Health officials have warned that homeowners and crews sent to clean-up after a recent string of tornados in the South and Midwest may face health risks from asbestos debris found in materials from older buildings. They advised anyone working around this debris to be care in how they handle it because of the potential risk of asbestos exposure. (more…)

A jury in Texas has awarded a $9 million verdict to the family of a former asbestos worker who died of mesothelioma. Jurors found that Robert Henderson was exposed to asbestos while working at a Dow Chemical plant in Midland, Michigan and at Alcoa Inc., which caused him to develop mesothelioma. (more…)

Cooper Industries has agreed to pay approximately $307.5 million to settle asbestos lawsuits involving Pneumo Abex LLC. A Cooper subdivision had guaranteed that it would fulfill obligations to Pneumo Abex regarding mesothelioma and asbestos lawsuits that had been filed against the latter company. (more…)

A U.S. District Court judge has sentenced a former asbestos safety inspector to more than five years in prison for faking hundreds of asbestos and lead test reports. Saverio F. Todaro pleaded guilty in March to mail fraud, environmental crimes and making false statements in connection to his work as a certified asbestos investigator. (more…)

Health officials in Quebec have called for the Canadian government to stop supporting the use and mining of asbestos. In a letter to Canada’s health minister, the health officials criticized the country’s government for continuing to support the asbestos industry even after the mineral has been banned in many other countries for its connection to an increased cancer risk and other side effects. (more…)

The Indian government has begun an investigation to determine whether a former United States naval ship scheduled to be dismantled contains toxic materials. The government’s investigation comes in response to protests by environmental groups who claim that the ship contains hundreds of tons of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and asbestos. (more…)

The former senior county clerk in Potsdam, New York says she may file a lawsuit against the city alleging that she was illegally fired after speaking out about asbestos contamination at a local building. Shelly Warner-Levison alleges that she was fired in retaliation for comments made about the presence of asbestos at the Potsdam Civic Center. (more…)

Army Archerd, a reporter who spent over 50 years covering Hollywood with the trade publication Daily Variety, has died after a five year battle with mesothelioma. He was 87 years old. (more…)

A new study by researchers at Duke University has found that sheet metal workers are at a significantly higher risk of several asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma and asbestosis. The American Journal of Industrial Medicine study examined health records for nearly 18,000 sheet metal workers who had taken part in a 20 year screening program. (more…)