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What is an Asbestos Professional?

September 6, 2014 By

If you need to have asbestos removed from your home you need to use an asbestos professional.

In general, there are two types of accredited asbestos professionals that can be hired to handle material which contains asbestos.

Firstly there are asbestos inspectors who can inspect a home or building, assess conditions, take samples of suspected materials for testing, and advise about what corrections are needed. If repair or removal of asbestos materials is needed, inspectors can ensure the corrective-action contractor has followed proper procedures, including proper clean up, and can monitor the air to ensure no increase of asbestos fibers.

The second type is the asbestos contractors who can repair or remove asbestos materials.

Although Federal law does not require those who inspect, repair or remove asbestos-containing materials in detached single-family homes to be accredited, some states do require this. For safety, homeowners should ensure that workers they hire to handle asbestos are trained and accredited.

State agencies have the listings of accredited professionals in your area and you should insure that the inspector and the contractor do not belong to the same firm to avoid a conflict of interest. In addition ask to see their accreditation.

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.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Jeopardy Homes Contain Asbestos

August 31, 2014 By

Demolition began on homes in Sheridan Hollow in Albany as part of the Sheridan Hollow Revitalization Project by Habitat for Humanity Capital District and its partner Housing Visions.

However the work was suspended Friday morning after asbestos was found.

The homes involved were a stretch of vacant houses near the intersection of Sheridan and Swan streets and they gained nationwide notoriety when a photo of them appeared on a 2012 “Jeopardy!” episode as a reference to urban blight.

Habitat officials said that the area, now known as “Jeopardy Corner”, will become part of a community designed to create opportunities for affordable homeownership, as well as new retail and commercial investments and other improvements.

The Sheridan Hollow Revitalization Project is in its first phase, which consists of 10 single-family Habitat homes and 10 more homes which are funded by the Touhey Homeownership Foundation.

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.

Filed Under: california asbestos

Asbestos Mining in the United States

August 24, 2014 By

More than 95 percent of the asbestos used in the United States is the chrysotile type with the word chrysotile being derived from the Greek “krysos” meaning gold and “tilos” meaning fiber.

A few asbestos deposits were discovered at the Grand Canyon in 1872, and the first commercial production of asbestos in Arizona started in 1903 when the Hance Asbestos Mining Co. secured several tons at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, opposite Grand View.

Several years later, William Wallace Bass sold six tons of asbestos to China, France and the United States valued at $1,500 per ton.

Since 1913, over 160 asbestos mines have been in operation in Central Arizona, especially around the Salt River Canyon region, which produced a minimum of 75,000 tons of asbestos before the closure of the mines in the early 1980s.

The mines were closed as by the 1970s, scientific studies began to link respiratory issues including lung and mesothelioma cancer to high levels of exposure of microscopic fibers of asbestos.

Asbestos usage in the United States peaked in 1973 with 800,000 tons compared to only 1,000 tons in 2012 after the U.S. government passed laws strictly regulating its usage. The last asbestos mine to operate in the United States was the KCAC mine in San Benito County, California, which closed in 2002.

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.

Filed Under: Asbestos and cancer

Asbestos is Thriving in India

August 17, 2014 By

Although asbestos is largely outlawed in the developed world, it is still a massive industry in the developing world and killing tens of thousands of people each year.

In India it is a $2 billion industry with at least 100 manufacturing plants and employing some 300,000 people. The asbestos is used to make corrugated roofing sheets, wall panels and pipes which sell at cheaper prices than those made of other materials.

The International Labor Organization, World Health Organization, the wider medical community and more than 50 countries say it should be banned as asbestos fibers can lodge in the lungs and cause many diseases. The ILO estimates 100,000 people die every year from workplace exposure, and experts believe thousands more die from exposure outside the workplace.

However, industry members in India say the dangers are overblown, and that they have the relevant safety procedures in place. Nevertheless, residents living near the factories often demonstrate their concerns as to how the presence of asbestos factories near their homes could lead to health hazards for them and many of the workers in the factories have confirmed that they are only given masks to wear on days when inspections take place.

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.

Filed Under: Asbestos and cancer

Appeal in Asbestos Case Fails

August 11, 2014 By

There are many issues involved with an asbestos lawsuit that can make it complicated, linked to how the person came into contact with the asbestos as well as a whole range of other issues.

A recent asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit ruling by a California appeals court has upheld an original jury verdict of $2,072,164 for a plaintiff claiming to have been exposed to asbestos while working with automotive brake parts manufactured by the defendant Pneumo Abex LLC (Abex).

Brake components and especially the brake linings have historically been linked to asbestos exposure as asbestos was used to make them given its ability to dissipate heat.

The original jury verdict was appealed by Abex saying that they were prejudiced during the original trial but the appeal court stood by the original ruling stating that there was substantial evidence showing that James. A Lovelace had been exposed to brake dust from the process of sanding and grinding brakes made by Abex and alleged to have contained asbestos.

James A. Lovelace died from pleural mesothelioma shortly after the original jury award was announced, and his son Michael succeeded his father in the appeal lawsuit.

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.

Filed Under: california asbestos

Treasure Island has Asbestos

August 3, 2014 By

Sandy Agee moved herself and her children out of an asbestos-filled home in Bayview Hunters Point onto Treasure Island, but discovered she had l jumped from the frying pan into the fire.

Sandy and two of her children are exhibiting worrisome physical symptoms they developed only after moving to the island, which include thyroid problems and stomach pains.

Through her research into records since the Navy commandeered the island in 1941, Kathryn Lundgren, friend and neighbor, found incontrovertible proof that, after the Navy erected these buildings in the 1960s-1970s, it violated its own asbestos abatement laws.

A 1997 Navy document that Kathryn found, states that units cannot be available for occupancy, or even entered, until the area has been cleaned and all asbestos removed. Kathryn is adamant that the Navy acted criminally when it allowed 2,000 plus residents and maintenance staff to enter, work and live in these asbestos-filled buildings.

Sandy is saying that the whole island now needs to be relocated.

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.

Filed Under: california asbestos

Asbestos Payout Confirmed

July 27, 2014 By

A Federal Court of Appeal in New York has ruled that Travelers Cos. must pay out more than $500 million to victims of diseases caused by asbestos under a settlement proposal which was first approved by a judge way back in 2004.

New York based Travelers was ordered to pay the amount under settlements which arose from the bankruptcy of Johns Manville Corporation, which was formerly the largest supplier of asbestos and asbestos-containing products in the country

Travelers had been the main insurer of the Johns Manville, which filed for bankruptcy in the 1980s, at the same time as they were facing claims related to asbestos exposure.

The proposed payout has been going back and forth in various courts, and in 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a ruling allowing suits against Travelers by those who had been harmed as a result of asbestos exposure, and revived the $500 settlement.

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.

Filed Under: california asbestos

New Study Shows Increased Incidence of Mesothelioma

July 27, 2014 By

According to a new study from a team of French scientist at the University of Bordeaux, those who are exposed to an insulation material called refractory ceramic fiber (RCF) as well as asbestos, are more than four times as likely to develop pleural mesothelioma as those who were exposed to asbestos alone.

It has been known for years that exposure to asbestos increases the risk of developing mesothelioma, but RCF is also used for insulation, although studies found no increase in lung cancer or mesothelioma in those exposed to RCF alone.

However, in this latest study, the researchers wanted to discover if workers were exposed to both asbestos and RCF, did the incidence of mesothelioma increase. They reported in the European Respiratory Journal that the risk of developing the disease was significantly higher for those who had been exposed to both substances.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive and usually lethal cancer of the membranes surrounding internal organs and was used from the 1930s to around the 1980s. RCFs were launched on the European market in the 1960s. Although asbestos is now banned or restricted in most developed countries, workers may still encounter asbestos containing materials and refractory ceramic fibers together during demolition or remodeling projects.

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.

Filed Under: California Mesothelioma

Asbestos conference to take place in San Francisco

July 20, 2014 By

Perrin Conferences have announced that 11 judges, from the East, Central, and West regions of the United States, will attend its annual Asbestos Litigation Conference, scheduled for September 8-10, 2014, in San Francisco. Last year, the event drew more than 500 professionals to discuss all perspectives of asbestos litigation.

Nationally, the costs and damages associated with asbestos litigation have been estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars over the past several decades, with far-reaching implications affecting all sectors of the economy. Every year, the court system, attorneys, clients, insurance companies, risk managers, and a whole range of affected businesses and other parties, grapple with the need to adjudicate or settle hundreds of thousands of asbestos related cases.

By bringing all parties affected together in a constructive dialogue, the conference offers mutually beneficial insight and information sharing on current and emerging trends in an atmosphere of learning and networking.

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.

 

Filed Under: california asbestos

Capitol closed due to asbestos find

July 13, 2014 By

The Capitol was closed recently due to the discovery of asbestos insulation around pipes and vents in a staircase on the fourth floor of the building.

Workers were removing insulation on the East Grand Staircase which goes from the first to the third floor, but once the discovery was made, samples were taken to a laboratory for analysis. The analysis showed that the levels of asbestos were not significant.

The House side of the Capitol was temporarily closed with a two hour delay of the day’s session, but was reopened once the results of the analysis were known, however the staircase itself remains closed. The Senate is at the other end of the 751-foot-long building.

It is not surprising that asbestos was found in the building as construction of the main section of the center of the Capitol in Washington began in 1793 and was finished in 1826.

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.

Filed Under: Asbestos and cancer
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