Asbestos News Roundup: 4.18.11

April 18th, 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 Lawsuits

Charleston, WV: A couple from Hernshaw has named 87 companies in their recently filed asbestos lawsuit, alleging that the defendants are responsible for William Basil Spurlock’s asbestos mesothelioma diagnosis.

In his suit, Mr. Spurlock claims that he did not know of the health hazards known to be associated with asbestos exposure. He further claims that he was unaware that he had medical conditions related to his asbestos exposure until he was diagnosed with asbestos mesothelioma.

Mr. Spurlock was employed by Union Carbide Corporation from 1948 until 1980, according to his complaint. During that time, he alleges that the defendants failed to warn him of the dangers of asbestos; failed to take reasonable precautions to warn him of the dangers of exposure; and failed to inform him of the safe and proper methods of handling and using asbestos products.
Spurlock and his wife, Betty J. Spurlock, are seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

The 87 defendants named in the suit are A.W. Chesterton Company; Amchem Products, Inc.; Aurora Pump Company; Bayer Cropscience; Benjamin F. Shaw Company; 4520 Corp., Inc.; Brand Insulations, Inc.; Buffalo Pumps, Inc.; Burns International Services Corporation; BW IP, Inc.; Cameron International Corporation; Catalytic Construction Company; Certainteed Corporation; Cleaver-Brooks Company, Inc.; Crane Co.; Crown Cork & Seal Co., Inc.; the Dow Chemical Company; Dezurik, Inc.; Eaton Electrical, Inc.; Elliott Company; Fisher Controls International, Inc.; Flowserve US, Inc., f/k/a Durco International, Inc.; Flowserve US Inc., f/k/a Flowserve FSD Corporation; Flowserve US, Inc., a/k/a Nordstrom Valves; FMC Corporation; Ford, Bacon & Davis, LLC; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; Foster Wheeler U.S.A. Corporation; the Gage Company; General Electric Company; Geo. V. Hamilton, Inc.; Georgia Pacific, LLC; Gordon Gaskets & Packing Co.; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Greene Tweed & Company; Henry Vogt Machine Company; Honeywell International f/k/a Allied Signal, Inc.; Honeywell International, Inc.; IMO Industries, Inc.; Industrial Holdings Corporation; Ingersoll Rand Company; Invensys Systems, Inc.; ITT Corporation; John Crane, Inc.; Lockheed Martin Corporation; 3M Company; McJunkin Corporation; McNally Industries; Met Pro Corporation; Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; Meuller Steam Specialty; Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company; Nagle Pumps, Inc.; National Service Industries, Inc.; Nitro Industrial Coverings, Inc.; North Bros., Inc.; NSI Ventures, Inc.; Ohio Valley Insulating Company, Inc.; Onyx Industrial Services, Inc.; Owens Illinois, Inc.; Peerless Pumps, Inc.; Perkinelmer Instruments; Pneumo Abex Corporation; Rapid American Corporation; Riley Power, Inc.; Rockwell Automations, Inc.; Roper Pump Company; Schneider Electric USA, Inc.; SFB Companies, Inc.; State Electric Supply Company; Sterling Fluid Systems (USA), LLC; Stockham Valves & Fittings; Surface Combustion, Inc.; Tasco Insulations, Inc.; the Gorman-Rupp Company; the William Powell Company; Tyco Flow Control Company, LLC, a/k/a Crosby Valve, Inc.; Tyco Flow Control Company, LLC, a/k/a Lunkenheimer Valves; UB West Virginia, Inc.; Union Carbide Corporation; Uniroyal, Inc.; Viacom, Inc.; Viking Pump Company; Vimasco Corporation; Waukesha Cherry-Burrell; West Virginia Electric Supply Company; and Zurn Industries, Inc. (WVRecord.com) 

Asbestos Settlements

St. Clair County, IL: An asbestos suit filed in 2009 by retired mechanic, Mack Hambicki, who subsequently passed away from asbestos mesothelioma, reached an out-of-court settlement this week.

Among the defendants named in the suit are Hyster, Arvinmeritor Inc., A.W. Chesterton Inc., Baldor Electric Co. Ford Motor Company, Daimler Trucks North America LLC, Dana Companies LLC, Saint-Gobain Abrasives Inc., and Volvo Trucks. The suit alleged that exposure to asbestos caused him to develop mesothelioma.

Hambicki’s suit, which is now headed by Stephanie Jones as administrator of the Hambicki estate, alleged that from the 1960s onward, Hambicki, during his employment as a mechanic in Michigan, and later in Arizona, inhaled asbestos from products made by the defendants.

Details of the settlements in the case are not yet available, however, Hambicki had sought damages in excess of $50,000. (MadisonRecord.com)

Asbestos Hot Spots

Quebec Government Gives Conditional Support to Jeffrey Asbestos Mine

Toronto, ON: The Canadian Cancer Society is deeply disappointed that the Quebec Economic Development Minister Clement Gignac recently announced conditional support for a project that could lead to the re-opening of Jeffrey Mine in the city of Asbestos.

“From a public health point of view, the Quebec Government has made the wrong decision as all forms of asbestos cause cancer,” says Paul Lapierre, Vice President, Cancer Control and Public Affairs, Canadian Cancer Society. “We strongly urge Minister Gignac to re-consider his decision and to withdraw this support.”

According to media reports, the Quebec Government has given its agreement in principle to the reopening of the Jeffrey Asbestos Mine. The offer is conditional on a consortium of investors lining up the required $25 million in financing by July 1. The consortium, composed of Balcorp Ltd. and partners, has been waiting for the government to announce whether it will guarantee a $58 million loan guarantee to expand the Jeffrey Mine operations, which it says is crucial to restating the mine. Minister Gignac said his announcement affirms that the Quebec government will continue to support the chrysotile asbestos industry.

Other conditions for the Quebec Government conditional support include Balcorp Ltd. contributing $1.5 million a year for five years, starting in 2015, for economic diversification in the region, plus financing annual inspections of the clients who buy asbestos from Jeffrey Mines to ensure they are respecting the same health standards as those in Quebec.

“This decision directly conflicts with global cancer control. The epidemic of asbestos-related cancers, both in Canada and around the world, will continue to spread,” says Lapierre. (CNW.com)

Tags: Asbestos, Asbestos Mesothelioma, asbestos_mesothelioma

This was posted on Monday, April 18th, 2011 at 10:29 am and is filed under Asbestos Mesothelioma, Emerging Issues . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.