Asbestos News Roundup: 1.7.11
January 7th, 2011. By LucyC
A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of. An ongoing list of asbestos hot spots from the Asbestos News Roundup archive appears on our asbestos map.
Asbestos Settlements
Baltimore, MD: The family of forklift driver Daniel Edwards, who died from asbestos mesothelioma in 2008, have been awarded $2.4 million in damages, which will be reduced to $2.2 million under the Maryland cap on damages.
The family filed a wrongful death suit against Union Carbide, alleging that Daniel contracted mesothelioma lung cancer from moving bags of asbestos with a forklift for six years for National Gypsum, from the late 60s to the early 70s. Union Carbide mined and supplied the asbestos. The company allegedly failed to warn workers about the risks of asbestos exposure.
In the suit Daniel’s children and his estate claimed that Union Carbide had information on the link between asbestos and mesothelioma as early as 1967, two years before he began working at National Gypsum. According to a report by the Maryland Daily Record, Union Carbide attorneys argued that it was National Gypsum’s responsibility to warn its workers of the dangers associated with asbestos. (MDdailyrecord.com)
Genesee County, MI: The Genesee County, Michigan, Community Action Recourse Department (GCCARD) has reportedly settled a lawsuit for $250,000 over a former worker’s asbestos claims, the Flint Journal reports.
Ray Barker II, who worked for the GCCARD for six months in 2009, claimed that the lives of workers and homeowners were endangered by weatherization work conducted by the group in homes. Barker claimed he was fired after he warned his superiors that the equipment they were using could create asbestos dust clouds.
The lawsuit claimed that once the dust settled, the inhalation of the deadly mineral fibers could cause cancer, respiratory problems and death.
“I’m happy for what I got,” said Barker, who lives in North Branch, Michigan.
Barker reportedly claimed that the weatherization work was conducted in up to 75 homes with asbestos during 2009, despite the fact that Michigan regulations prohibit the completion of such work. (lawyersandsettlements.com)
Asbestos Hot Spots
Toledo, OH: The state of Ohio has agreed to put up $200,000 for asbestos removal in the Toledo-owned Madison Building at Madison Avenue and Huron Street. The building is one of three historic buildings in the state that must undergo asbestos removal. Each of the three buildings will receive $200,000 to help pay for asbestos removal.
The Nasby Building, as it is known, was one of the first skyscrapers west of the Allegheny Mountains when it was constructed in the late 19th century, the Toledo Blade reports. The city of Toledo acquired the historic building through a tax foreclosure in 2000.
The funds to remove the asbestos will come from the state’s Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund, part of $1.8 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. The Brownfield fund, administered by the Ohio Department of Development’s Urban Development Division, offers below-market rate loans and grants to help cities return the sites to a productive economic use. (Toledo Blade)
Asbestos Law
Clarksville, TN: The city of Clarksville has been ordered by the state to pay $77,000 for its faulty handling of the demolition of the Ratchford Apartments in 2010.
The fine was assessed by the Tennessee Department of Environment Conservation’s Division of Air Pollution Control, which regulates asbestos, a manufacturing material that can cause serious health problems when inhaled.
Reportedly, a letter from Randall Harrison, a department official, dated April 30, was sent to the then-Mayor Johnny Piper, detailing violations of the state air pollution regulations that stemmed from the handling of asbestos during the demolition. The abandoned apartments were demolished in mid-April, for reasons of public safety. (theleafchronicle.com)
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