Despite the fact that it has no naturally occurring sources of the cancer-causing mineral asbestos, the state of Illinois has a 30 percent higher rate of mesothelioma than the national average. Every year 1.3 out of every 100,000 Illinois residents contract the rare cancer, which is caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos. The National Cancer Institute puts the total number of cancer deaths in Illinois between 1979 and 2001 at 1,697. According to the Environmental Working Group, Cook County, Illinois is one of the top reporting counties for asbestos and mesothelioma deaths in the country.
The state of Illinois is also the site of one-sixth of the asbestos and mesothelioma legal battles in the U.S. Every year in the U.S., 2,000 to 3,000 people die of mesothelioma.. When those cases go to court, many end up being heard in Madison County, Illinois. In fact, 480 court dates have been set for asbestos cases in 2011, up from 424 in 2010.
Illinois has been an important industrial center for the U.S. for decades. Not surprisingly, much of the asbestos illness in the state is related to industries that thrived there because of its location on the Great Lakes. Because iron ore could be easily brought in from Minnesota and Michigan, Illinois became the site of steel mills. As the population of Chicago grew, power plants sprang up to support it and other thriving Illinois communities. Eventually, oil refineries were also established in Illinois. These three industries are among the most high-risk for asbestos exposure. In all, more than sixty Illinois businesses – including soft drink giant Pepsi-Cola – have been named in asbestos-related lawsuits.
Asbestos has also proven to be a dangerous problem at the state’s Great Lakes Naval Base. According to the National Cancer Institute, Navy veterans suffer from mesothelioma at a much higher rate than the general public, due in large part to the heavy use of asbestos as an insulator throughout ships. Hundreds of thousands of sailors breathed the toxic fibers unknowingly when they worked or lived below decks for months at a time on Navy vessels. Thousands more workers were exposed to asbestos dust while doing repair work on damaged ships in the shipyard at the Great Lakes Naval Base.
Reports of asbestos-related cancer deaths in Illinois continue to climb, largely because damage from asbestos fibers can occur decades after the exposure. Mesothelioma is the most lethal of the asbestos-related diseases, which can include other types of lung cancer or asbestosis. Mesothelioma cancer occurs in the protective lining around organs, especially around the lungs and the abdominal cavity.
Sources:
Mesothelioma Cancer in Illinois, National Program of Cancer Registries, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Accessed May 16, 2010.
The Asbestos Epidemic in America, Environmental Working Group website. Accessed May 12, 2010.
Korris, Steve. “Asbestos trial dates to increase in 2011”, May 6, 2010. The Madison St. Clair Record.
Link: http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com/news/view.asp?ID=00757
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Friday, May 28, 2010
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Silent but Deadly: Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer with an incidence of 1 to 4 per 1,000,000 people. Because it is so rare, many people have not heard of the disease. Paul Gleason, who played the principal we loved to hate in The Breakfast Club and Steve McQueen (The Magnificent Seven, The Hunter) were two well-known celebrities stricken by the disease.
In mesothelioma, cancerous cells develop in the mesothelium, the protective lining which surrounds most of your internal organs. The most common sites to develop mesothelioma are the lungs (pleura, or outer lining of the lungs and the chest wall) and the abdomen (peritoneum, or the lining of the abdominal cavity). Most people who develop mesothelioma have been employed in a place where asbestos particles or dust have been inhaled. People who live with workers exposed to asbestos are also at risk, due to secondary exposure. The use of asbestos has been banned, but asbestos was widely used in construction and other areas for many years, and exposure can still occur when workers are employed in old buildings and sites where asbestos was commonly used. Researchers are carefully watching those workers who helped in the rescue effort following 9/11 and who were likely exposed to asbestos. Occasionally, no link to asbestos can be found in a person diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Symptoms of mesothelioma may not become evident for 20 to 50 years after exposure. People with pleural mesothelioma may experience the following symptoms:
Shortness of breath and fatigue
Cough or wheezing, sometimes with expectoration of blood
Chest pain
Pleural effusion (fluid around the lung)
Pneumothorax (collapsed lung)
Peritoneal mesothelioma encompasses 1/5 to 1/3 of mesotheliomas. Symptoms may include:
Unintentional weight loss
Muscle wasting
Abdominal pain and distension
Bowel obstruction
Anemia
Fever
Symptoms often mimic those of other diseases, and diagnosis is often difficult.
Chest x-ray, pulmonary function tests, CT and MRI are often used to help make the diagnosis. Where abnormal fluid has accumulated (pleural effusion in the lungs or ascites in the abdomen), abnormal cells can be extracted by needle aspiration and biopsied. Sometimes tissue biopsies are collected by thoracoscopy (the chest) or laparoscopy (the abdomen).
Treatment of mesothelioma may include surgery, which is generally not very successful when performed alone. Chemotherapy and radiation are used in conjunction with surgery for a better outcome. For those people who develop symptoms of mesothelioma and are known to have been exposed to asbestos, early diagnosis is crucial.
SOURCE
In mesothelioma, cancerous cells develop in the mesothelium, the protective lining which surrounds most of your internal organs. The most common sites to develop mesothelioma are the lungs (pleura, or outer lining of the lungs and the chest wall) and the abdomen (peritoneum, or the lining of the abdominal cavity). Most people who develop mesothelioma have been employed in a place where asbestos particles or dust have been inhaled. People who live with workers exposed to asbestos are also at risk, due to secondary exposure. The use of asbestos has been banned, but asbestos was widely used in construction and other areas for many years, and exposure can still occur when workers are employed in old buildings and sites where asbestos was commonly used. Researchers are carefully watching those workers who helped in the rescue effort following 9/11 and who were likely exposed to asbestos. Occasionally, no link to asbestos can be found in a person diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Symptoms of mesothelioma may not become evident for 20 to 50 years after exposure. People with pleural mesothelioma may experience the following symptoms:
Shortness of breath and fatigue
Cough or wheezing, sometimes with expectoration of blood
Chest pain
Pleural effusion (fluid around the lung)
Pneumothorax (collapsed lung)
Peritoneal mesothelioma encompasses 1/5 to 1/3 of mesotheliomas. Symptoms may include:
Unintentional weight loss
Muscle wasting
Abdominal pain and distension
Bowel obstruction
Anemia
Fever
Symptoms often mimic those of other diseases, and diagnosis is often difficult.
Chest x-ray, pulmonary function tests, CT and MRI are often used to help make the diagnosis. Where abnormal fluid has accumulated (pleural effusion in the lungs or ascites in the abdomen), abnormal cells can be extracted by needle aspiration and biopsied. Sometimes tissue biopsies are collected by thoracoscopy (the chest) or laparoscopy (the abdomen).
Treatment of mesothelioma may include surgery, which is generally not very successful when performed alone. Chemotherapy and radiation are used in conjunction with surgery for a better outcome. For those people who develop symptoms of mesothelioma and are known to have been exposed to asbestos, early diagnosis is crucial.
SOURCE
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Immune Cells Shrink Tumors in Mice
FRIDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists say certain tumors in mice have shrunk or disappeared after the animals were injected with genetically engineered immune system cells that target a protein found in certain human cancers.
The lab-altered T-cells zeroed in on mesothelin, a still mysterious protein produced in abundance by all pancreatic cancers and mesotheliomas, as well as many ovarian and non-small-cell lung cancers. The protein is believed to play a role in the spread and growth of cancer cells, a theory backed by past animal and human studies that found attacking mesothelin can shrink tumors.
"Based on the size of the tumors and the number of cells administered, we estimate that one mesothelin-targeted T-cell was able to kill about 40 tumor cells," study leader Dr. Carl H. June, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, said in a news release issued by the school and its partner in the research, the U.S. National Institutes of Health. "This finding indicates that small doses of these cells may have potential in treating patients with large tumors."
According to the study, published in this week's online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the altered T-cells secrete proteins attracted to mesothelin. Once bound to the mesothelin, the T-cells fighting ability shifts into overdrive, producing multiple cytokines that boost the immune system. Other proteins are released by the T-cells to make them less susceptible to tumor's defenses.
The researchers tested the new T-cells on mice with tumors that developed from the implantation of human mesothelioma cells in their skin. When the T-cells were injected into tumors or into the veins of the mice, the tumors disappeared or shrank.
"Mesothelin is a promising candidate for generating tumor-targeting T-cells, given its limited expression in normal tissues and high expression in several cancers," study collaborator Dr. Ira Pastan, chief of the molecular biology laboratory of the U.S. National Cancer Institute's Center for Cancer Research, said in the news release.
Clinical trials that would use the altered T-cells in patients with mesothelioma and ovarian cancer are in the works, June said.
source
The lab-altered T-cells zeroed in on mesothelin, a still mysterious protein produced in abundance by all pancreatic cancers and mesotheliomas, as well as many ovarian and non-small-cell lung cancers. The protein is believed to play a role in the spread and growth of cancer cells, a theory backed by past animal and human studies that found attacking mesothelin can shrink tumors.
"Based on the size of the tumors and the number of cells administered, we estimate that one mesothelin-targeted T-cell was able to kill about 40 tumor cells," study leader Dr. Carl H. June, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, said in a news release issued by the school and its partner in the research, the U.S. National Institutes of Health. "This finding indicates that small doses of these cells may have potential in treating patients with large tumors."
According to the study, published in this week's online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the altered T-cells secrete proteins attracted to mesothelin. Once bound to the mesothelin, the T-cells fighting ability shifts into overdrive, producing multiple cytokines that boost the immune system. Other proteins are released by the T-cells to make them less susceptible to tumor's defenses.
The researchers tested the new T-cells on mice with tumors that developed from the implantation of human mesothelioma cells in their skin. When the T-cells were injected into tumors or into the veins of the mice, the tumors disappeared or shrank.
"Mesothelin is a promising candidate for generating tumor-targeting T-cells, given its limited expression in normal tissues and high expression in several cancers," study collaborator Dr. Ira Pastan, chief of the molecular biology laboratory of the U.S. National Cancer Institute's Center for Cancer Research, said in the news release.
Clinical trials that would use the altered T-cells in patients with mesothelioma and ovarian cancer are in the works, June said.
source
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Westminster refuses to say who’ll pay for Scots asbestos law
MINISTERS HAVE accused Westminster of hampering a new law to let Scots workers sue for asbestos exposure.
The SNP government hopes to pass a Holyrood bill this month allowing compensation claims for scars on the lung known as pleural plaques.
The plan has support from all parties, and would give Scots workers broader scope for damages claims than in England and Wales.
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However, ministers are being frustrated by repeated Westminster refusals to say how much the law will cost the Scottish government.
If Westminster agrees that UK departments such as the Ministry of Defence MoD should absorb the cost of pleural plaque claims in Scotland, the cost to Edinburgh would be £75,000. However, if Westminster invokes its right to make Edinburgh pay for the impact of the law on UK departments, the cost could run into tens of millions.
Despite months of being asked for clarity, the UK government is refusing to say whether it will invoke its "Statement of Funding" right until after the new law is passed, forcing MSPs to try to legislate without knowing the bill's full financial impact.
Westminster is thought to be reluctant to state its position in case the Scots law leads to calls for a similar law in England, which would generate huge government compensation pay-outs.
Fergus Ewing, the community safety minister, last night expressed his anger at the "chicken and egg" impasse and said the bill, "if it becomes law", would redress a great wrong.
"I am obviously concerned that we have not yet received a meaningful response from the UK government, despite repeated requests to them to clarify if they will invoke the Statement of Funding Policy.
"We cannot imagine that the UK departments, notably the MoD and Berr the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform would wish to shirk their legal responsibility to pay due compensation to those who have pleural plaques, particularly those who have worked in shipyards. It would be irresponsible to deny these people justice."
The new law would overturn a 2007 House of Lords ruling that pleural plaques, which are symptomless and do not develop into mesothelioma, are too trivial to merit damages, despite being caused by asbestos.
Until the ruling, workers throughout the UK could sue employers for damages for pleural plaques, provided they could prove negligence.
The average settlement was £8000, with legal costs to the employer of £6000 per case.
After the Lords ruling, Scottish ministers promised to restore the right to sue. Although accepting they cause no physical harm, ministers say the scars generate anxiety and stress, and confirm exposure to asbestos.
The estimated cost to businesses of restoring damages claims is put at £17m to settle existing cases, then £5.5m per year. Scottish councils face a £1m bill to settle existing cases, plus £500,000 a year. Central government faces a bill of just £75,000 to settle existing cases.
However, that figure depends on Westminster bearing the cost of claims against the MoD, over the Naval Dockyard at Rosyth, and Berr, over British Shipbuilders and the British Coal Corporation.
The Berr liability for Scots workers is estimated at £5.3m, while the MoD bill is put at £520,000 to settle existing cases plus £170,000 per year.
However, insurers predict the new law will lead to a wave of fresh claims and that the bills could run into tens of millions. Solicitor advocate Frank Maguire of Thompsons Solicitors, who represents the majority of pleural plaques victims in Scotland, said: "If the MoD recklessly exposed workers to asbestos, why should they be exempt when these workers develop pleural plaques?
"The Statement of Funding Policy is a very flimsy convention that can in no way be allowed to act as some sort of Get out of jail free' card.
"This legislation is desperately needed by victims of pleural plaques, who have to live with the terrible fear of developing fatal cancers like mesothelioma."
But Nick Starling, of the Association of British Insurers, which is deeply sceptical about the new legislation, said: "It's vital that members of the Scottish parliament understand the full extent of the costs involved in this bill before they vote on it and hand those costs on to insurers and other parts of the public sector."
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice, which handles cross-border relations, said: "It would be inappropriate to comment on the possible jurisdictional effects of the Scottish bill."
By Tom Gordon, Scottish Political Editor
The SNP government hopes to pass a Holyrood bill this month allowing compensation claims for scars on the lung known as pleural plaques.
The plan has support from all parties, and would give Scots workers broader scope for damages claims than in England and Wales.
advertisement
However, ministers are being frustrated by repeated Westminster refusals to say how much the law will cost the Scottish government.
If Westminster agrees that UK departments such as the Ministry of Defence MoD should absorb the cost of pleural plaque claims in Scotland, the cost to Edinburgh would be £75,000. However, if Westminster invokes its right to make Edinburgh pay for the impact of the law on UK departments, the cost could run into tens of millions.
Despite months of being asked for clarity, the UK government is refusing to say whether it will invoke its "Statement of Funding" right until after the new law is passed, forcing MSPs to try to legislate without knowing the bill's full financial impact.
Westminster is thought to be reluctant to state its position in case the Scots law leads to calls for a similar law in England, which would generate huge government compensation pay-outs.
Fergus Ewing, the community safety minister, last night expressed his anger at the "chicken and egg" impasse and said the bill, "if it becomes law", would redress a great wrong.
"I am obviously concerned that we have not yet received a meaningful response from the UK government, despite repeated requests to them to clarify if they will invoke the Statement of Funding Policy.
"We cannot imagine that the UK departments, notably the MoD and Berr the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform would wish to shirk their legal responsibility to pay due compensation to those who have pleural plaques, particularly those who have worked in shipyards. It would be irresponsible to deny these people justice."
The new law would overturn a 2007 House of Lords ruling that pleural plaques, which are symptomless and do not develop into mesothelioma, are too trivial to merit damages, despite being caused by asbestos.
Until the ruling, workers throughout the UK could sue employers for damages for pleural plaques, provided they could prove negligence.
The average settlement was £8000, with legal costs to the employer of £6000 per case.
After the Lords ruling, Scottish ministers promised to restore the right to sue. Although accepting they cause no physical harm, ministers say the scars generate anxiety and stress, and confirm exposure to asbestos.
The estimated cost to businesses of restoring damages claims is put at £17m to settle existing cases, then £5.5m per year. Scottish councils face a £1m bill to settle existing cases, plus £500,000 a year. Central government faces a bill of just £75,000 to settle existing cases.
However, that figure depends on Westminster bearing the cost of claims against the MoD, over the Naval Dockyard at Rosyth, and Berr, over British Shipbuilders and the British Coal Corporation.
The Berr liability for Scots workers is estimated at £5.3m, while the MoD bill is put at £520,000 to settle existing cases plus £170,000 per year.
However, insurers predict the new law will lead to a wave of fresh claims and that the bills could run into tens of millions. Solicitor advocate Frank Maguire of Thompsons Solicitors, who represents the majority of pleural plaques victims in Scotland, said: "If the MoD recklessly exposed workers to asbestos, why should they be exempt when these workers develop pleural plaques?
"The Statement of Funding Policy is a very flimsy convention that can in no way be allowed to act as some sort of Get out of jail free' card.
"This legislation is desperately needed by victims of pleural plaques, who have to live with the terrible fear of developing fatal cancers like mesothelioma."
But Nick Starling, of the Association of British Insurers, which is deeply sceptical about the new legislation, said: "It's vital that members of the Scottish parliament understand the full extent of the costs involved in this bill before they vote on it and hand those costs on to insurers and other parts of the public sector."
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice, which handles cross-border relations, said: "It would be inappropriate to comment on the possible jurisdictional effects of the Scottish bill."
By Tom Gordon, Scottish Political Editor
Monday, March 16, 2009
New Mesothelioma Study Results
Between August 2001 and July 2002, a total of 42 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) were enrolled in a Phase I study that involved extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) and intraoperative hyperthermic cisplatin (IOHC). IOHC is heated cisplatin that is delivered into the cavity created during surgery when the mesothelioma and associated organs are removed. Intravenous administration of the drug amifostine was also used to try to ameliorate the cisplatin-induced renal toxicity.
During thoracotomy, 13 patients were found to have unresectable disease and 29 patients had their MPM resected to smaller than 1 centimeter. Of the latter group, there were 22 men and 7 women patients, with a median age of 57 years. Here are the results of the study:
Overall
17 months = median survival for the 42 patients enrolled in the protocol, both those with resectable disease and those with unresectable disease.
Unresectable Disease
10 months = median survival for the 13 patients with unresected disease.
Patients Who Underwent EPP
20 months = median survival for the 29 patients who underwent EPP resection.
Epithelial versus Non-Epithelial
Twenty-four patients had epithelial disease, and 5 patients had non-epithelial tumors.
29 months = median survival for the 24 patients who underwent resection of epithelial tumors.
13 months = median survival for the 5 patients with non-epithelial tumors who underwent resection.
Epithelial and Stage
29 months = median survival of those patients with resected disease of epithelial type and stage 1 to 2 disease.
15 months = median survival of those patients with resected disease of epithelial type and stage 3 disease.
Cisplatin Chemotherapy
26 months = median survival for the 15 patients with resected disease who received higher cisplatin doses.
16 months = median survival for the14 patients with resected disease who received lower cisplatin doses.
Surgical Margins – A negative surgical margin means that no cancer cells were found on the outer edge of the removed tissue, and is a sign that no cancer was left behind. A positive surgical margin indicates that cancer cells are found at the outer edge of the removed sample and is usually a sign that some cancer remains in the body.
30 months = median survival for the 10 patients with resected disease with negative surgical margins.
17 months = median survival for the 19 patients with resected disease and positive surgical margins.
Extrapleural Lymph Nodes – lymph nodes outside the pleura.
31 months = median survival for the 20 patients with resected disease without mesothelioma in the extrapleural lymph nodes.
14 months = median survival for the 9 patients with resected disease with mesothelioma in the extrapleural lymph nodes.
Stage Alone
35 months = median survival for the 18 patients with resected disease and stage 1 to 2 disease.
14 months = median survival for the 11 patients with resected disease and stage 3 disease.
Conclusion
The authors of the study concluded that, “Early stage and negative extrapleural lymph nodes were associated with prolonged survival.”
Note: The staging is based on the model developed by Brigham and Women's Hospital–Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Source: Zellos L, et al., A phase I study of extrapleural pneumonectomy and intracavitary intraoperative hyperthermic cisplatin with amifostine cytoprotection for malignant pleural mesothelioma. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2009 Feb;137(2):453-8.
news source
During thoracotomy, 13 patients were found to have unresectable disease and 29 patients had their MPM resected to smaller than 1 centimeter. Of the latter group, there were 22 men and 7 women patients, with a median age of 57 years. Here are the results of the study:
Overall
17 months = median survival for the 42 patients enrolled in the protocol, both those with resectable disease and those with unresectable disease.
Unresectable Disease
10 months = median survival for the 13 patients with unresected disease.
Patients Who Underwent EPP
20 months = median survival for the 29 patients who underwent EPP resection.
Epithelial versus Non-Epithelial
Twenty-four patients had epithelial disease, and 5 patients had non-epithelial tumors.
29 months = median survival for the 24 patients who underwent resection of epithelial tumors.
13 months = median survival for the 5 patients with non-epithelial tumors who underwent resection.
Epithelial and Stage
29 months = median survival of those patients with resected disease of epithelial type and stage 1 to 2 disease.
15 months = median survival of those patients with resected disease of epithelial type and stage 3 disease.
Cisplatin Chemotherapy
26 months = median survival for the 15 patients with resected disease who received higher cisplatin doses.
16 months = median survival for the14 patients with resected disease who received lower cisplatin doses.
Surgical Margins – A negative surgical margin means that no cancer cells were found on the outer edge of the removed tissue, and is a sign that no cancer was left behind. A positive surgical margin indicates that cancer cells are found at the outer edge of the removed sample and is usually a sign that some cancer remains in the body.
30 months = median survival for the 10 patients with resected disease with negative surgical margins.
17 months = median survival for the 19 patients with resected disease and positive surgical margins.
Extrapleural Lymph Nodes – lymph nodes outside the pleura.
31 months = median survival for the 20 patients with resected disease without mesothelioma in the extrapleural lymph nodes.
14 months = median survival for the 9 patients with resected disease with mesothelioma in the extrapleural lymph nodes.
Stage Alone
35 months = median survival for the 18 patients with resected disease and stage 1 to 2 disease.
14 months = median survival for the 11 patients with resected disease and stage 3 disease.
Conclusion
The authors of the study concluded that, “Early stage and negative extrapleural lymph nodes were associated with prolonged survival.”
Note: The staging is based on the model developed by Brigham and Women's Hospital–Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Source: Zellos L, et al., A phase I study of extrapleural pneumonectomy and intracavitary intraoperative hyperthermic cisplatin with amifostine cytoprotection for malignant pleural mesothelioma. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2009 Feb;137(2):453-8.
news source
Monday, March 2, 2009
Grand jury indicts Boston real estate firm on asbestos violations
A Worcester grand jury returned an indictment this week against Boston-based The Mayo Group Development LLC, a real estate investment, development and management firm, The allegations involve improper asbestos disposal at Bancroft Commons on Franklin Street. Other alleged violations of the Clean Air Act include failure to file notices of asbestos removal with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and failure to use proper asbestos emissions control procedures.
An investigation by the Massachusetts Environmental Crimes Strike Force uncovered evidence that the Mayo Group had employees demolish portions of a 10-story building without first completing an asbestos survey and removing asbestos from the building. Residents were still living in the building, according to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office, while Mayo Group employees were tearing out asbestos-containing materials. State employees witnessed asbestos-containing material being flung out of a window.
The violations were likely to result in asbestos exposure to both workers and residents at Bancroft Commons. Exposure to asbestos can cause asbestos, lung cancer and mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that affects the lining around the lungs, abdomen or heart. These diseases may not appear until decades after the asbestos exposure that causes them.
For the full story, go to the Worcester Telegram.
Source
An investigation by the Massachusetts Environmental Crimes Strike Force uncovered evidence that the Mayo Group had employees demolish portions of a 10-story building without first completing an asbestos survey and removing asbestos from the building. Residents were still living in the building, according to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office, while Mayo Group employees were tearing out asbestos-containing materials. State employees witnessed asbestos-containing material being flung out of a window.
The violations were likely to result in asbestos exposure to both workers and residents at Bancroft Commons. Exposure to asbestos can cause asbestos, lung cancer and mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that affects the lining around the lungs, abdomen or heart. These diseases may not appear until decades after the asbestos exposure that causes them.
For the full story, go to the Worcester Telegram.
Source
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Students risk asbestos exposure in Indiana University’s underground
An extensive system of underground tunnels lies beneath Indiana University’s classrooms and sidewalks. The system was originally created a hundred years ago for utility access, and they house steam lines, communication lines, medium and high voltage power lines and chilled water pipes.
The tunnels are full of hazards—from immediate dangers, like sharp corners, electrocution threats and very hot surfaces, to latent but potentially deadly risks, like exposure to asbestos. An engineer with the university’s physical plant reports that these tunnels are “full of asbestos.” And exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis, diseases that appear decades after the exposure.
Despite these risks and the possibility of arrest, exploring the tunnels is a popular pastime with some students. From time to time, security officers have also found homeless people living in the tunnels. And the tunnels have long been a source of ghost stories and other fascinations.
For the full story, go to Indiana Daily Student
Source
The tunnels are full of hazards—from immediate dangers, like sharp corners, electrocution threats and very hot surfaces, to latent but potentially deadly risks, like exposure to asbestos. An engineer with the university’s physical plant reports that these tunnels are “full of asbestos.” And exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis, diseases that appear decades after the exposure.
Despite these risks and the possibility of arrest, exploring the tunnels is a popular pastime with some students. From time to time, security officers have also found homeless people living in the tunnels. And the tunnels have long been a source of ghost stories and other fascinations.
For the full story, go to Indiana Daily Student
Source
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