Selecting the 10 most dangerous chemicals in the U.S. is the first order of business under the recently strengthened arm of the Environmental Protection Agency. “EPA must consider all forms of asbestos in this initial list of chemicals it acts on,” U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., wrote in an Aug. 26 letter to EPA administrator…

Critics of a proposed free trade agreement between the United States and the European Union believe the deal would undermine the asbestos ban that has existed in the EU since 2005. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, also known as TTIP, has been under negotiations for three years. TTIP promises to bolster an already strong…

Thoracic surgeon and renowned mesothelioma specialist Dr. Robert Cameron will be hosting the 6th International Symposium on Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma on Saturday, Sept. 24, at the UCLA School of Medicine. Cameron, director of the UCLA Comprehensive Mesothelioma Program, is a global leader in the development of the lung-sparing pleurectomy/decortication surgery and a vocal advocate for…

Medical oncologist Dr. Rama Balaraman isn’t expecting any miracles from the pleural mesothelioma clinical trial involving nintedanib, the small-molecule enzyme inhibitor. She is expecting progress. Balaraman, at Florida Cancer Affiliates in Ocala, is participating in an international, multicenter trial that will expand the use of nintedanib within the U.S., giving patients another weapon in this…

A new study shows asbestos fibers can move through sand and soil, a breakthrough that challenges current remediation strategies for preventing exposure to the cancer-causing mineral. Geologist Jane Willenbring of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego leads the ongoing study. The first phase tested the long-held belief that asbestos…

Although the Netherlands banned asbestos 22 years ago, officials continue eliminating the toxic mineral from the country’s infrastructure, most recently ordering all asbestos roofing be removed by Jan. 1, 2024. The removal only applies to exterior asbestos-containing materials such as corrugated sheets and slate roofing. It does not apply to interior asbestos roof boards and…

Thoracic surgeon Dr. Raja Flores, like so many other patriotic Americans, rushed to help after the horrific 9/11 terrorist attack at the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City. As the world prepares to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Flores’ work is far from done. While the memory of that fateful…

Hundreds of workers involved in the construction of a $1.2 billion children’s hospital in Western Australia fear Chinese building products may have exposed them to asbestos. Officials with the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) claim the atrium roof at the Perth Children’s Hospital project is “riddled” with asbestos and the inexpensive Chinese concrete…

City of Hope cancer center thoracic oncologist Dr. Marianna Koczywas explains the workings of tazemetostat — the latest drug tested in a mesothelioma clinical trial — with the lock and key metaphor. “You have a specific [cancer] key, and a specific keyhole it goes through. If you can lock that keyhole, you can lock it…

A unique drug derived from the Caribbean sea squirt shows impressive effectiveness in stopping the growth of mesothelioma tumor cells. Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria discovered that trabectedin, a toxin the coral-like animal uses against predators, might soon be applied in the treatment of mesothelioma. “It has looked very promising to…