2008: In the News
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2008 News & Events
Mesothelioma "Veteran" Donates $150,000 to PHLBI (June 2008)
PHLBI is Seeking a Nurse Practioner (June 2008)
Effects of Piroxicam and Cisplatin on mesothelioma cells growth and viability. (June 2008)
mTOR Mediates Survival Signals in Malignant Mesothelioma Grown as Tumor Fragment Spheroids. (June 2008)
The defence of chrysotile, 1912-2007. (June 2008)
Underestimation of Low-Dose Radiation in Treatment Planning of Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy. (June 2008)
Metastases in malignant pleural mesothelioma: A new radiological appearance. (June 2008)
Another California Town at Risk of Naturally Occurring Asbestos, El Dorado Hills (May 2008)
Mesothelioma is Killing Miners in the Iron Range (May 2008)
Californian Violates Clean Air Act, Improperly Removes Asbestos Before Demolition (May 2008)
Role of Multimodality Treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (May 2008)
Clear Creek Management Area in California Closed Due to Asbestos (May 2008)
Nanotubes, Another Miracle Particle with Dangerous Side Effects (May 2008)
Asbestos turns up in toys, children's clay (April 2008)
PHLBI Supports a Complete Ban on Asbestos (April 2008)
W.R. Grace Pays $250 Million for Montana Asbestos Work (March 2008)
Iowans learn about asbestos exposure through media. See the news video (March 2008)
MARS: Mesothelioma and Radical Surgery, UK Clinical Trial (March 2008)
Pleurectomy with Decortication Best Surgical Approach for N2 Malignant Mesothelioma (March 2008)
Mouse Model for Mesothelioma (March 2008)
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization hosts 4th Asbestos Awareness Day (March 2008)
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Another California Town at Risk of Naturally Occurring Asbestos
May 27, 2008
The Environmental Protection Agency ordered the closure of an area known as Clear Creek earlier this month. Now, the EPA is investigating another California town for asbestos exposure risk. They found asbestos levels to be 22 to 43 times higher than normal along a creek-side trail in El Dorado Hills. The trail is a popular spot for running, biking, and other sports, however the dust these activities generate appears to contain dangerous levels of asbestos, putting the El Dorado Hills community at risk.
More asbestos danger for California town by Wendi Lewis, May 12, 2008
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Mesothelioma is Killing Miners in the Iron Range
May 27, 2008
Mesothelioma has caused 58 deaths in miners in northeastern Minnesota, known as the Iron Range. This high incidence of mesothelioma in such a concentrated area garnered the attention of the federal legislature, who recently approved $4.9 million in funding for research. The University of Minnesota is conducting a five-year study researching the cause of mesothelioma and how to protect miners in the future.
Legislature sends Pawlenty bill to delve into lung cancer on Iron Range- Associated Press, April 24, 2008
Cancer study a go by Don Davis, April 25, 2008
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Californian Violates Clean Air Act, Improperly Removes Asbestos Before Demolition
May 27, 2008
A California resident was convicted in May 2008 for violating the Clean Air Act when he demolished a building he owned. The federal Clean Air Act requires asbestos to be removed according to proper guidelines prior to demolition. However this man, Wassim Mohammad Azizi, 37, of Tracy, CA, did not remove the asbestos from his building and later tried to cover up his actions. He therefore is considered negligent by exposing demolition employees and neighbors to large amounts of the hazardous material.
Read the Department of Justice release by Joshua Eaton, May 14, 2008.
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Clear Creek Management Area in California Closed Due to Asbestos
May 22, 2008
California is one of the states most highly affected by asbestos and mesothelioma, and it continues to face challenges in asbestos safety. The Bureau of Land Management ordered the immediate closure of the Clear Creek Management Area to the public due to unsafe levels of potential asbestos exposure. The Southern California area had been used for off-road vehicles, rock climbing, hunting and other outdoor activities until the Environmental Protection Agency conducted an assessment of the risk of asbestos exposure. The area will remain closed until it has been cleared of toxic material.
AMA News & Notes - June 2008 courtesy of the American Motorcycle Association, May 20, 2008
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Nanotubes, Another Miracle Particle with Health Risks Similar to Asbestos-Related Diseases
May 22, 2008
Recent studies conducted in the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan indicate that mesothelioma may be, or may one day be, caused by another substance besides asbestos. One of the nanotechnology industry’s most famous products is the nanotube: a cylinder of carbon atoms that is one nanometer in diameter. The nanotube is heralded for its excellent ability to conduct heat and electricity and for its lightweight strength. Already, it is used in sports equipment and shows immense promise for increased applications in electronics and medicine. However, researchers found that, when longer tubules were injected into mice, nanotubes elicited similar reactions as asbestos causes, creating inflammation and lesions which typically precede mesothelioma. Although the lab experiments do not show conclusive effects of nanotube inhalation, many experts agree that more research should be done in order to establish appropriate safety guidelines and consumer labeling procedures for this product, to ensure that it does not one day cause widespread disease.
Nanotech could cause mesothelioma: study by Simon Lauder, ABC News, May 21, 2008
Effects of Nanotubes May Lead to Cancer, Study Says by Rick Weiss, Washington Post, May 21, 2008
Carbon nanotubes mimic asbestos in early study by Brian Berstein, Associated Press, May 20, 2008
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Asbestos turns up in toys, children's clay.
DIYers who use duct tape, spackle, roof sealer also at risk of exposure.
April 2008
Although many health experts agree that exposure to any amount of asbestos is potentially harmful, the toxic agent is still being used in some consumer products. In the United States, asbestos is only partially banned, meaning low levels are legally acceptable in products. Disturbingly, asbestos has even been found in children’s toys. The following article highlights the efforts of a volunteer group, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, to fund the laboratory testing of hundreds of consumer products for asbestos.
Get the full story as reported by Seattle Post-Intelligencer P-I Senior Correspondent, Andrew Schenieder.
What do you think? Voice your opinion at our online forum.
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W.R. Grace Agrees to Pay Federal Government $250 Million for Montana Asbestos Work
March 12, 2008
W.R. Grace & Co. is an industrial supplier who owned and operated a vermiculite mine near the city of Libby, Montana for almost 30 years. The ores of vermiculite, a substance used in insulation and packaging products, in this mine also contained asbestos fibers. As a result, much of the surrounding area was contaminated, and Libby residents have suffered from asbestos-related disease in epidemic proportions. The federal Environmental Protection Agency has spent $168 million on investigation and cleanup since 1999, and there is still much work to be done. In recent court proceedings, Grace has agreed to reimburse the government $250 million for their expenditures on environmental cleanup.
Get the full story as reported by Associated Press writer, Susan Gallagher, Helena, Mont. Mar 12, 2008 (AP)
What do you think? Voice your opinion at our online forum.
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Iowans learn about prolonged asbestos exposure through media
March 12, 2008
In Des Moines, Iowa building developer, Bob Knapp, ignored proper asbestos removal guidelines even after notification of his extensive violations. He failed to inform tenants in a downtown building of prevalent asbestos while the building underwent renovation for over 14 months. Persons potentially at risk include not only the the construction crew and tenants in the building, but also their family members and daily visitors to those offices.
Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources held a hearing in March where building tenants and officials voiced their concerns over the prolonged asbestos exposure many of the tenants likely had. A number of health and safety violations have forced the state to refer the case to the Attorney General’s office where the developer may face a more stringent punishment.
See the news clip.
(Note: You’ll have to view the first story before the asbestos exposure clip.)
Or read the March 11, 2008 article in the Des Moines Register.
What do you think? Voice your opinion at our online forum.
***MARS Trial: Mesothelioma and Radical Surgery
The chief research question the MARS trial asks is whether radical surgery can cure mesothelioma or at least sufficiently improve the length and quality of patients’ lives more than less aggressive treatment or none at all.
This trial opened for recruiting in August 2005 and seeks to recruit 50 patients into the pilot study. As of January 2007, it was predicted that the recruiting goal would be reached by the end of 2007; however more current information regarding the status of the trial proceedings is not yet available. In the study design, all 50 patients undergo three cycles of chemotherapy before further treatment is given. After chemotherapy, researchers again assess the staging of the patients’ tumors, and then randomly assign a treatment of radical surgery and radiotherapy or no radical surgery. Patients not assigned to radical surgery may still receive less aggressive tumor debulking surgery and radiotherapy when deemed appropriate.
If the outcomes of the pilot study shows the trial is acceptable and the treatment is tolerable, the study will be expanded to a wider-scale, international level and will analyze survival and quality of life outcomes.
Currently, radical surgery is popularly viewed as the best treatment option for patients with operable mesothelioma and in good overall health. Until recently an extrapleural pneumonectomy was the preferred surgical treatment. The “EPP” is the radical surgery given in the MARS trial, in which one entire lung on the affected side of the chest is removed. Another less radical surgery option is the pleurectomy with decortication, in which the healthy lungs are spared but the tumor and any compromised organ linings are removed. However, the MARS study will not include this surgical procedure in its variable design.
In addition to surgery, adjuvant therapies are typically considered beneficial to survival outcomes. With a multi-modal approach, patients may receive chemotherapy before or after surgery and generally undergo radiation treatment after surgery. These additional treatments aim to destroy any remaining cancer cells to prevent local recurrence or distant metastases of the cancer. The MARS trial will use both chemotherapy and radiation therapy on both treatment groups.
The MARS trial is a significant step for mesothelioma research. There is presently no standard regimen of care for this disease, because there has been insufficient research to prove the efficacy of available treatments. The most significant limitation of past studies has been that they are not randomized clinical trial designs. Most have been retrospective case-control studies or cohorts. A randomized clinical trial is the only truly experimental design, which allows investigators to administer treatment and compare outcomes with a control group. The MARS trial will have a radical treatment group and a control group, and will thus render the results of the study to be more scientifically valid and authoritative.
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