Breaking News: January 2008 -- MesoLink.org

Breaking News

Breaking News: January 2008

(01-01-08) January 1st, 2008 | Post Office Building Violates Asbestos Warning A post office building in Tennessee violated an asbestos warning last week when it continued to operate after asbestos was found. A safety manager said that, despite, the warning, there is no danger to employees.

(01-02-08) January 2nd, 2008 | Asbestos Ban Gets New Life Many people think that asbestos is a banned substance in America. Unfortunately, the material is not banned, and is regularly imported from other countries is items used every day. One Senator wants to change that.

(01-03-08) January 3rd, 2008 | Plan to Monitor Exposed Asbestos State agencies in Wyoming released a plan this week to monitor exposed asbestos north of Cheyenne. While the air monitors are helpful, residents near the area are disappointed that the debris will not be cleaned and removed.

(01-04-08) January 4th, 2008 | Testing For Asbestos Can Be Done in Home When doing home repairs, some owners know the importance of testing for asbestos. For those that cannot afford to hire someone to do the testing, at home kits can be helpful.

(01-05-08) January 5th, 2008 | Asbestos Increases Mississippi Renovation Bill Renovations on a county courthouse have been halted when asbestos was found in the flooring of the building. Initial inspections did not reveal any of the dangerous substance, and the budget for the project did not encompass the expensive removal.

(01-06-08) January 6th, 2008 | Insurance Company to Pay in Asbestos Case A major insurance company agreed to pay more than $365 million this week in cases involving asbestos victims. Re-insurers will include an additional $84 million in the settlement, which still needs bankruptcy court approval.

(01-07-08) January 7th, 2008 | Asbestos Suit Settled for Whistleblower A county in Pennsylvania has settled a lawsuit involving an employee who said he was fired after he reported that asbestos was present in the nursing home he worked in. The man was a carpenter that was hired to do repairs in the building.

(01-08-08) January 8th, 2008 | Utility Company Found Guilty of Asbestos Practices A major utility company in California was found guilty this week of violating safe asbestos practices as well as giving false statements regarding the removal. The findings state that the company removed tons of asbestos improperly.

(01-09-08) January 9th, 2008 | Appeals Court Overturns Asbestos Ruling An appeals court overturned a ruling for W.R. Grace in an asbestos trial. The ruling overturned a lower court�s ruling that would have prohibited using several witnesses and study reports in the trial against Grace.

(01-10-08) January 10th, 2008 | Summer Program Leads to Asbestos Exposure A Connecticut high school that was used during the summer for a weight lifting program found asbestos in the room being used by more than 70 students. The area has been closed off, and air testing is being conducted.

(01-11-08) January 11th, 2008 | Asbestos Fight Settled In Capitol A group of workers that took care of the Tunnels beneath the Capitol settled their complaints against the Architect of the Capitol. The workers claimed that, after stating their working conditions were unsafe due to high levels of asbestos, the Architect retaliated.

(01-12-08) January 12th, 2008 | Asbestos Victim Awarded Settlement A major asbestos law firm announced this week that two manufacturers reached a settlement with a mesothelioma victim. The man was a plasterer in California for more than 40 years.

(01-13-08) January 13th, 2008 | Dallas People Flock For Asbestos Screening Hundreds of people in the Dallas area converged on one hospital over the weekend, hoping to be part of a free asbestos-screening program. Residents and workers of an asbestos plant in the area were given free chest x-rays to screen for asbestos-related diseases.

(01-14-08) January 14th, 2008 | Ruling Opens New Asbestos Suits A court ruling in Maryland may have opened the way for thousands of people to sue a large appliance company. The ruling passed this week says that the company should be responsible for the asbestos-laden breaks used at its manufacturing plant.

(01-15-08) January 15th, 2008 | Asbestos Still Causing Problems For Marco Island

(01-16-08) January 16th, 2008 | Steam Explosion Causes Asbestos Issues People in Manhattan last week scurried away from an explosion that was later blamed on a ruptured steam pipe. The chaos brought back memories of September 11th, and now one of the same problems must be addressed; asbestos.

(01-17-08) January 17th, 2008 | Man Sentenced In Illegal Asbestos Removal A man has been sentenced to almost two years in prison for illegally removing asbestos from a government building in Kansas. To make matters worse, the man used homeless people to conduct the work.

(01-18-08) January 18th, 2008 | NJ School Moves Ahead of Asbestos The Board of Education in New Jersey is removing asbestos from an elementary school before the material becomes a problem. No complaints have been lodged and no danger is yet posed by the substance.

(01-19-08) January 19th, 2008 | Grace Asbestos Not Only in Montana A new report released this week points out that asbestos exposure is not limited to Libby, Montana where a vermiculite mine produced tons of asbestos. The deadly effects of the material have been found at Ground Zero, as well as other Grace mines.

(01-20-08) January 20th, 2008 | Illinois Beach Has Asbestos Problem A Senator in Illinois is raising awareness of asbestos that can be found at the Illinois Beach State Park. The asbestos has been a concern for years, but new air tests are showing the level of asbestos is rising.

(01-21-08) January 21st, 2008 | Courthouse Asbestos Causing Concern Asbestos that was found in an Arkansas courthouse was removed earlier this year, and most people forgot about the issue. But a few employees of the building are concerned that asbestos is still present.

(01-22-08) January 22nd, 2008 | Urban Explorers Face Asbestos Danger A new pack of adventure seekers are springing up in urban areas, dubbing themselves �Urban Explorers.� The groups go to vacant buildings to take pictures and glean artistic inspiration, but can face the danger of asbestos exposure.

(01-23-08) January 23rd, 2008 | NY Legislator on Asbestos Trial A New York County Legislator was questioned this week in a case involving illegal asbestos removal in a Cayuga County building. The chairman was interrogated about whether or not he ordered the illegal removal of the deadly substance.

(01-24-08) January 24th, 2008 | D.C. Fire Stations Have Problems, Asbestos Three fire stations in Washington, D.C. have been found to contain high levels of asbestos. Those fire stations, as well as many others in the district also face an ironic problem; faulty smoke detectors.

(01-25-08) January 25th, 2008 | Companies Fined For Repeat Asbestos Violations An Arizona demolition company, as well as the Department of Transportation, have been handed a $36,000 fine for mishandling asbestos. The violation is one of many against the Arizona DoT.

(01-26-08) January 26th, 2008 | Supplier Offers Asbestos Settlement A major auto parts supplier has agreed to a large settlement for 7,500 asbestos claims against the company. The settlement was offered as a way to expedite the claims process so the company can continue with its Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

(01-27-08) January 27th, 2008 | Dana Corp Asbestos Settlement May be Thrown Out A committee analyzing the settlements agreed on by Dana Corp has asked to see the settlement papers before the company is allowed to exit bankruptcy. The committee says that the agreement may not be beneficial to creditors.

(01-28-08) January 28th, 2008 | EPA Investigating Asbestos Site A site containing asbestos is now under investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency. The New York lot holds construction debris that was later found to contain concerning amounts of asbestos.

(01-29-08) January 29th, 2008 | Illinois Explosion Released Asbestos An explosion that debilitated a power plant in Illinois released asbestos into the surrounding area and lake, causing officials to close the affected lake area indefinitely. No one was injured in the explosion.

(01-30-08) January 30th, 2008 | Asbestos Stops School Construction All work has halted at a Massachusetts high school until an asbestos abatement plan is approved. Contractors discovered asbestos-covered pipes while working on the floor of an old building.

(01-31-08) January 31st, 2008 | Lawyer Files Asbestos Claim on Own Behalf A New York lawyer is the latest person to file charges against Cayuga County due to asbestos discovered last year in a public building. The lawyer is filing on his own behalf, as well as that of a coworker.

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