White House and EPA Misled Public on Air Quality After 9/11 Attack.

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeBased on a New York Times article "Public Misled on Air Quality After 9/11 Attack, Judge Says" - Federal judge Deborah A. Batts of Federal District Court in Manhattan, found that Christine Whitman, when she led the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), made "misleading statements of safety" about the air quality near the World Trade Center in the days after the Sept. 11 attack.  These statements may have put the public in danger.  This pointed criticism of Mrs. Whitman came in a ruling by the judge in a 2004 class action lawsuit on behalf of residents and schoolchildren from downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn who say they were exposed to air contamination inside buildings near the trade center.  The suit, against Mrs. Whitman, other former and current EPA officials and the agency itself, charges that they failed to warn people of dangerous materials in the air and then failed to carry out an adequate cleanup.  The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages and want the judge to order a thorough cleaning.  In her ruling, Judge Batts decided not to dismiss the case against Mrs. Whitman, who is being sued both as former administrator of the EPA and as an individual.

In a separate but similar article by CBS News titled "W. House Molded EPA's 9/11 Reports", the EPA's internal watchdog found that the White House influenced the statements released by the EPA and that the data did not support the statements that were released.  Making the 9/11 tragedy even deeper considering the amount of harm we did to ourselves by these actions.
 

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Asbestos Dangers Crop Up In Japan's Disaster

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeOur prayers go out to Japan in the aftermath of Japan's March 11 earthquake and tsunami, including the swamped nuclear reactor that has leaked radiation.  However, like most disasters the tragedy doesn't end after the disaster.  The next phase of the disaster is handling the devastion that has occurred and try to handle this in the most productive and safe manner possible.   As the MSNBC report, "Japan Disaster's Other Hidden Danger: Asbestos," indicates activitists have found asbestos, the cancer-causing fibrous mineral, in the air and debris collected from the devastated northeastern coast of Japan.  As we clean-up from these disasters it has become more important to ensure the safety of the clean-up workers and those near the area of the disaster from being exposed to the various environmental hazards that occur after a disaster.  Asbestos, lead, mercury, silica, volatile organic compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, and dioxin are just a few of the various chemicals that these workers could be exposed to.  Though Japan is overwhelmed with enormity of the task ahead of them and needless to say the nuclear reactor leak is extremely serious.  We hope they learn the lessons we seem unable to learn (mistakes made during the World Trade Center, Katrina, and Gulf-oil spill clean-ups) regarding the importance of ensuring the occupational health (illness prevention) of the clean-up workers.  The proper use of respirators (including fit testing and training), proper decontamination of workers before they go home to their families, and the proper use of dust control practices during demolition and construction work to reduce dust emissions all should be standard practice for clean-up activities after a disaster.

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First Quebec, Now Zimbabwe

Image via WikipediaIn a previous posting we discussed that the Quebec government had decided to back the loan that would reopen the Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos Canada.  This loan would allow the mine to begin mining asbestos again and exporting it to countries like India.  Now in the following article "Zimbabwe in bid to revive asbestos mines" in the English version of the People's Daily Online (China), we find out that Zimbabwe intends on doing the same thing for two of their mines (Shabanie and Mashava).  These mines used to produce about 180,000 tons of asbestos fibers per year.  According to this article, Zimbabwe has been spending millions of dollars on fiber imports from Russia and Brazil.  Seems to me, that Zimbabwe is tired of importing asbestos when they could be mining it.

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• Quebec Government Decides to Back Loan to Restart Asbestos Mine (futureenv.blogspot.com)
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Controversy Regarding Brodeur's Asbestos Research Information at The New York Public Library.

Image via WikipediaMy first full-time job was working with Hygienetics which at the time was located in Jersey City, New Jersey.  My boss and my mentor was Mr. Eugene Pinzer, CIH.  Mr. Pinzer was a great boss and did an excellant job mentoring me (as far as I am concerned).  At times he would train by hands-on practices, other times he would ask me to read some article or book that would help with my education and help me gain valuable experience and knowledge.  When I read the Felix Salmon's blog post "The case of Paul Brodeur vs the NYPL" and then Paul Brodeur's, a staff writer for The New Yorker for nearly 40 years, article for The Author's Guild titled "Paul Brodeur: A Breach of Trust at The New York Public Library" it brought back the some great memories.  One of the articles Mr. Pinzer requested that I read was Mr. Brodeur's article "Annals of Law - The Asbestos Industry on Trial".  This four part article written for The New Yorker Magazine ran from June 10 - July 1, 1985.  At the time I was, are you kidding me.  The articles were the equivalent of a 300-400 page book and I really didn't see the importance.  However, as Mr. Pinzer was apt to do he cajoled me into reading it.  The articles are well written and documents the asbestos industry's fall from grace.  I strongly suggest that if you are in the asbestos industry you read these articles.  It details the downfall of the industry, including how the information that exposed the industry of hiding the dangers of asbestos.
As the title indicates the New York Public Library has notified Mr. Brodeur that they intend on breaking up his collection of papers that he donated to the library.  Included in this collection of papers is Mr. Paul Brodeur's investigation of the asbestos health hazard and its cover-up by the asbestos industry.  Though I am not a curator or librarian, it seems to be a waste of the research that Mr. Brodeur did to back-up the facts, assertions, and evidence he writes about in his articles.  I hope the New York Public Library reconsiders their decision or at least allow the collection to remain together by returning the full documents to Mr. Brodeur.

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Steven Mancuso Is Barred From Practicing Law By Federal Authorities.

 

Image via Wikipedia

Asbestos fibres - a single fibre is believed to cause mesothelioma

As we have discussed in our asbestos refresher classes, and previously in our blog, the Mancuso family is in the news again.  This time it is Lawyer Steven Mancuso of Utica, New York being disbarred from practicing law upon his conviction for conspiring with his brother, Paul Mancuso, to cover-up illegal asbestos removal operations.  Steven, Paul and their father, Lester Mancuso, were sentenced to three years in federal prison last June. 

An attorney since 2002, Steven Mancuso was found guilty in a federal trial for wrongfully aiding his brother in the creation of fraudulent partnerships and submission of false legal documents in an effort to conceal the illegality of Paul Mancuso’s asbestos business.  Steven Mancuso denied the charges, yet U.S. District Court Judge Frederick Scullin ruled that he had used his legal skills in the furtherance of his brother’s criminal conspiracy.  “When an attorney used his law license to commit crimes and to aid another in the commission of crimes, the appropriate sanction is disbarment,” stated the December 30th ruling.  Reports said that Mancuso is currently in the process of appealing to the court, saying that the prosecutors failed to properly handle a variety of legal issues. 

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NIOSH Science Blog Discusses Helical CT Scans and Lung Cancer Screening

Image via WikipediaThe National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health's (NIOSH) Science blog recently discussed the reported findings regarding the use of helical CT scans for lung cancer screening.  The National Cancer Institute (NCI) launched the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) in 2002 to compare the effects of two screening procedures, low-dose helical computerized tomography (CT) and chest x-ray, in reducing lung cancer mortality in current and former heavy smokers aged 55 to 74.   The preliminary results from this study indicated this relatively new form of screening using helical CT demonstrated fewer lung cancer deaths among individuals at high risk of lung cancer who received this screening than among a similar group screened with chest radiography (chest x-rays or CXRs).  NIOSH has great interest in this finding, and there is hope that this might provide new approaches to cancer screening among workers with increased risk for lung cancer because of past occupational exposures.


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Asbestos Victims in India on a Hunger Strike

Image via Wikipedia

Chest X-ray with Asbestosis.

A group of alleged asbestosis victims from Jhadole in Udaipur, Rajasthan are sitting on a hunger strike in front of the sub-divisional magistrate's (SDM) office in Udaipur, in India.  The victims are demanding that the reports of the medical tests done on them by the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Ahmedabad, be made available to them.      NIOH had done a test on about 166 persons from Jhadole and Devigarh to ascertain whether they are affected with asbestosis.  These persons had been working in asbestos mines before the mining of asbestos was banned in India.  But while the doctors who had conducted the tests have published research papers (even included in NIOH newsletters) confirming asbestosis in at least 93 persons, none of them have been personally given the test report even after they had applied for it.  Even the names of those affected have not been made available.  Without this information, the miners are unable to claim any compensation or receive proper treatment.
     NIOH had conducted tests on 163 persons, including 56 females.  While pursuing the difficult task of getting one’s own medical reports 18 persons have already died and we don't know if they were from amongst those who were ascertained to be positive or are from the others.
     We are amazed with this situation because not only would this not happen in the United States, but the Doctors involved with the research would be held liable in the United States for not providing the information to the workers.  We guess the Doctor's code of do no harm does not apply to Doctors in India.  What do these researchers think they are doing the research for?  The researchers themselves should be ostracized.  This is the worst kind of researcher one who is interested in the research with no regard for the subjects of their research.

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Colorado Man's Home is a Living Laboratory.

Part 2 of the "Killer In The Attic" articles from AOL News discussed the story of 71 year-old William Cawlfield, who has mesothelioma.  Mr. Cawlfield lives in a two-story red-brick farmhouse in Pueblo, Colorado that had been his family's home for more than a century.  When he was 15 years old Mr. Cawlfield helped his father install Zonolite insulation in the attic.  In addition, Mr Cawlfield also said "I used to play up there and kept my toys and a bunch of books because it was like a sand pile where I could hide things,..."  He had no knowledge that the material contained asbestos.

Last month, Cawlfield stood outside his family's home watching a specially trained asbestos-removal experts wearing respirators and dressed head to toe in Tyvek carefully remove the Zonolite insulation from inside. He was paying $15,000 to have them do so.  The reason he was doing this was testing conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Denver regional office found that high levels of the lethal tremolite fibers were released from the Zonolite insulation that was spread between the rafters in its attic.  EPA inspectors concluded that the almost-invisible asbestos-containing dust from the Zonolite sifted though the light fixtures and switches, ceiling fans and the seams of dried-out joint tape.  Copies of the reports from EPA (that AOL News obtained) determined that some of the levels of asbestos recorded in the house exceeded the maximum number of lethal fibers that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says is too dangerous for workers.

Unfortunately, EPA continues to not provide any guidance to the asbestos abatement industry on how to handle this material and continues to rely on its website as the only source of information on this dangerous situation.

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Revival & Expansion of Canadian Asbestos Mines Causes Uproar

Open Pit Asbestos Mine in Asbestos, Quebec

The recent free trade agreement between India and Canada (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)) will boost the asbestos trade.  This agreement will allow an increase in asbestos exports from Canada to India. This agreement needless to say has caused an uproar among environmental, labour & health groups.  The groups demanded that a ban of the asbestos trade must be deemed a pre-condition for future negotiations on CEPA.
The Quebec government has announced the offer of C$58 million ($57 million) in loan guarantees to convert the Jeffrey mine in Asbestos, Quebec from an open-pit to an underground operation.  The open-pit reserves are almost exhausted but the deeper deposits are among the biggest in the world.  Canada is the world’s fifth-biggest asbestos producer after Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Brazil.  India is one of the biggest consumers of cancer causing asbestos fibers from Quebec, Canada.  Revival and expansion of the mine would boost asbestos production from the 100-year-old mine from an estimated 15,000 tonnes this year to 180,000 tonnes in 2012 and an eventual capacity of 260,000 tonnes, or about 10 per cent of global production.
Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI) expresses its support and solidarity with the protest from health and environmental groups against an attempt by Indian and other investors to revive a big Canadian asbestos mine.  Jeffrey and one other remaining mine in the Quebec province of Canada produce chrysotile, or white asbestos, used mainly to reinforce cement used for water pipes and other building materials. Exposure to asbestos fibers causes incurable and fatal lung diseases. In India there is a ban on asbestos mining but trade, manufacture and use of asbestos products is yet to be banned. There is a ban on trade in asbestos waste as well.

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Future Environment Designs Sponsors Asbestos Video

Future Environment Designs sponsored this video to assist with Keeping Your Family Safe by being aware about the dangers of Asbestos.  Realize New York State and New York City asbestos regulations are some of the strongest in the country and both regulate residential asbestos isnpections, removal, and monitoring.

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Syosset School Closure Creates Discussion

Last week, most people on Long Island heard about Syosset School District closing school because asbestos planks (?) were discovered in the dumpster.  This occurred after a routine mainteance operation in the boiler room.  We have had an excellant discussion at the New York State Asbestos Group at Linked In (join the discussion at http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2432277&trk=anet_ug_hm).  We have discussed several issues with the articles discussing what happened.  First many of us are trying to figure out what is an asbestos plank?  We have some speculations but we still have not figured it out.  Why didn't anyone know that the asbestos (planks?) were in the boiler room.  Schools are required under the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) regulations to perform triennial inspections of their facilities for asbestos containing building materials (ACBM) and every 6 months a periodic surveillance of the ACBM is required to ensure it is not disturbed.  Obviously, something went wrong.  In addition, some of the articles talk about medical testing of the workers to determine if they were exposed.  Well in our discussion we know of no such test.  The tests can be used as a baseline.  However, asbestos diseases can take at least 10 years to develop.  It is possible that an intense exposure could cause pleural plaques sooner, possibly as soon as a year, but this does not mean a disease will develop.  We thank Mr. Jack Springston, Mr. Donald Weekes, and Mr. Jim Morey for their comments on Linked In for helping flesh out this posting.

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W. R. Grace acquitted in Libby, MT Asbestos Case

New York Times reported on May 9, 2009 the acquittal of W. R. Grace and three of its former executives on all charges that they had knowingly contaminated Libby, Montana a small mining town, with asbestos, and then conspired to cover up the deed.
In some of our classes we have watched the documentary film “Dust to Dust” directed by Michael Brown. The film told the story of the town’s experience with exposure to tremolite asbestos that contaminated the vermiculite mine which many of the town’s people worked at. The film documented the effects on the town, hundreds of miners, their family members, and townsfolk have died, and at least 1,200 have been sickened from exposure to the asbestos-containing ore. These health effects also threaten workers, their families, and residents everywhere the ore was shipped and people living in millions of homes nationwide where it was used as insulation. The W. R. Grace trial mentioned above was the result of the government’s investigation into the Libby, Montana situation.
Based on the New York Times article, it appears the government’s case was very difficult to prove and that several errors by federal prosecutors, during the trial, made it even more difficult. It really is a shame that the people of Libby, Montana will suffer from the effects of asbestos exposure and many of them will die from this exposure for many years to come, while it seems prosecutors are unable or incapable of providing justice for them.