The study, which was recently published online in Nature Genetics, found evidence that people with BAP1 gene mutations may have an increased chance of developing multiple cancer types such as mesothelioma, breast, ovarian, pancreatic and renal cancers. The study highlighted two U.S. families with members who have the BAP1 gene mutation. Both families also have “a high incidence of mesothelioma.”

Dr. Joseph R. Testa, another study co-leader and the Carol and Kenneth E. Weg chairman in Human Genetics at Fox Chase Cancer Center, said the study was the first to “demonstrate that individual genetic makeup can greatly influence susceptibility to mesothelioma.”

While only a first step, the discoveries noted in this study could one day lead to fundamental progress in mesothelioma care. Thanks to Drs. Carbone and Testa and their crew for the hard work. We hope this is just the beginning of bigger breakthroughs to come.

Living with the day-to-day hardships of mesothelioma – whether it is you or a loved one who has been diagnosed with the illness – is both emotionally and financially taxing. If you feel that a company or former employer may be responsible for the asbestos exposure that led to an illness, contact a mesothelioma attorney to learn about filing amesothelioma lawsuit.

Mesothelioma

All of these errors can potentially result in a birth injury occurring that may remain with the newborn child for their entire lives.

According to a study released this month by CRIGO Strategies that analyzed more than 800 OB medical liability cases filed between 2005 and 2009, the three most common allegations in the lawsuits were as follows: Delayed treatment of fetal distress, improper execution of vaginal delivery, and improper management of pregnancy.

“Obstetrics has some unique vulnerabilities, most often involving situations in which a sequence of errors or oversights cascade into a crisis that can put mother and baby in jeopardy,” said Robert Hanscom, CRIGO’s senior vice president.

Obstetrician errors can result in a number of birth injuries that can affect the mother and/or the child being born. Among the more serious birth injuries a newborn can suffer from is cerebral palsy, which can affect a newborn for the rest of his or her life and often relegate them to a wheelchair and constant medical care.

If you or your child was born with a birth injury that can be attributed to medical error, such as cerebral palsy, there may be legal options available to you. Contact a birth injury attorney at Sokolove Law today to learn about your options regarding a lawsuit against the doctors who caused your injury.

Birth Injury

Perhaps most troubling is the fact that despite these known health risks, asbestos is still not banned in the United States and is manufactured and used every day.

But you can help change this. There are a number of easy ways for you to join the fight to ban asbestos and beat mesothelioma forever, and it all begins with one simple goal: raising awareness.

Each year, the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF) recognizes September 26 as National Mesothelioma Awareness Day in order to educate the public about the dangers of asbestos exposure and raise much-needed financial support for research towards improved treatments of the disease. The first Mesothelioma Awareness Day was started in 2004 by a group of volunteers and every year since has been larger and more widespread.

Want to participate, but don’t know where to start? Here are some ideas:

• Write a letter to Congress urging them to ban asbestos. We have a pre-written letter on our homepage you can sign and send digitally in minutes. (Yes, your representatives really receive them and sometimes they’ll even write you back!)
• Spread the word! You can click the Facebook and Twitter buttons on the top or bottom of this page to easily share the news about Mesothelioma Awareness Day with your friends.
• Join MARF’s social media campaign. They have ready-to-use facts and updates for you to share online.
• Plan or attend a fundraising event. You can check MARF’s event calendar to see if there’s anything planned in your area, and if there isn’t, they have otherideas how you can become involved – both on 9/26, as well as throughout the year.
• Make a donation to a non-profit organization like MARF or the Asbestos Disease Organization (ADAO).
• Check out the Mesothelioma Resource Center’s list of ways to raisemesothelioma awareness, which include contacting local news outlets, meeting local government leaders, fundraising and more.

Whether it’s the click of a mouse or a dollar in a donation jar, you CAN make a difference on National Mesothelioma Awareness Day. By raising awareness, we can save lives through safety education and prevention, as well as gaining support for the movements to ban asbestos and secure additional funding for improved treatments.

So take action and spread the word! Together, we can ban asbestos and beat asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma

From the 1940s through the 1970s, anyone who manufactured or installed these floor tiles was likely exposed to asbestos and is at risk of developing asbestos lung cancer, mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases. Kentile and Flintkote are two of the top brands, but there were many other small, lesser-known asbestos floor tile products.

(A big thank you to Asbestorama for these photos. Check out his libary of asbestos products on Flickr)

1. Congoleum Vinylstone

2. Armstong Montina

3. Aristoflex

4. Congoleum Dominique

5. Kentile Floors

6. Johns-Manville Terraflex

7. Flintkote

8. Armstrong Excelon

9. Mystery flooring with asbestos backing

Asbestos

Datatecnics, a Birmingham, England-based company, has developed a special type of wall covering that is designed to detect small asbestos particles and prevent them from getting through to an area where people are located. The ADAAS (Asbestos Disturbance Automated Alert System) polymer film is also designed to trigger an alarm if it is breached in any way.

“Asbestos is in a lot of public buildings. The Government estimates that 70 percent of UK schools contain it and the guidance from the Health and Safety Executive is to manage most of it, not remove it,” Mohammad Zulfiquar, Datatecnics’ CEO, recently told Electronics Weekly.

While the company is still looking for investors before any widespread launch of the product, its mere existence could be a sign of good things to come in regard to the prevention of asbestos exposure in the years to come.

For those who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer that can be linked to asbestos exposure caused by a product or former employer, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Contact an experienced mesothelioma attorney to learn more about your rights, and to see if pursuing a mesothelioma settlement is in your best interest.

Asbestos

According to a press release from Colorado Attorney General John W. Suthers, Thomas K. Tienda improperly demolished his Pueblo home by not hiring properly licensed personnel, or getting any of the proper demolition permits – including ones that ensure any asbestos products are safely removed and appropriately disposed of – before moving forward with the process.

Instead, Tienda hired homeless individuals to perform demolition work on the house, which resulted in the airborne release of dangerous asbestos fibers. Instead of safely disposing of the asbestos products, Tienda was also suspected of reusing some asbestos-contaminated materials following the demolition as well.

“There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos,” said Lori Hanson, special agent in charge of EPA’s criminal enforcement program in Colorado. “The defendant not only employed unsafe asbestos removal practices but tried to cover up his illegal actions. Today’s sentence should send a clear message that the EPA will continue working closely with our state enforcement partners to prosecute those who violate the law and place their private gains over the public’s well being.”

The asbestos exposure case that followed wsa prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney General in cooperation with the Pueblo District Attorney’s Office. The Colorado Environmental Crime Task Force, the Air Quality Unit of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigations Division also assisted in the case.

If you or a loved one have been harmed by asbestos exposure, contact Sokolove Law today to learn more about pursuing an asbestos lawsuit.

Asbestos

Linda Reinstein, who founded the ADAO after her husband became sick with mesothelioma and passed away, wrote in a statement that she was “appalled and shocked” by recent data in the 2012 United States Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries that showed asbestos consumption listed at 1,100 metric tons from January through July of 2011.

The figure represented a substantial increase from the consumption figure of 820 metric tons documented over the same seven month period in the same report one year earlier. The 280 metric ton difference represents a 34 percent increase in consumption.

Reinstein continued that the figures in the report run against the information that the asbestos industry has been arguing for years; that both the importation of asbestos from other countries and the levels of asbestos exposure that the public faces have been in decline.

In the wake of the report, she called on Congress and the President to “immediately prohibit the importation of raw asbestos and asbestos-containing products from crossing our borders to protect public health.”

“Nothing can bring [my husband] or the hundreds of thousands of other victims back to life, but we can begin by aggressively preventing exposure thus eliminating deadly diseases,” she said.

If you or a loved one have been exposed to asbestos fibers and later been diagnosed with mesothelioma, there may be legal options worth pursuing. Call Sokolove Law today to learn more about possibly pursuing a mesothelioma lawsuit.

Asbestos

Asbestos

According to WFMZ, the Gracedale Nursing Home facility in Northampton County recently tested positive for asbestos after the deadly fibers were detected in certain areas of the building.

Harp said that certain areas of the nursing home have been shut down and none of the asbestos fibers became airborne and inhaleable. He noted that the cleanup may costs tens of thousands of dollars.

If you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact Sokolove Law for a free legal consultation.

Asbestos

According to International Business Times UK, Allen Jenkins said that asbestos was “all over the place” and worse on some train lines than others. He further said that while the areas had been painted with encapsulating paint, there was still concern that the paint could easily chip off to expose the asbestos fibers.

Jenkins also said that nothing will be done about it because it would cost too much money and take too long. Although safety measures have been attempted, departments do not have the proper procedures to deal with the hazard.

Asbestos was largely used as insulation in London’s train system until the 1980s and 1990s when laws stopped its use.

If you or a loved one have been harmed by asbestos exposure, contact Sokolove Law for a free legal consultation.

Asbestos