Last summer, when a fire killed two firefighters at lower Manhattan’s Deutsche Bank tower, general contractor Bovis Lend Lease and subcontractor the Galt Company were responsible for the post-9/11 demolition of the building. These contractors have been accused by federal OSHA regulators with committing a total of 44 safety violations occurring in the four days preceding the fire. Regulators have suggested fining the companies a total of $464,500. Most of the 44 violations–which focused on fire-related hazards–were designated as serious (that is, likely to result in death or serious bodily harm and about which the employer knew or should have known), and five were designated as willful (committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee health and safety)–the most extreme category of violation. Both companies have said they will fight the citations. The Galt Company was fired from the project in the days following the fire; Galt had never handled such a project before and city investigators had been against using the subcontractor even before the fire brought serious problems to light. Bovis will continue on the project with a newly-hired subcontractor, LVI Environmental Services. See related story. Accusations have also been raised that agencies responsible for overseeing the project failed to inspect and exercise proper oversight. The Manhattan district attorney’s office is also conducting a criminal investigation.

For the full story, go to the New York Times.

Dr. Nam Hoang Dang, chief of hematological malignancies for the Nevada Cancer Institute, has devoted his 24-year career to developing a drug that attacks a specific cell involved in certain cancers. He has found a drug that he believes will be a superior treatment for mesothelioma, kidney cancer and T-cell lymphoma. While still a graduate and medical student at Harvard University, Dr. Dang found a certain molecule called CD26 that is important in the development of these cancers and developed an antibody to it that he believes will be able to destroy the cancers. The drug, which he calls simply anti-CD26 antibody, has been effective in laboratory and animal testing. And such targeted treatment is also much easier on the body than chemotherapy, which attacks both healthy and cancerous tissues.

Unlike most drugs, which attack already identified targets, Dr. Dang’s work has identified a new potentially valuable target in fighting these cancers: CD26. While it makes the trial somewhat more risky, it also has greater potential to advance science.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug for Phase I clinical testing, which will allow Dr. Dang to determine whether the drug is safe and effective for humans. Phase I clinical trials are the first step toward FDA approval, a process that can take years. FDA officials report that, in the end, only one in five drugs is approved for use by the FDA.

For the full story, go to the Las Vegas Sun.

A federal appeals court has overturned the district court’s approval of an attempt by Travelers Companies, Inc., one of the nation’s largest insurers, to settle its asbestos-related liability. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that the New York federal district court did not have jurisdiction to approve the settlement. Travelers has not indicated whether it will further appeal the decision. It has said that it does not expect the ruling to impact earnings or prompt a boost in asbestos liability reserves.

For the full story, see Reuters and CNN.com.

Health Canada, Canada’s federal health agency, is one of the few health organizations internationally that has not taken the position that exposure to chrysotile asbestos is hazardous to your health and that preventing such exposure would also prevent cancer. Most health organizations, from the World Health Organization to Canada’s own Canadian Cancer Society have said that exposure to chrysotile asbestos is a health risk and should be stopped. Health Canada has started its own study of the health risks associated with exposure to chrysotile asbestos fibers, the only type of asbestos still in widespread commercial use in developing nations, and also the type of asbestos mined and exported from Canada. The study is intended to address the ability of chrysotile asbestos to produce serious illnesses, such as lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis. It is also expected to compare the risks of chrysotile asbestos with other types.
Many public health advocates argue that the questions posed by the study have already been answered: numerous scientific reviews by prominent international organizations have found all types of asbestos, including chrysotile asbestos like that mined in Canada, cause cancer. Critics believe that the Canadian government may be trying to produce research data to bolster its argument that chrysotile asbestos should not be included on the list of most hazardous substances in the world when the issue is considered at the UN-sponsored Rotterdam Convention later this year. Health Canada did not announce that it is performing this study, but Quebec Federation of Labour officials revealed the study as a reason to delay a vote by the Canadian Labour Congress to support an asbestos ban. See related story.

For the full story, go to The Globe and Mail.

What to do if you or your family are already infected by
mesothelioma? Here we put a video - interviw with woman sufferin from mesothelioma. It is very important to find a proper lawyer asap after diagnosis. This is because there is a statue of limitation from state to state, which means that there is a time limit set with regards to how long you have got to take action.
And yes - It is hard to find a corporation willingly settle this problem because a mesothelioma attorney from case like this
could damage their financial position materially.

We suggest to get lawyer that is experienced in dealing with mesothelioma lawsuits as these
people will have the resources and contacts to deal with your case quickly and efficiently. Lately you
should find no problem searching a mesothelioma lawyer to assist, you can search the internet for a suitable.

When ready make some appointment and discuss your options fully. They could advise you how to pursue your case and other legal advice and assistance as soon as possible. Extra information, you and your mesothelioma lawyer may not even get to court if your attourney able to get substansial out of court payouts for clients.Most important advice for you: make sure your attorney work on contingent fees, which is a
percentage of the compensation claimed. If your asbestos lawyer are not unsuccessful in getting compensation, then you do not have to pay anything. Because there is no
guarantee that your claim will be succesful you should make sure you do not have to pay for legal fees unless you do receive compensation, thus you have nothing to lose by
filing a lawsuit.

Due to questions from some people what is icd-9 code. We decided to write short post here.

ICD-9 code 163 is a disease category that is expected to include pleural malignant mesothelioma. It is widely known type of tumor that is strongly associated with asbestos exposure. Although malignant mesothelioma is the most usual primary malignant neoplasm of the pleura. In practice the ICD-9 code 163 is by no means entirely specific or sensitive with respect to identifying mesothelioma deaths.

Amphibole fiber types, especially crocidolite, appear to be the most potent inducers of malignant mesothelioma. However, chrysotile exposure can also cause this cancer type. Thus, all occupational groups exposed to asbestos are at risk of developing asbestos-related pleural malignancy and about 85% of individuals with malignant mesothelioma have a history of asbestos exposure.
Malignant mesothelioma is also caused by nonoccupational environmental exposure to asbestos and related fibers. High risk of mesothelioma has been documented among family members of asbestos workers and among the general population living in a region of Turkey where nonoccupational exposures to erionite ( known also as xeolite) fibers are prevalent.