Tag Archives: US
Scientists Find Cell Process That Causes Mesothelioma
Since the 1970s, scientists and researchers have endeavored to learn the process that causes exposure to asbestos to lead to mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that strikes the soft band of tissue around the lungs. A recent study published by the National Academy of Sciences and authored by a research team from the University [...]
Schools Face Asbestos Issues During Summer Vacation
The summer months may mean the start of vacation for students and teachers, but it also means the start of a long, hot season of work for construction and remodeling crews. In some cases, these remodeling projects will also involve removing and disposing of insulation, ceiling tiles and other construction materials that contain asbestos. The [...]
New Zealand to Demolish Asbestos-Laden Homes
Government officials in New Zealand have ordered the demolition of more than a hundred abandoned homes laden with asbestos. The homes were constructed in the mid-1900s on the South Pacific island of Niue, which is an “associated state” under the control of New Zealand. Environmental agencies in Wellington, along with the Niue Health Ministry, have [...]
Cleanup Efforts Continue at Libby Superfund Site
Libby, Montana, the former home of the W.R. Grace asbestos mines, has devolved from a small, tight-knit community into a synonym for an environmental disaster. The town of three thousand residents has become the home of the most toxic site in the history of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund. Many of the residents have [...]
Arkansas Officials Consider Changing Asbestos Regulations
Officials with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) are talking about some proposed modifications to state asbestos disposal laws. If the changes are approved, the new regulations could carry a severe effect on how construction, remodeling and demolition firms in the state handle construction materials from older structures that contain asbestos. The potential new [...]
Two Vermont Companies Cited For Asbestos Violations
Officials with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have announced that they have issued fines to two Vermont-based construction firms for violating federal laws concerning the safe removal and disposal of asbestos-containing materials. CRC Excavating, LLC, of Middlesex was fined $5,000 and the JIDDU/SITTU Trust of Colchester was fined $10,000 for failing to comply with [...]
Gibsonville Elementary, Greensboro, North Carolina, Sidelined with Asbestos
Gibsonville Elementary School in Gibsonville, North Carolina, near Greensboro, is only one of many aging schools in the Guilford County School District that sits abandoned and deteriorating. Gibsonville Elementary, originally built to accommodate all ages of students when the area was less populated, was eventually converted to a grammar school. Then, in 2006, a new [...]
Judge Declines CSR Demerger Bid Due to Asbestos Funds
A judge in Australia ruled against CSR Limited’s bid to break its sugar and foods group away from the construction materials portion of the company due to concerns that the new firm would not be able to meet their previous commitments to victims of asbestos exposure. Executives with the company stated that they had covered [...]
Asbestos Victims Could Benefit from Health Care Bill
While legislators in Washington work out the details to the health care reform bill, the townspeople in Libby, Montana are keeping a close eye on the proceedings. US Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), is one of the leaders in the fight to create new federal health care reform legislation. In an effort to aid the citizens [...]
Asbestos Fraud Problems Plague St. Louis
The owner of an environmental contracting company in St. Louis pleaded guilty to falsifying an asbestos inspection report created for a building scheduled for demolition. Calvin Burks, owner of J & C Environmental Services Inc., agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge of making false statements on government documents in federal court earlier this [...]
