In the wake of a recent study that showed severe asbestos contamination in and around homes in a Quebec mining community, see related story, Quebec’s Ministry of Environment has announced that outdoor air sampling taken three years ago shows that the level of asbestos in Quebec’s outdoor air is within the standards used in Ontario.
Filed under: General, Legal, Medical, Support on November 19th, 2007 | No Comments »
Minnesota’s Department of Health and Pollution Control Agency have announced that they won’t participate in a health study of current and former workers planned by Cleveland-Cliffs, an Iron Range mining company whose workers have shown extremely high rates of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma, a rare cancer associated with asbestos exposure, has been diagnosed in 145 men in
Filed under: General, Legal, Medical, Support on November 16th, 2007 | No Comments »
A new study reported in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health says that many of the homes in Thetford Mines, a mining community of about 26,000 residents located about 70 miles south of Quebec City, are “severely contaminated” with asbestos. The study documents that asbestos levels inside and outside 26 homes in Thetford Mines are significantly above internationally accepted
Filed under: General, Legal, Medical, Support on November 15th, 2007 | No Comments »
The Chapman Valve Plant in Indian Orchard, Massachusetts has long worried local residents because it was known to use radioactive materials. The plant milled uranium for nuclear weapons, but then it closed in the 1980s and workers began to get sick. The neighborhood is very eager for any remaining radioactive materials to be gone, but
Filed under: General, Legal, Medical, Support on November 13th, 2007 | No Comments »
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief teams have made a big difference in fire-ravaged Southern California. They are helping with the cleanup of destroyed homes, as well as making tens of thousands of meals for displaced Californians. Cleaning up after a fire or other disaster can be very expensive and stressful for families who are displaced and
Filed under: General, Legal, Medical, Support on November 12th, 2007 | No Comments »
Ovalwood Hall at the Ohio State University’s Mansfield Campus will reopen for classes next year. An extensive renovation project, budgeted for $7.2 million, became more complicated and expensive when it was discovered that substantial asbestos abatement was needed. That work has been completed, at a cost of $170,000. The project manager praised workers for their
Filed under: General, Legal, Medical, Support on November 11th, 2007 | No Comments »
The Environmental Protection Agency is working to remove asbestos, pesticides and other hazardous substances from the abandoned Albert potato farm in Wothington, Massachusetts. One of the farm’s buildings is structurally unsound and is releasing asbestos into the environment. In addition to several storage tanks, both above and below ground, the EPA found approximately 25 containers
Filed under: General, Legal, Medical, Support on November 9th, 2007 | No Comments »
U.S. Attorneys in West Virginia are monitoring the progress of the criminal case against Paul Pendergast in Maryland federal court and may bring changes against him in West Virginia as well. For five years, Paul Pendergast was in change of the West Virginia Capitol asbestos abatement program, and he has confessed to corruption while he
Filed under: General, Legal, Medical, Support on November 8th, 2007 | No Comments »
Cambridge, Maryland has come up with a innovative way to use downtown space that is awaiting renovation. After some basic cleanup and necessary asbestos removal, downtown studios are available to artists at very low rents, but only on a temporary basis. The spaces are expected to be available for a period of about 12 to
Filed under: General, Legal, Medical, Support on November 7th, 2007 | No Comments »
The Minnesota Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board voted unanimously to provide $250,000 in funding for a joint University of Minnesota and state Department of Health study. The funding will pay for medical examinations of Iron Range miners participating in the study. Minnesota’s Gov. Tim Pawlenty says that the State is seeking a matching grant
Filed under: General, Legal, Medical, Support on November 6th, 2007 | No Comments »