Last week, the estate of a former New Mexico railroad employee sued BNSF Railway alleging wrongful death, due to asbestos exposure, of locomotive repair shop worker Santiago Riley. During 13 years of employment from 1942-1955 at railroad facilities in New Mexico and Arizona, Riley made locomotive repairs, performed various shop duties and swept floors around dusty asbestos-containing substances without any respiratory protection.

This exposure caused permanent injury and contributed to his eventual death, according to the lawsuit filed by his children. The estate seeks damages for mental and physical suffering, lost wages, medical bills and other financial losses.

An important takeaway of Santiago Riley's story is that he and his family did not learn about his mesothelioma for years after this employment at BNSF.

Mesothelioma patients generally do not demonstrate symptoms of this disease until 20 to 50 years after their initial exposure to asbestos. Fibers that embed in the tissue surrounding the body’s internal organs, the mesothelium, usually must be present for many decades before the development of cancer. These fibers gradually accumulate and cause scarring, which leads to inflammation and cancer. Although these fibers are most often introduced into the body through inhalation, the material can also be introduced through ingestion as well. Initially, symptoms may be mild and an individual might not find them cause for alarm. However, as the cancer spreads, these symptoms become more severe and debilitating.

This past Thursday, union officials and top Hanford officials communicated to all Hanford staff, explaining the steps that they have taken and will take to protect workers from additional asbestos exposure. Hanford employees had expressed worries over materials that containued asbestos but were not yet demolished during the environmental cleanup.

A number of the buildings at Hanford were built with asbestos laden materials pre 1976. Workers, however, voiced concerns about breathing in asbestos fibers that could cause cancer, lung diseases, and other serious illnesses that could go undetected for decades after exposure.

The L&I spokesperson, Hector Castro, indicated that this particular contractor should have known better. The agency's concern focused on the workers' safety, although Castro was not sure if nonworkers might have been exposed to dangerous material soon after the asbestos removal project. 

The company owner of Evergreen Asbsestos maintains that there was no risk to the workers. However, violations cited include that the contractor failed to ensure that "all surfaces were maintained as free of ... dusts and waste containing asbestos. One employee was on his hands and knees in no protective equipment or clothing." Additionally, employees were allowed to wear half face respirators with facial hair, beards, and goatees.

A cavalier attitude toward workers' safety is what has led to billions of dollars of lawsuits on behalf of those, who suffer or have died from mesothelioma, a deadly disease resulting from asbestos exposure.

From Texas, Burke is a former Air Force veteran. To campaign for Perry was something on Burke's "bucket list." 

When interviewed by the Telegram, Burke explained that he thought that all citizens had a duty to get involved in the political process, "I tell everybody to put down their beer and stop watching The Simpsons.'

Sadly, about 33% of mesothelioma patients are veterans who were exposed to asbestos while in service. Then, after they left the Air Force, they frequently took jobs that further exposed them to asbestos. This extended exposure inevitably led to countless diagnoses of mesothelioma.

The company pleaded guilty earlier this year and agreed to comply with environmental laws.

According to the charges and plea agreement, Eagle Recycling and other co-conspirators engaged in a multi-year scheme to illegally dump 8,100 tons of pulverized construction and demolition debris that was processed at Eagle Recycling’s North Bergen solid waste management facility and then transported to a farmer’s property in Frankfort, N.Y.  Eagle Recycling and other conspirators then concealed the illegal dumping by fabricating a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) permit and forging the name of a DEC official on the fraudulent permit.

Asbestos warning signs were posted recently at Marine Drive Apartments. No explanation was provided, which naturally caused a number of residents to wonder about their health and safety.

Housing Authority officials said a state mandate from the Office of Public Employee Safety and Health dictated when and where the signs were to be placed. The mandate did not allow time to inform residents before they went up.

Plans to hold a public informational meeting are in the works, they said.

“We’re not trying to inflame residents,” said Dawn E. Sanders, executive director of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority, which owns and manages the Marine Drive complex. “We didn’t have time before signs were put up to have a meeting with residents. The PESH report said we had to put up signs immediately, and that was the soonest we could have put them up. We didn’t randomly pick where to put them.”

The notices read, “Danger. Asbestos Cancer and Lung Disease Hazard. Authorized Personnel Only.” They were posted late last Friday afternoon at the elevators and the front and back doors of each of the seven buildings of the waterfront complex.

Problems began in August, when seven workers at Marine Drive removed asbestos around eight water valves to address a leaking problem. A state agency investigation determined that the employees had not followed proper rules for dealing with asbestos, and the Housing Authority was handed 17 citations. One of the required corrections involved posting asbestos-warning signs in specific areas.

The warnings also noted that confirmed or presumed asbestos- containing materials are present throughout the building, including floor tile, linoleum, plaster ceilings, heating pipes and all interior and exterior caulking.

The information had some residents worried about whether the affected areas included their individual units.

Only common areas, the boiler room and the maintenance room are affected, said Assistant Executive Director Modesto Candelario.

The good news is that most of the affected areas have already had abatement work done. Morever, residents will not have to be relocated, he added, because the abatement “won’t be done in their apartments.”

Following two years of internal investigations, the company disclosed the problem regarding these gaskets today. The company expects legal action to result.

The problem with the parts, used as plumbing seals, was disclosed on Tuesday after two years of internal investigations. It is expected to lead to legal action.

Wolseley reported that four customers in the US and Canada found that the supposedly asbestos-free gaskets contained more than 1% asbestos, the threshold at which the products are required to have a label that it contains the dangerous substance. 

The company blames the former Canadian supplier, Lortech rubber.

Ian Meakins, Wolseley CEO, says that it plans to sue Lortech. He also mentioned that he expects that several customers will file action against Wolseley.

O'Neil is a case about a plaintiff's exposure to asbestos-containing gaskets and packing materials used in and around Crane Co's valves and pumps, which the Navy incorporated into the steam propulsion system aboard the USS Oriskany. The plaintiff had served on the Oriskany while he was enlisted.

Though the pumps and valves delivered to the Navy originally incorporated asbestos-containing gaskets and packing, all parties agreed that by the time plaintiff served aboard the Oriskany, the original asbestos packing and gaskets had been removed and replaced with packing and gaskets manufactured by third parties. Nevertheless, the plaintiff argued the pump and valve manufacturers had a duty to warn him regarding the hazards of asbestos. 

The Court did not appear to sit well with the proposition that the pumps and valves could be deemed defectively designed if the pumps and valves were “asbestos neutral,” and could function just as well in other systems utilizing non-asbestos containing materials.

This may be a large focus for the court with regard to assigning a duty to warn about replacement parts made by others only if the replacement part is identical to the original hazardous part, and the replacement part is essential to the function of the defendant’s product. We await the decision, which will come out in about two and a half months from today.

Ms. Veraldo filed her lawsuit as the executrix of the estate of her late husband. He died in 2009, seven months after being diagnosed with periotoneal mesothelioma cancer.

An important takeway from this is the fact that someone who lost her loved one to a slow, but deadly disease found justice -- even after many years of exposure at work to asbestos.

However, first thing is first. Along with significant updates (the last renovation of the apartment was 1960), "Early indications suggest that large quantities of asbestos will have to be removed, as well as work on the heating and hot water systems and electrical wiring. The extent of the work needed to turn the apartment back into a home is not yet known, but it is expected that the apartment will not be ready for occupation until at least the middle of 2013." This was a statement made to People magazine.

The presence of asbestos in William and Kate's future home is gaining worldwide attention, especially given the rumors swirling about regarding the possibility that Kate is pregnant.

Back in 1960, during the last major renovation of Kensington Palace, asbestos use was widespread and nothing controversial. In fact, asbestos was the material of choice for flooring, ceiling tiles, and insulation for the Palace.

Back then, asbestos was a first choice as a material due to its heat and fire retardant properties. Before 1980, in construction projects and products manufactured, asbestos was incredibly popular.

Now, however, with the Palace renovation, many more people are learning about the importance of proper abatement and containment of this lethal substance.