Asbestos News Roundup: 5.20.10

May 20th, 2010. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of. 

Asbestos Settlements

Miami, FL: A $14 million settlement has been awarded in an asbestos lawsuit brought by a man who alleged that he developed deadly abdominal cancer after being exposed to the mineral in the 1970s.

William Aubin, now 59 years old and a retired firefighter, worked for his family’s construction company, Aubin Construction on Key Biscayne, in the 1970s. During that time he was exposed to products laden with asbestos, specifically joint compounds.

In hearing the case, a jury in Miami-Dade county found that the chemical manufacturer, Union Carbide, was negligent for using asbestos fibers to make the joint compounds used by construction companies such as Aubin Construction. Further, Aubin was exposed without his knowledge, as the product labeling did not mention asbestos.

The jurors also found four other compound manufacturers, including Georgia-Pacific, responsible for causing Mr. Aubin’s peritoneal mesothelioma. (Miamiherald.com) 

Asbestos Hot Spots

Quebec, Canada: A decision affecting the future of the asbestos mining industry in the Canadian province of Quebec is pending and, if passed, could negatively impact thousands of people’s health and well-being, anti-asbestos lobbyists claim.

The Quebec government is currently trying to decide whether to provide essential loan guarantees for an expansion of the Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos, Que.

The new underground mine is reportedly set to create 450 jobs and produce enough asbestos to make Quebec an active participant in the asbestos industry for the next 30 years.

But the Canadian anti-asbestos lobby recently sent a damning position paper signed by more than 50 Quebec medical doctors, academics, scientists and environmental leaders, demanding Quebec outlaw asbestos mining, and the use or export of chrysotile asbestos. (Timescolonist.com) 

Asbestos Law

Baltimore, MD: A judge in Maryland has handed down a $1.2 million fine—the largest in the state’s history—in a case of improper asbestos removal by New York demolition company ,Erie Vera LLC.

The firm allegedly improperly removed asbestos from a six-story building in Baltimore that was being renovated and turned into apartments. The illegal action was discovered in 2007 by an inspector with the Maryland Department of the Environment who was acting on an anonymous tip. He discovered that some of the asbestos ‘being removed’ had been shovelled down a chute into an open dumpster just outside the building. Worse, none of the nearly two dozen workers on site had been wearing protective gear including respirators and protective clothing at the time. (mesotheliomacancernews.com)

Grand Rapids, MI: A 43-year old Michigan man received a 13 month prison sentence after pleading guilty to illegally handling asbestos at a demolition site in South Toledo and Michigan.

Additionally, Scott H. Tucker, from Saugatuck, was fined $1,000 and will be required to serve three years on supervised release once he gets out of prison.

The penalties result from two separate cases, both involving violations of the federal Clean Air Act. In the Toledo case, Tucker’s firm, H&M Demolition Co. of Holland, MI, allegedly demolished the former Haughton Elevator building on Spencer Street without wetting down asbestos pipe insulation before it was removed. Furthermore, Tucker also failed to notify the city of Toledo in advance of the demolition, as is the law. The other case involved a similar violation of the Clean Air Act during a demolition in Wyoming, MI.(Toledo blade)

Tags: Asbestos, Asbestos Mesothelioma

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