Author: Michael

A recent report by an Atlanta news outlet has shed some light on the continuing epidemic of asbestos exposure plaguing Georgia citizens, even as legislators continue to ignore the threat posed by the dangerous industrial material. According to the report, state agencies routinely fail to hire licensed asbestos removers to perform delicate renovations of buildings contaminated by the cancer-causing mineral, putting hard working, ordinary people at risk of developing serious health conditions.

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Every year there are approximately 3,000 new cases diagnosed.  As a result, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated mesothelioma as an “orphan disease” because it is a rare disease affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. The FDA encourages mesothelioma researchers and pharmaceutical companies via the Orphan Drug Act of 1983 to develop mesothelioma drugs and treatment.

Asbestos in the Construction Industry The construction industry was among those that turned to asbestos for fireproofing and insulating in the manufacturing process of a wide array of parts, products, and materials. The material – fibrous mineral – was cheap and heat resistant, and was used widely as early as the 19th century. While asbestos offered utility and cost-savings, however, it has since been linked to serious health problems in the workers that built the industries that so often implemented the mineral’s thin fibers.

A group of Wisconsin prison inmates recently filed a lawsuit over allegations the plaintiffs are suffering asbestos exposure almost daily due to the facility and state’s negligent management of the institution. According to the federal asbestos lawsuit, 10 inmates at the Prairie du Chien Correctional Institution say the prison is exposing inmates and workers to dangerous levels of black mold, asbestos, and lead-contaminated water. Filed in U.S.

Insulation is used in a host of applications and has long been associated with asbestos.  At one time, the workers who installed insulation were often referred to as “asbestos workers” because the majority of insulation produced contained asbestos.  Asbestos was used in insulation because of its unique properties of fire resistance and heat insulation. Asbestos insulation could be found and is sometimes still found around boilers, generators, furnaces, ovens, pipes and electrical wires.

Public workers in Pennsylvania recently scored a major victory after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that state employees can hold their employers accountable for failing to take reasonable steps to prevent asbestos exposure. Typically, state agencies are immune from civil suits under the doctrine of “sovereign immunity” which generally bars claims against the state for certain injuries. In their ruling for Geier v.