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Asbestos Suit against Goodyear Tire is Dismissed

On Tuesday, April 7, a California federal judge dismissed an asbestos suit against Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. as the company had settled with the family of a U.S. Navy worker who died from asbestos-induced cancer.

Following the death of Patrick Donlon from malignant mesothelioma in May 2008, his wife and son sued a number of companies in San Francisco Superior Court, stating that their products contributed to his death as they contained asbestos. The case was transferred to California federal court in July 2011 and Pennsylvania federal court in October the same year to join many others.

Goodyear argued that they had no duty to warn Donlon and other employees about asbestos related health hazards as the Navy knew about them so it was their responsibility however the argument was eventually rejected and they reached a settlement agreement with Patti Donlon on January 12 this year, the details of which are confidential. Patti Donlon has also settled with Curtiss-Wright and Asbestos Corp. Ltd.

If you or someone you know is suffering from an asbestos related disease, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation. You may be entitled to an asbestos payout as part of an individual or class action lawsuit.

Problems at the Hall of Justice

In San Francisco there appear to be major problems at the Hall of Justice.

Not only has it suffered several electrical outages recently, but there are longstanding worries about the state of the building and its safety risks.

With the electricity outages, elevators became stuck and police departments had to work using extension cords running from one end of the building to another just to stay operational. Legal work could not be done due to no access to computers and there was no power in the jail facility for inmates.

In addition, ceilings leak and windows have sandbags on them to keep out the rain. Not only that, there is a vermin problem and the building is littered with mousetraps.

Apart from those health and safety hazards there is asbestos visible in the floors and in the walls and some fire exits are blocked which could prove catastrophic in the event of a fire.

Although it is programmed to replace the Hall of Justice, due to the cost, an estimated $1.2 billion, it will not happen overnight. People are being moved out department by department with the police department due to move first.

At the moment around 800 people work in the building, built in 1958, including all areas of law enforcement. It has been deemed unsafe by engineers and public works officials three times since 1992.

If you or someone you know is suffering from an asbestos related disease, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation. You may be entitled to an asbestos payout as part of an individual or class action lawsuit.

Blast Did Not Contain Asbestos

There was an explosion at the Exxon Mobil Corp XOM.N refinery in Torrance, California, during the third week of February and last year the same plant was cited for eight serious violations following state inspections, including violations of asbestos regulations.

However, a review cleared the plant this month of all but two serious violations and 12 general violations and Exxon Mobil says it had now resolved them all.

The blast and subsequent blaze that happened at the gasoline processing unit at the refinery on 18 February injured four workers slightly and prompted schools in the area to keep students and staff indoors as a precaution.

However, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), dust released during an explosion at the refinery showed no serious levels of dangerous materials. Tests were carried out on material that fell on cars and the ground after the blast and the samples contained fiberglass, aluminum, silicon and lower levels of other metals; however, there was no arsenic and no asbestos either.

If you or someone you know is suffering from an asbestos related disease, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation. You may be entitled to an asbestos payout as part of an individual or class action lawsuit.

Disposable Respirator Did Not Work

The disposable respirator is a device that has been used for years to keep dust out of the lungs, but over the past years, experts have said that the disposable respirator did not work.

The company 3M made the 8710 mask which was a disposable respirator and government approved for use where there was deadly dusts including asbestos and was said to protect workers. It was a very big seller selling over millions.

Michael Leslie who worked with asbestos dust says that he thought it would be an excellent product when issued it by his employer and wore it for around a year in 1972. He has now been diagnosed with mesothelioma which is the deadly form of lung cancer usually caused by exposure to asbestos.

He says that the mask leaked as they did not fit properly and this was confirmed by experts but it was approved by the U.S. government’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 1972. However, by 1980, NIOSH had changed their stance and informed 3M that they did not think that the respirator would provide sufficient protection against cancer causing asbestos. The mask continued to be sold but in 1986 it was eventually banned in the U.S.

Leslie sued many companies, including 3M, who settled out of court. Although 3M maintain they have not lost a court case on the issue, saying usually the workers did not wear the masks properly, or all the time, according to their financial reports they have paid out over $150 million over the last four years on fees and settlements for respirator mask litigation.

If you or someone you know is suffering from an asbestos related disease, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation. You may be entitled to an asbestos payout as part of an individual or class action lawsuit.

The Dangers of Asbestos Exposure

Each year in the United States, although only four percent of deaths from lung cancer are caused by asbestos exposure, that still accounts for 5,000 people.

It is true that many people will be exposed to asbestos at some time, but those who have most chance of developing an asbestos related cancer are those who have regular contact with it, often due to their job.

It is true that people in the United States are now less likely to have asbestos related lung diseases because over the past 40 years its use has been slowly phased out once it was known that exposure could cause fatal illnesses. However, the onset of asbestosis, mesothelioma or lung cancer usually begins to 10 to 20 years after the initial exposure, or even longer and becomes worse over time.

The cancer forms in the lung tissue, usually in the cells lining the air passages. For people who are suffering from the results of asbestos exposure, cigarette smoking will aggravate the condition as the scarring of the lungs makes it harder for the lungs to expel the chemicals contained in cigarettes.

If you know you have been exposed to asbestos, you should ensure you visit your doctor regularly so you can be watched for any sign of an asbestos related illness and start treatment as soon as possible.

If you or someone you know is suffering from an asbestos related disease, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation. You may be entitled to an asbestos payout as part of an individual or class action lawsuit.

The Dangers of Blowing up Candlestick Park

At an education meeting at San Francisco General Hospital Dr. Ray Tomkins made a report on the healthcare crisis in Bayview Hunter’s Point and the plans to blow up part of the Candlestick Park in their community.

In 1998 the twin 20 storey Geneva Towers, located just a few minutes away from Candlestick Park were imploded. The toxin laden dust cloud went over hundreds of homes and to this day, according to the doctor, Hunters Point residents continue to suffer from health problems.

Next to Hunters Point is the famous stadium, Candlestick Park which was built of reinforced concrete in 1958 and there are now plans to implode the building. The doctor says that if that is to happen, there would be an enormous dust cloud, full of asbestos which would then be breathed in by the residents in the area and could lead to asbestos related diseases and cancers.

If you or someone you know is suffering from an asbestos related disease, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation. You may be entitled to an asbestos payout as part of an individual or class action lawsuit.

Be Careful Going up into the Attic

Going up into your attic could be putting you at risk of mesothelioma.

It appears that millions of older homes could have a type of insulation in their attic which contains Zonolite, which is known to contain asbestos. While not disturbed it poses no risk but if it is moved the small fibers can become airborne and then can be inhaled posing a risk of contracting mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases.

The amount of asbestos contained in such insulation is very small, but there is no safe amount of asbestos, even inhaling a tiny amount can be eventually lethal.

The Zonolite brand of vermiculite insulation was sold from the 1940s through the 1990s and looks like small, lightweight silver grey pebbles. If you think that you may have this type of insulation in your attic, then this year, store your Christmas decorations in a closet, rather than taking the risk of disturbing the insulation in your attic.

If you or someone you know is suffering from an asbestos related disease, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation. You may be entitled to an asbestos payout as part of an individual or class action lawsuit.

Lawsuit Won over Hazardous Ash

A lawsuit which was filed against the Covanta Energy Co. based in New Jersey who operated the Pacific Oroville Power Inc. (POPI) cogeneration plant in South Oroville has been settled for $825,000.

A District Attorney and the county’s environmental prosecutor, organized and filed the claim over the burning of what was called urban waste to create electricity. Originally timber was burned in the 1980s but as the timber industry died down, the plant began to burn the remains of torn down buildings which could contain asbestos, metals and other potentially environmentally hazardous materials.

The DA’s office tested the ash and found elements of materials which can cause developmental problems as well as cancer and the ash went to landfills in Anderson, Placer County and Glenn County and was then plowed into land at many farms in the area as an addition to the soil, including fields planted for cattle food.

The settlement also stops the company from transporting or disposing of the ash it creates at its existing plants or contracting it out as a soil amendment for agricultural use.

If you or someone you know is suffering from an asbestos related disease, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation. You may be entitled to an asbestos payout as part of an individual or class action lawsuit.

Watch out For Your Bauble Heirlooms

One of the most important Christmas traditions is the annual putting up of the Christmas tree and getting the box of decorations, lights and baubles out of the attic.

However, there is a possibility that some of your baubles which are family heirlooms could pose a serious health risk as they may contain asbestos.

Asbestos was used for Christmas decorations back in the 1930s and 1940s, often to make fake snow. People would actually buy packets of asbestos and strew them across the tree branches to look like snow, as in those days often the trees were lit by real candles and asbestos, being flame resistant, was thought to be safer than cotton wool. In addition asbestos was added to baubles, wreaths and other decorations which had fake snow on them.

If you have any decorations from that period, which have fake snow on them, the advice is to contact the authorities who will help you to dispose of them.

Newer baubles, those from the 1950s onwards, do not have the same problem.

If you or someone you know is suffering from an asbestos related disease, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation. You may be entitled to an asbestos payout as part of an individual or class action lawsuit.

Be Careful Cleaning up After the Rains

California really needed rain and that arrived in early December but it brought with it floods and mudslides as well as strong winds which caused damage to many properties.

In the Mission District in San Francisco the sanitation pipes overflowed causing some homes to be flooded with sewage, and although across the state there was two to four inches of rain, near the San Bernardino Mountains almost 10 inches was recorded.

However when residents begin to clean up they need to be aware of potential hazards, not only from the bacteria which can grow in standing water, and mold on the damp walls, but also those older properties which contain asbestos need to know the risk of the fibers becoming airborne during clean up and repair activities.

Homeowners should look at obtaining expert environmental advice before starting to clean up their homes, to ensure they are not exposed to anything which could be potentially harmful.

If you or someone you know is suffering from an asbestos related disease, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer, contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation. You may be entitled to an asbestos payout as part of an individual or class action lawsuit.