Asbestos Plan Might Work According to The Congressional Budget Office

A recent study by The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) indicates that the $140 billion asbestos trust fund plan that would be run by the United States government might work. The enormous trust fund would be used to pay victims of asbestos-related illnesses like mesothelioma, diverting all asbestos related lawsuits over to the government plan, and thus easing the liability burden that is currently being placed squarely on the shoulders of asbestos manufacturers. But not everyone thinks that the government-run plan will work. Click here to read more...

Up To 20% of All Homes in Japan Have Roofing Tiles That Contain Asbestos

More asbestos news out of Japan: as many as 5 million homes in Japan--that's about 20% of all homes in Japan--have roofing tiles that contain asbestos. A shocking number, to say the least. Roofing tiles made from a combination of asbestos and cement were popular in Japanese home construction because these tiles weigh less than clay tiles, and they also cause less damage to homes after earthquakes. As you can imagine, the careless demolition of just one of these homes with asbestos containing tiles could be devastating to the health and wellbeing of nearby residents. We'll have to wait and see what actions the Japanese government will take in light of this news. Click here to read more...

Japanese Government--Admitting Fault--To Draft New Law Aimed At Compensating Asbestos Victims

The Japanese government, having admitted that not enough was done to protect people from asbestos exposure and the illnesses related to asbestos exposure, is working on a new law that will provide monetary compensation for asbestos victims. The Japanese government had been warned about the dangers of asbestos exposure, specifically the risk of developing asbestos cancer when asbestos fibers are inhaled into the lungs, yet failed to ban the two most dangerous forms of asbestos until 1995. Click here to read the full story...

Mesothelioma Strikes Canadian MP Chuck Strahl

48 year old Canadian Minister of Parliament Chuck Strahl has been diagnosed with asbestos cancer (mesothelioma.) Strahl used to be a partner in a construction and logging company; he describes his exposure to the deadly mineral as "exposure [that] wasn't lengthy, [but] it was intense."

Canada has a special relationship with asbestos. Canadian companies produced most of the asbestos that is now causing much pain, suffering and death throughout the industrialized world, and Canadian asbestos producers have worked to prevent the regulation of the dangerous mineral. Click here to read more...

Leeds, UK: Asbestos Found on Grounds of Former Hospital

Asbestos has been discovered where Killingbeck Hospital once stood in Leeds, UK. The discovery of asbestos at this site is particularly disconcerting because a) The asbestos found is Asbestolux which contains an especially dangerous form of asbestos called "brown asbestos" and b) children were using the demolition site as a place to "hang out" and play.

Asbestos is generally safe even when a building is occupied because the asbestos that is inside certain building materials is sealed and not permitted to break up and contaminate the air with the deadly mineral. However, once the asbestos is exposed and allowed to break apart and drift into the air, it becomes an extremely serious health hazard. It is therefore very alarming to think that children were playing in an area where broken or damaged asbestos-containing building materials may be present. Asbestos cancer or mesothelioma can be caused by just a single asbestos fiber getting lodged inside a human lung.

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Japan: Crocidolite (Blue Asbestos) Sprayed On Walls Kills Stationary Store Worker

A Japanese stationary store worker has died from mesothelioma marking Japan's first mesothelioma death caused by asbestos sprayed on walls.

Crocidolite, or "blue asbestos", had been sprayed on the walls of the stock room where the mesothelioma victim worked. The worker walked about this stock room many times during his work day, unwittingly inhaling the crocidolite fibers which ended up killing him. Making matters worse, a nearby rail system often caused vibrations that would cause loose particles to flake off from the walls, and the victim would sweep the room at least once per month.

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