Archive for October, 2011

Released Documents Disclose Secrets Behind Canada’s Opposition to U.S. Asbestos Ban

October 31st, 2011 | By: Mark Hall | Comments

In the spring of 2011, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) application was filed to learn why and who was involved in the overturning of the Asbestos Ban and Phase-out Rule, a 1989 policy created by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Ihe International Asbestos Ban Secretariat, an organization that strives to ban asbestos globally, disclosed the contents from these once-secret documents.

Family of Navy Veteran Gets ‘Substantial Settlement’ in Asbestos Exposure Case

October 28th, 2011 | By: Tim Povtak | Comments

Military veterans and their families are barred from collecting damages from the U.S. government by the Feres Doctrine, even in the case of blatant neglect regarding asbestos exposure.

But they

Drug Company Files for Orphan Drug Designation for Mesothelioma Treatment

October 26th, 2011 | By: Mark Hall | Comments

Mesothelioma patients soon may have a new treatment option to consider for their rare and aggressive cancer.

Pinnacle Biologics, Inc., an Illinois-based bio-pharmaceutical company, announced

Phase III Trial of Mesothelioma Drug NGR-hTNF Expanding Into United States

October 25th, 2011 | By: Tim Povtak | Comments

A Phase III trial of NGR-hTNF is expanding soon into the United States, raising hopes in the battle against malignant pleural mesothelioma.

The trial is ongoing in Europe and will be moved into

Asbestos Case Puts the Supreme Court in Middle of a State vs. Federal Debate

October 21st, 2011 | By: Mark Hall | Comments

The United States Supreme Court has a case on its hands that may set a very serious precedent for some businesses, consumers and mesothelioma patients alike.

In the case of Kurns v. Railroad

Government Accountability Office: $36.8 Billion Sitting in Asbestos Trusts

October 20th, 2011 | By: Tim Povtak | Comments

An estimated $36.8 billion in assets remain spread among 60 personal injury trusts designed to pay out claims related to present and future asbestos litigation, according to a report released this week

Mesothelioma Death Toll Rising from Minnesota’s Taconite Mining Area

October 18th, 2011 | By: Tim Povtak | Comments

An already abnormal mesothelioma death toll in northeast Minnesota continues to climb, according to an updated study at the University of Minnesota examining the nearby taconite mining industry.

The

Garlock Appeals Judge’s Decision to Hide Claimants Identity in Asbestos Cases

October 17th, 2011 | By: Mark Hall | Comments

A producer of asbestos-containing products is fighting a judge’s decision to hide the names of claimants in a dozen bankruptcy cases.

Garlock Sealing Technologies, a subsidiary of EnPro

Asbestos Industry Being Criticized for Using Big Tobacco’s Marketing Strategy

October 14th, 2011 | By: Mark Hall | Comments

Some stakeholders in the asbestos industry are being accused of using the same marketing approach that was used by lobbying groups for large tobacco companies decades earlier.

The International

Watch the 3rd Focus on Mesothelioma Conference from Home this Friday

October 13th, 2011 | By: Tim Povtak | Comments

You don’t have to travel to Philadelphia to reap the benefits of attending the 3rd Focus on Mesothelioma Conference this Friday from the Penn Medicine Abramson Cancer Center.

They can bring