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Asbestos Violator Gets Five Months Behind Bars

By on Monday, May 13th, 2013 | No Comments

In a trend that has shoddy contractors thinking twice before ignoring asbestos laws, a St. Louis-area resident and property owner was recently convicted of violations of the federal Clean Air Act and was sentenced to five months in prison for his infractions. An article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Franklin “Al” Bieri, age 54, purchased the former Emerson Electric Facility site in the Washington Park neighborhood of East St. Louis, Illinois in 2010, and during the demolition of buildings on the 7-acre site, he hired untrained, unlicensed workers to remove asbestos-containing materials from the structures. Due to their lack of training, the workers did not take the proper steps to prevent the release of asbestos fibers, failing to use the approved methods that keep toxic dust from circulating in the air. Furthermore, after bagging the waste they failed to label it so that it would be disposed of properly. Finally, Bieri failed to notify the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that he was intended to have workers perform asbestos removal. As a result, Bieri has now been sentenced to five months in prison as well as three months house arrest, and will also be fined $3000 for the violations. The whole situation came down to money, officials said. “This well-heeled businessman tried to save a few bucks by sending in untrained and improperly protected people, then had them dispose of this dangerous material improperly, exposing unsuspecting landfill workers,” said U.S. Attorney Steve Wigginton in a statement. “This conduct is breathtaking, literally.” U.S. District Judge David Herndon, agreed, calling the infraction a “profoundly serious crime” and noting that Bieri put many lives at risk, including that of the men he hired to do the asbestos work. Old or damaged asbestos, such as that which was found inside the old electric plant , can release dangerous fibers into the air. The dust can be inhaled into the lungs and may later cause tumors to develop in that area. Many individuals who’ve suffered asbestos exposure have been diagnosed with a plethora of respiratory diseases, including mesothelioma cancer .

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New Immunotherapy Drug Works with Lung Cancer, Might Be Future for Mesothelioma Treatment

By on Thursday, May 9th, 2013 | No Comments

An Immunotherapy drug testing well with lung cancer has become a future hope for mesothelioma treatment.

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Asbestos Contamination, Aging Buildings Force Illinois School District to Renovate High School

By on Thursday, May 2nd, 2013 | No Comments

Elementary and high school age students in a small central Illinois school district will be housed together after a several million dollar renovation updates the aging high school, including asbestos abatement . Rossville-Alvin school district officials approved contractual agreements for design and renovation work this week. Before the decision to combine the two schools in the Rossville-Alvin school district came down from the school district level, elementary students from kindergarden through eighth grade were housed in a separate but adjacent building. This decision was not reached lightly: after a recent comprehensive evaluation of the high school and elementary school buildings revealed aging heating and cooling systems, electrical and asbestos contamination, Rossville-Alvin school district officials found that renovating both buildings was simply not possible. Further, the high school was found to be in slightly better condition than the elementary school and offered a larger footprint that would easily accommodate the influx of additional students. The contracts approved by the Rossville-Alvin school board included renovation work to the high school’s HVAC system, extensive asbestos removal, roof repair and electrical updates. This phase of the renovation will cost the school district over $2 million dollars, a significant portion of the projected $3.5 million project budget. School board officials expect to use bonds and grants to finance the project. According to Crystal Johnson , Rossville-Alvin Superintendent, moving forward on this portion of the renovation is key: the extensiveness of the work requires a longer “lead time.” Despite the bulk of the work being approved by the school board, the Illinois State Board of Education officials must weigh in. Typically for a renovation project of this size, abating – or removing – the asbestos and other potential health hazards is first, not only for the health and safety of the students and faculty, but also for the construction workers. Also, abating the asbestos lays the groundwork for the installation of new electrical and HVAC systems. Asbestos is a known cancer-causing agent or carcinogen that, through exposure, causes lung cancer and mesothelioma. Though not as commonly known as lung cancer, mesothelioma cancer affects the delicate protective lining surrounding the lungs, heart or stomach. For such projects like the Rossville-Alvin renovation, ensuring that the asbestos is safely and thoroughly removed is paramount. School board officials hope that the bulk of the work is completed by the beginning of the next school year.

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City of Casper Cited for Asbestos Violations

By on Wednesday, May 1st, 2013 | No Comments

Before demolishing a long-abandoned house in the city of Casper, contractors should have tested for asbestos, officials say. Now their negligence has gotten them in trouble with the local Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), which recently cited the city, as well as the contractor they used for the demolition, for not fully testing the residential building for the presence of the toxic mineral. An article in the Star-Tribune reports that Recycled Materials, contracted by the city to handle the demolition, failed to sample enough material inside the old house to fully determine whether or not asbestos was an issue. Specifically, the DEQ Air Quality Division noted that there was insufficient sampling of lathe and plaster material and spray-on acoustic material as well as no sampling at all of the floor tiles or asphalt roofing at the site. Asbestos is often found in those products, especially in structures built previously to the end of the 1970s. The article reports that some of the material had already been removed before inspectors visited at the end of February, but testing of the remaining material showed that there was 15 percent asbestos in the floor tiles and 5 percent in the tile adhesive . Chances are that workers may have inhaled asbestos fibers during the removal of the tiles, especially if they weren’t wearing protective masks. Such inhalation can cause respiratory illnesses to develop later in life, including mesothelioma cancer . Steve Dietrich, air quality administrator, said notices were issued to both the city of Casper and the contractors. “They have equal responsibility,” he said. “We take the regulation of asbestos materials seriously. First and foremost, we want to protect not only the workers but also the general public.” Dietrich noted that the violations are punishable by a maximum fine of $10,000 for each day the violation occurred and/or an injunction.

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City of Casper Cited for Asbestos Violations

By on Wednesday, May 1st, 2013 | No Comments

Before demolishing a long-abandoned house in the city of Casper, contractors should have tested for asbestos, officials say. Now their negligence has gotten them in trouble with the local Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), which recently cited the city, as well as the contractor they used for the demolition, for not fully testing the residential building for the presence of the toxic mineral. An article in the Star-Tribune reports that Recycled Materials, contracted by the city to handle the demolition, failed to sample enough material inside the old house to fully determine whether or not asbestos was an issue. Specifically, the DEQ Air Quality Division noted that there was insufficient sampling of lathe and plaster material and spray-on acoustic material as well as no sampling at all of the floor tiles or asphalt roofing at the site. Asbestos is often found in those products, especially in structures built previously to the end of the 1970s. The article reports that some of the material had already been removed before inspectors visited at the end of February, but testing of the remaining material showed that there was 15 percent asbestos in the floor tiles and 5 percent in the tile adhesive . Chances are that workers may have inhaled asbestos fibers during the removal of the tiles, especially if they weren’t wearing protective masks. Such inhalation can cause respiratory illnesses to develop later in life, including mesothelioma cancer . Steve Dietrich, air quality administrator, said notices were issued to both the city of Casper and the contractors. “They have equal responsibility,” he said. “We take the regulation of asbestos materials seriously. First and foremost, we want to protect not only the workers but also the general public.” Dietrich noted that the violations are punishable by a maximum fine of $10,000 for each day the violation occurred and/or an injunction.

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Mesothelioma Advocate Max Baucus Leaving US Senate

By on Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 | No Comments

Max Baucus leaving U.S. Senate leaves the mesothelioma and asbestos community without one of its strongest supporters

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Mesothelioma Advocate Max Baucus Leaving US Senate

By on Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 | No Comments

Max Baucus leaving U.S. Senate leaves the mesothelioma and asbestos community without one of its strongest supporters

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Arizona Surgeon Believes Robotics Will Change Future of Mesothelioma Treatment

By on Thursday, April 18th, 2013 | No Comments

Breaking new ground, an Arizona surgeon believes robotics could become the future for mesothelioma treatment.

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Cancer Research Producing New Drugs, More Treatment Options

By on Friday, April 12th, 2013 | No Comments

New drugs for mesothelioma treatment emerged from the American Association for Cancer Research Conference in Washington, D.C.

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Investigation Continues in Paterson, NJ Asbestos Incident

By on Wednesday, April 10th, 2013 | No Comments

As authorities in Paterson, New Jersey continue to investigate why prison inmates and untrained municipal employees were charged with the task of removing asbestos materials from municipal offices that were undergoing renovation, the city has finally decided to seek out a private licensed contractor to remove and disposal of the toxic debris. “This is part of being in compliance with what (the state) requested,” Paterson Public Works Director Christopher Coke said, noting that the city council will meet next week to vote on a resolution that charges them with the task of gathering bids to complete the project. In the meantime, many still wonder what city officials were thinking when they drafted inmates and employees not licensed to handle asbestos to start the job several months ago. The city’s law department and the state’s labor department have confirmed that they are involved in the investigation as is Sheriff Richard Berdnik, who is interested in learning the facts because the inmates used in the project were part of his Sheriff’s Labor Assistance Program (SLAP). “Our guys weren’t equipped to do that and we weren’t educated to do that,” said Michael Jackson, a member of the executive board of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Local 2272, referring to the municipal workers. “The city tried to cut costs and it put people in danger.” Coke claims, however, that the workers were never in danger of asbestos exposure . He says all employees were given masks and gloves while working inside the Ellison Street structure and that air and dust samples were taken and came back negative. Others say that Coke brought in a fan to clear the dust before the samples were taken. Now, the inmates and municipal workers remain worried about their health, aware that inhaling asbestos fibers could eventually cause severe respiratory problems and issues such as the development of mesothelioma cancer .

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