure incident occurred on Wednesday, March 19 when contractors were working on a renovation project in Fire Station 3. During the incident, visible dust was created and debris from the ceiling fell near four nearby firefighters. One employee reported that dust had fallen onto him and onto his computer. Following discovery of the exposure incident an investigation was initiated. Initial tests carried out on the air and the dust in the incident area came back negative. A state report released on Friday March 28 indicates that the asbestos dust and debris did pose a health hazard to the workers carrying out the renovation work and to the firefighters present in the station. The area where the incident occurred has been cleaned, and the employees who were exposed have seen doctors, but any medical issues that may result won’t develop immediately. Both asbestosis and mesothelioma have latency periods before symptoms are noted. In the case of mesothelioma the latency period can extend for several decades. FLI Environment has since returned to the Newton Fire Station for yet another round of asbestos testing. In this round, asbestos has been discovered in two new locations: in the clothing of one of the workers, and in a rug in the Fire Station weight room. FLI Environmental has recommended that the clothing and the rug be disposed of safely according to asbestos-handling regulations. The two previous rounds of air testing at Fire Station 3 had concluded that the spread of asbestos had been much more limited. However, it seems now that the asbestos dust has spread. The city is now carrying out preconstruction surveys in all five of the fire stations that are scheduled for renovation projects, to make sure that any hazardous materials present in the fire stations are handled and disposed of safely. Mayor David Cohen said, “We are going to continue to [take] precautions as we do additional work in the fire stations to make sure that our workers are not exposed to asbestos and that we are making the work as safe as possible. The first priority of the city is the safety of the inhabitants of the fire stations.” (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)

Ala report finds deaths from lung disease increasing

The latest report from the American Lung Association, entitled Lung Disease Data, indicates that death rates due to lung disease are on the increase, and death rates due to other leading causes of death, such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke, are decreasing. The American Lung Association publishes the Lung Disease Data report periodically to provide a resource with information about information about lung disease trends in the United States for the media, healthcare professionals, researchers, patients, and the public. The report indicates that lung disease rates are increasing so rapidly that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may be the third leading cause of death as early as 2020. Lung diseases include any diseases or disorders in which impairment of lung function is an effect or result of the condition. Lung diseases may be caused by cigarette smoking, exposure to smoke, air pollution, and exposure to occupational hazards such as asbestos and silica dusts. Bernadette Toomey, President and CEO of the American Lung Association, says, “Every year, about 400,000 Americans die from lung disease. With our report, Lung Disease Data, we hope to provide valuable information on lung disease to the public, especially to people who become ill and their family members who are caring for them.” Types of lung disease covered in the ALA report data include the following: • Obstructive lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, as well as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. All of these diseases affect the person’s airways, and limit or block the flow of air in or out of the lungs. • Lung cancer, caused by uncontrolled growth of abnormal lung cells. Lung cancer may be caused by a variety of factors, including cigarette smoking and exposure to asbestos. • Infectious diseases such as influenza, pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus, and tuberculosis, caused by viruses or bacteria which can affect both lung tissue and the membrane which surrounds, protects, and supports the lungs. • Respiratory failure, pulmonary edema, pulmonary embolism and pulmonary hy-pertension. These diseases are caused by problems with gas exchange and blood flow in the lungs. • Pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis. These diseases are characterized by stiffen¬ing and scarring of the lungs, which prevents normal lung function. • Occupational diseases, such as mesothelioma and asbestosis, caused by expo¬sure to hazardous substances such as asbestos and silica dust. These occupational diseases have no other known causes apart from exposure to inhalable toxic dusts. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)