Family Wins $1.2M In Lawsuit

 The family of a retired Navy sailor who died of cancer triggered by asbestos fibers he inhaled on the job decades ago has won $1.2 million in its lawsuit against a ship-parts manufacturer. 

Gerald Gray died in April after suffering from mesothelioma. His death, at age 75, came five weeks before the trial was to begin against John Crane Inc., an Illinois maker of gaskets and other parts used on ships Gray repaired. 

The Newport News Circuit Court jury on Monday ruled against five manufacturers for a total of $4 million, assigning a percentage of blame to each. Jurors weren't informed that four companies settled out of court before the case went to trial for undisclosed sums. John Crane fought the case, and was apportioned 30 percent, or $1.2 million. 

Rights For Affected Veterans

The veterans of the United States military branches, including the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and others have served their country in times of war and peace, giving their time, effort, and sometimes their lives as part of their service. They have the same right to the best in medical care that is afforded to all in our country. Mesothelioma, a disease with no known cure, has felled many U.S. veterans, and the rights of these veterans to receive compensation for this work-related disease should be upheld.

Medical Care for Veterans Is Lacking

Unfortunately, many veterans are not receiving the medical care or disability benefits to which they are entitled. For example, some 600,000 claims for federal benefits are pending with the Veterans Administration, languishing in a bureaucratic morass for years at a time. These include more than 123,000 disability claims of vets of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans with asbestos-induced mesothelioma are facing the same obstacles. 

Millions of Veterans Exposed to Asbestos

It is now apparent that hundreds of thousands — perhaps millions — of veterans were exposed to the toxic material asbestos as part of their military service. Asbestos was present in many products used by military members and civilian contractors when they built military facilities and ships (asbestos exposure navy ships) or maintained military vehicles. Common asbestos-containing products included:

Cement

Flooring products

Insulation

Steam pipes

Hot water pipes

Gaskets

Brakes and clutches

Boilers, turbines, and generators

Other members of the military were subjected to asbestos simply by being aboard ships, many of which had asbestos as a heavily used component. The pervasiveness of asbestos in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s made it difficult to avoid, particularly in the military. It has been estimated that up to 30% of veterans who served before 1970 were exposed to asbestos in some form. In addition, many members of the military who were in regular contact with asbestos inadvertently took the asbestos home with them on their clothing, thereby exposing their spouses and children.

In the Decades Before 1970

Before its dangers were identified, many thought of asbestos as a "miracle material" in light of its strength, durability, and fire-resistant qualities. It wasn't until the 1960s that overwhelming evidence of the risk of mesothelioma cancer and other diseases caused by asbestos exposure finally started to shut the asbestos industry down, but by then, millions of people had been exposed to this toxic material in their workplaces and homes.

Veterans’ Rights and Mesothelioma Compensation

Mesothelioma often takes decades to manifest itself. It is now increasingly identified in soldiers, sailors, airmen and others who were exposed to asbestos years ago. These veterans have rights, including the right to receive proper medical care and compensation for their losses. Mesothelioma is a devastating disease that results in damages such as:

Loss of work

Loss of income

Huge medical bills

Loss of a spouse/parent/loved one

Funeral and burial costs

Pain and suffering

A Mesothelioma Attorney to Protect Your Veterans’ Rights

If mesothelioma has befallen you or your loved one, you have legal rights that can be protected with the assistance of an attorney. Contact an experienced and qualified mesothelioma attorney today to arrange a consultation and discuss your options.

Fighting Mesothelioma

Despite all the technological advancements in our world today there are certain issues that we have not been able to find solutions to. One such issue is that of hazardous diseases that are incurable such as AIDS, cancer and so on. The moment we hear the names of such diseases we get the chill in our spine. Amongst this mesothelioma is one such disease that requires a lot of care and concern. However, this is made easy with plenty of books that are available in the market. Surviving Mesothelioma is a seminal book written by Paul Kraus. 

Paul Kraus himself suffered from this disease and in this book he has given the detailed information as to the way in which he came out of this deadly disease. You can get all the relevant information that is required regarding this disease as well as various other types of cancer that are caused to people. Cancer basically occurs when there is an unnecessary growth of tissues in the body.  Mesothelioma is one kind of cancer that occurs in the part called mesothelium membrane which forms a cover to all the internal organs. 

There are mainly two kinds of mesothelioma, one is pleural mesothelioma which affects the pleura by gathering a lot of fluid in it and this unnecessary fluid causes damage in the various organs and cells. The symptoms like breathlessness and chest pain occurs in this kind of cancer. Second type is peritoneal cancer information in which the patient faces health issues like bowel obstruction, fluid in stomach, weight loss, and blood clotting abnormalities, anemia and fever. Both these cancers spreads to the various organs of the body and therefore treatment is very essential 

In this book you can find all the treatments that are available to cure this and the alternative medicines that can help in getting rid of this disease.

Health Studies Obstructed

A former health expert testified on Tuesday that top W. R. Grace officials obstructed government efforts to study the health risks associated with Libby vermiculite.

“We had been very frustrated by the delay that they had caused in our getting the study under way,” said Kathleen Kennedy, a former epidemiologist for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

Kennedy said she went to work for NIOSH in 1979 and was assigned to study the vermiculite mined at Libby Montana, by W. R. Grace. This request came down from the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

According to MSHA, several workers at an expanding plant in South Carolina had been diagnosed with “bloody pleural effusions” in their lungs. One of the substances those workers had been exposed to was vermiculite mined in Libby.

“The primary purpose was to find out if there was a health hazard caused by the exposure to vermiculite so that workers could be protected if that was the case,” Kennedy said. “We determined that the most useful first place to begin looking at exposures was in Libby, Montana.”

A great number of Libby residents are suffering from asbestos diseases, some from mesothelioma cancer. A doctor who testified earlier in the trial stated that he diagnoses approximately one person per day with an asbestos-related illness, such as asbestosis and other respiratory ailments.

But when Kennedy and her research team contacted Grace to inform them of the study, they were met with resistance.

“They told us that they did not want us to do it,” she said. “They did not give us any documents.”

The defense attorney clarified the W. R. Grace company stance on this issue, stating that the officials refused the testing because it was identical to studies that had been conducted in the past by NIOSH and other government agencies.

Defense attorney Bernick stated that the proposed testing by NIOSH in 1979 was unnecessary, as the company had made steps to control asbestos releases at the Libby mine after a series of inspections as early as the 1960s.

Diagnosis

According to the National Cancer Institute, diagnosing the asbestos-caused cancer mesothelioma begins with a review of the patient’s medical history and the gathering of information to identify moments in a patient’s life that could have led to dangerous contact with asbestos and the diagnosis.

A complete physical examination is performed, which includes x-rays of the chest and lung function tests. A CAT scan or an MRI is often employed to obtain detailed pictures inside the body that can be analyzed on a computer monitor. To rule out heart disease the doctor will also request an echocardiogram, which creates an image of the heart muscle using high-frequency sound waves.



Results of these diagnostic tests are reviewed and, if warranted, the doctor will then arrange for a lung biopsy to be performed. This physically intrusive procedure is conducted under general anesthesia and involves the removal of internal tissue samples for examination under a microscope.

If the diagnosis is mesothelioma it is essential for the doctor to identify what stage the cancer is in and how far it has spread. Knowing the stage of the disease will help the doctor to devise a treatment plan.

A Victory For Those With Mesothelioma

A test case that could mean good news for mesothelioma victims has been fought in the courts, with the outcome being described as a "hugely important victory" by those affected by the asbestos related cancer.

The case centred on which insurance policy providers were liable to pay out in the event of a victim developing the disease - the insurers covering the company at the time of exposure or the insurers involved at the time of diagnosis. Mesothelioma has a prolonged development period, with most cases not becoming apparent until at least 20 to 40 years after exposure to deadly asbestos dust. The case argued that it was the insurers who covered the company at the time of exposure whom were responsible for paying compensation, not the insurers who may hold policies at the time of diagnosis. Asbestosis and other asbestos related diseases such as mesothelioma are the biggest cause of work related deaths in the UK, with around 2,000 people being diagnosed with the disease in 2008. The insurers have been watching this test case very closely, as it is thought that the number of cases will increase over the next 20 years with workers exposed to asbestos in the 1970's developing the disease. The disease is expected to peak in 2015.

Employers took out liability insurance to protect themselves against the cost of mesothelioma or asbestosis compensation claims and legal action taken out by workers injured at work. But as the disease (which has been described as a 'silent killer') has a long development stage, many companies that employed asbestos workers 20 to 30 years ago have since ceased trading. The argument by some insurance companies was that the victims could have worked for several companies during their working lives and that it would be difficult to apportion blame to any one company for the exposure to asbestos that subsequently triggers the disease some 30 years later. In their argument this would therefore make it impossible to say which insurer was liable for any compensation claims that may be brought and that the onus should rest with the insurers involved at the time of diagnosis, and not at the time of exposure.

The 'trigger case' lasted for nine weeks in the summer of 2008 and eventually the courts disagreed with this argument, saying that the insurers at the time of exposure were liable. Solicitors representing families involved said that the argument would make it harder for victims and their families to secure compensation, particularly as many modern insurance policies have exemption clauses for asbestos related diseases including mesothelioma and asbestosis. This would mean that families would have to pursue the companies themselves for compensation and as many of these firms have since gone out of business, the families would have no recourse and no chance of compensation.

The families and solicitors of the victims, as well as those watching anxiously to see if compensation funds will finally be released for mesothelioma victims, have welcomed the clarification of the law. Specialist solicitors dealing with asbestos exposure cases have also welcomed the decision, seeing it as an indicator of a more positive approach by the courts to what is an ongoing battle for thousands of new victims.

Asbestos Mine In Vermont

The Vermont Asbestos Group Mine closed in 1993, but it is still stirring controversy in the thirteen towns near the Belvidere Mountain area where it was located. Fourteen hospitalizations and five deaths are thought to have been due to the adverse health effects of asbestos.

A report from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and the Vermont Department of Health show that there may be a reason to study further the health risks brought about by past mining activities.

This conclusion was drawn from analyzing data gathered from towns that are within a ten-mile radius of the mine, and while the study may have had its limits, there is a noticeable statistical link between the occurrence of asbestos-related disease in communities within the mine’s vicinity. It was determined that risk of contracting asbestos-related diseases triples with geographic exposure to asbestos mines.

Asbestos used to be a staple material in American homes until the 1970s for insulation, floor and roofing tiles and tile glues. When the adverse health effects of the material were discovered, agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the OSHA and the CDC have attempted to ban the mineral from commercial use.

Until now, though, asbestos still finds its way into the market, but the attempts to ban it had significantly limited the quantities to which the American public may be exposed to.

Proximity to an area that has been mined for asbestos, though, is a different story. The removal of asbestos-based products will do nothing to exposure. Asbestos fibers enter the body through inhalation, and may lead to a number of diseases.

The most notable among these diseases is mesothelioma, an incurable form of cancer that is usually not detected until it is already in its advanced stage, sometimes up to three decades after exposure. This means that the 14 hospitalizations and 5 deaths in the area at this time is just the tip of the iceberg. Diseases may not manifest themselves until the 2020s.

The most the authorities can do as of now is to warn people about staying away from the property. The mine is closed, but outdoor enthusiasts such as all-terrain vehicle drivers use the property for their activities.

New Findings About Asbestos' Relation to Cancer

Clinical application is years away, however, the researchers hope their findings could aid in drug development efforts targeting illnesses caused by excessive exposure to asbestos, including the deadly cancer called mesothelioma.

The researchers use atomic force microscopy to observe how a single asbestos fiber binds with a specific receptor protein on cell surfaces. They suspect that at least one of the more lethal forms of asbestos triggers a cascade of events inside cells that eventually lead to illness, sometimes decades later.

The conditions most commonly associated with long-term exposure to airborne asbestos are lung cancer; asbestosis, a chronic respiratory disease; and mesothelioma, a cancer that forms in the membrane lining most internal organs of the body, including the lungs.

Eric Taylor, a doctoral candidate in earth sciences at Ohio State and a coauthor of the study, describes atomic force microscopy as “Braille on a molecular level,” meaning it allows scientists to feel and observe what’s happening on molecular surfaces.

“We’re looking at what molecules are involved in the chain of events when the fiber touches the cell. Does the binding occur over minutes, or hours? And what processes are triggered?” said Taylor, who presented the research at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.
Asbestos comprises six different minerals that naturally occur in both fragment and fibrous forms. Because of its high durability and heat resistance, the fibrous form has been used in many manufacturing products since the late 1800s. Though its use is now highly regulated, asbestos is still present in many materials. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that 1.3 million employees face significant asbestos exposure on the job. Environmental exposure is also possible because asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral in soils and exposed bedrock.

Crocidolite, or blue asbestos, is part of the amphibole group of asbestos minerals, which were banned in most of the Western world by the mid-1980s. Before that, they were used in such products as ceiling tiles and thermal insulation.

Ohio State researchers have focused so far on the crocidolite form of asbestos, but eventually hope to study how all six forms of asbestos interact with certain proteins on cell surfaces. Some forms of asbestos can dissolve in the lungs if they are inhaled, but others are believed to essentially “stick” to cells, especially at high concentrations, and eventually cause lung diseases.

“For the first time, this will give us data on biological activity that should help policymakers determine which forms of asbestos are the most dangerous,” said Steven Lower, associate professor of earth sciences at Ohio State and a coauthor on the study.

“The hypothesis we’re testing is that binding of cell surface receptors to asbestos fibers triggers a signal event, which initiates the cancer,” said Lower, also a faculty member in the School of Environment and Natural Resources. “There seems to be something intrinsic about certain types of asbestos, blue asbestos in particular, that elicits a unique signal, and it triggers inflammation, the formation of pre-malignant cells and, ultimately, cancer.”

The first protein to be studied is epidermal growth factor receptor, which is present on the surface of every human cell. Understanding the intricacies of the binding process between the mineral and one or more proteins will provide an index of the biological activity of a particular type of asbestos, and might lead the researchers to figure out how to prevent or undo that interaction, Lower said.

Taylor said the driving motivation behind the research is the potential to find a way to intervene and prevent illness even after someone is exposed to asbestos. Mesothelioma symptoms don’t typically appear until 30 to 50 years after exposure. After diagnosis, however, the cancer is difficult to control, and there is no cure.

New Treatments for Mesothelioma

Extensive research is being done to find effective treatments for Melothelioma. There are several treatment alternatives for malignant Mesothelioma. Some patients have had positive results with introduction of new chemotherapeutic agents.

Photodynamic Therapy is the latest kind of treatment in which photosensitive drugs are intravenously injected. It helps in killing cells with diseases in our body.

Another method used worldwide is called biological therapy, otherwise known as, immunotherapy. In this method to treat the cancer, the immune system of the body is stimulated. The immune system is modulated by Immunotherapy. The human body’s natural immune system is strong enough to fight with cancer. The medications that are used in this treatment are known as Biological Response Modifiers. These are natural component of body’s immune system but many companies nowadays are making synthetic Biological Response Modifiers.

Gene therapy is one of the latest therapies. It is very effective in several incurable diseases. At the DNA level the disease is treated in this therapy. Two types of gene therapy are there. The first is known as replacement gene therapy and the second is known as Knockout gene therapy. The gene developing the disease is replaced by a new gene in replacement gene therapy. In knockout gene therapy the gene responsible for getting the disease is removed completely from DNA.

Pleural mesothelioma is most common type of disease. It is caused by chronic inhalation of particles of asbestos. These particles if gets accumulated in lungs it can develop cancer. The other parts of the body can be invaded by the cancer of the lungs.

Malignant Mesothelioma is an aggressive type of cancer. If the timely diagnosis is made it can be treated quite effectively. The treatment alternatives are becoming more abundant. Extensive diagnostic tests before the treatment are recommended. The most common diagnostic methods are x-rays, MRI, CT scans and biopsies. All these methods can help the oncologist with these methods can offer the best treatment to the patient.