Asbestos News Roundup: 6.7.12 – Auto Mechanic Asbestos Risk

June 7th, 2012. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of. An ongoing list of reported asbestos hot spots in the US from the Asbestos News Roundup archive appears on our asbestos map.

Auto Mechanics Asbestos Disease Risk

Unfortunately, asbestos was used in countless products, including automotive parts such as brake linings and clutch facings, from the 1930s until the 1980s. It is still used today in many products like car brakes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

According to an EPA document entitled “Guidance for Preventing Asbestos Disease Among Auto Mechanics”, “Millions of asbestos fibers can be released during brake and clutch servicing. Grinding and bevelling friction products can cause even higher exposures. Like germs, asbestos fibers are small enough to be invisible and they can remain and accumulate in the lungs.” This can cause asbestos disease such as asbestos mesothelioma, and this is what happened Gregory Hope, below, who recently filed an asbestos lawsuit.

Asbestos Lawsuits

St. Louis, MO: Gregory C. Hope worked in automotive maintenance, and as an electrician between 1961 and 1979. During that time he alleges in his recently filed asbestos lawsuit, that he was exposed to asbestos fibers, without his knowledge, without appropriate protective clothing and without an understanding of the serious health consequences of asbestos exposure. He has developed mesothelioma and has filed an asbestos lawsuit.

Martin L. Tune alleges he developed lung cancer after his work as a machinist and as an auto mechanic and home repairman from 1963 until 1979.

Kirkland Holcomb has filed an asbestos lawsuit alleging he developed mesothelioma after his work as a draftsman and salesman at various locations from 1965 through 2011.

Robert D. and Rosalina Cousineau have filed an asbestos lawsuit claiming that allege Robert Cousineau developed lung cancer as a result of working as a carpenter, drywaller and construction worker at various locations from 1963 until 2005. (madisonrecord.com)

Asbestos Exposure Now Linked to Heart Disease and Stroke

Manhattan Beach, CA: While the American Cancer Society has linked asbestos exposure to lung cancer as well as mesothelioma, it now appears that asbestos exposure is linked to other serious, life-threatening conditions. According to a new British study, recently published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, people exposed to asbestos had a higher death rate from ischemic heart disease.

The study reviewed records of workers who were exposed to asbestos between 1971 and 2005. Researchers found that those exposed were 63% more likely to die of a stroke, in addition to developing cardiovascular disease.

As a result, experts believe millions of workers and their families may have been exposed to the material. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimate approximately 3,000 people each year are diagnosed with mesothelioma.

The companies that mined, manufactured and sold asbestos, or used it in their products, are liable for the damages caused to those who have developed serious illness like mesothelioma. (digitialjournal.com)

Asbestos Law

Beginning October 1, 2012, asbestos remediation workers in Maryland will be facing a fine five times larger than the maximum amount currently allowed by law for violating any environmental laws relating to asbestos in the state.

Leaders of the Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund of North America (LHSFNA) say this new fine, a maximum of $25,000, is setting a standard all states should follow.

Collected fines will be deposited into the Asbestos Worker Protection Fund, which was created by the new law. The proceeds will be used to increase asbestos outreach and stronger enforcement of asbestos-related environmental laws.

According to recent report published in the LHSFNA June 2012 e-newsletter, many asbestos contractors in Maryland have taken shortcuts with asbestos abatement projects in order to underbid their competition, who may be doing their job correctly.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “When handled, asbestos can separate into microscopic-size particles that remain in the air and are easily inhaled. Persons occupationally exposed to asbestos have developed several types of life-threatening diseases, including asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.”

Despite laws against its use in construction in the United States, asbestos is still found in many buildings, especially those built from 1935 to the 1970s. (webwire.com)

Tags: Asbestos, asbestos lawsuit, Asbestos Settlement, asbestosis, Auto Mechanic, Brake Liners, Brake Pads, Car Mechanic, mesothelioma, Occupational Asbestos Exposure

This was posted on Thursday, June 7th, 2012 at 2:45 pm and is filed under Asbestos Mesothelioma . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.