Widow's fight for husband

By Alison Dayani
http://www.birminghammail.net

THE wife of a Birmingham lorry driver who died from a painful lung disease has launched a legal battle for compensation against the company he worked for.

Father-of-four Michael Cartwright, from Selly Oak, was 61-years-old when he died from mesothelioma - a lung cancer normally caused by being exposed to asbestos.

His widow Maureen Cartwright is now taking his former employer Birmingham and Midland Demolition Company to court.

She believes her husband, who was a driver but also loaded building debris from demolition sites at factories and buildings across Birmingham, may have been exposed to asbestos dust while working for the firm during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Mrs Cartwright, along with her two sons and two daughters, is now appealing for former work colleagues of her husband to come forward to help her in the legal battle.

"Michael suffered terribly during his last months from this horrible illness," said Mrs Cartwright.

"Before he was diagnosed, Michael was the family's full-time carer. He cared for our two adult children who have learning difficulties and also our grandchild who suffers with epilepsy.

"Michael was golden, I couldn't have wished for a better husband. We are all finding it very hard to come to terms with his death."

Mr Cartwright was diagnosed with mesothelioma in April 2005 and died just over a year later.

An inquest into Mr Cartwright at Birmingham coroner's court in November 2006 returned a verdict that he died as a result of an industrial disease.

Family solicitor Iain Shoolbred, from law firm Irwin Mitchell, said: "In order for his family to obtain some recompense from the debilitating illness, it is vital that people who have information about the working practices and contracts undertaken at Birmingham and Midland Demolition Company in the late 1960s and 1970s come forward.We are keen to hear from any of his work mates."

Midland Demolition Company has ceased to trade so the family is sueing the company's insurers at the time.

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Carbon nanotubes may bring health risk

By Graham Pitcher
http://www.newelectronics.co.uk

Research led by the University of Edinburgh has found that carbon nanotubes may be as harmful as asbestos.

The researchers found that short carbon nanotube fibres appeared to be harmless. However, they also found the body was unable to deal with longer fibres, which provoked inflammation and disease. The reaction is similar to that produced by asbestos, where longer fibres can cause mesothelioma.

Professor Ken Donaldson, chair of respiratory toxicology, said: “While we have identified a potential hazard, more research is needed to show what, if any, the health risk is.

There should be minimal risk in handling items made of carbon nanotubes because the fibres are so embedded. We are more concerned that there may be higher exposure of the workers involved in production of items containing nanotubes.”

Alongside the University of Edinburgh, research was carried out in collaboration with the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, the Institute of Occupational Medicine, Napier University and the University of Manchester.

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Home renovators warned of danger of asbestos illness

By James O'Loan
news.com.au

A NEW wave of fatal asbestos-related diseases is on the way, threatening the state's amateur home renovators. Deaths are set to double.

Experts say the national death toll of 3000 a year from mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancers will double in the next 10 years _ and the proportion of Queenslanders in this category is set to rise from the current one-in-five.

Mesothelioma deaths in Queensland have leapt 30 per cent since 1997, outstripping all states and territories.

Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia president Barry Robson said the first cases of renovators falling victim to the killer diseases were appearing, and he warned there were many more to come.

Mr Robson said he was disappointed recent offers to supply Bunnings, Mitre 10 and other hardware stores with warning pamphlets had been rejected.

Mesothelioma is an incurable cancer that wraps itself around lung lining. It can take 20 to 30 years to appear, then usually kills within six to 18 months.

Asbestosis researcher and former university lecturer Dr Jim Leigh said terminal asbestos-related lung cancer rates were about double those of mesothelioma; both diseases are set to peak in the coming decade.

Former industrial oven installer Chris Smith, 58, has asbestos-related lung cancer and is part of the third wave of victims - mostly tradespersons and end-users of asbestos materials.

The first victims of the diseases were asbestos miners, followed by a second wave of the makers of building products, and later tradespeople.

The former smoker was diagnosed in 2004 and doctors will be surprised if he lives past 2011.

Chris Smith, who is chairman of the Queensland Asbestos Related Disease Support Society warned home renovators to take precautions.

"One exposure may kill, so if you're not sure if it's asbestos, wear a mask," Mr Smith said.

"The asbestos out there now is in a worse condition than it was. It's deteriorating and dusting away."

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare recorded 105 new Queensland mesothelioma cases in 2005, from 569 Australia-wide. Forecasts are based on a steady rise since data collection began in the 1980s but health professionals and victim support groups say the statistics are under-reported.

Brisbane's Slater and Gordon Lawyers asbestos specialist Tim Hammond painted a grim picture for those exposed to fibres.

He said the diseases' long gestation periods meant thousands were unaware the carcinogen had taken hold.

"Sadly, we're going to see more and more Queenslanders getting sick and dying from this disease," he said.

"There's going to be DIYers, mum-and-dad home renovators. We're really at the fourth wave now. The reality is most of the first and second wave are dead."

Exposure to asbestos, mined and used in Australian building materials for decades, can also cause non-cancerous asbestosis (scarring of the lungs) and pleural plaques.

Prince Charles Hospital lung specialist Dr Kwun Fong is part of a team of physicians treating a rising number of Queenslanders with one of the four variants.

"Unfortunately, there's no cure for mesothelioma at the moment but there are drugs that can prolong life and ease the symptoms," he said.

"If (cases of mesothelioma increase as predicted) we'll have to work out ways to deal with it."

Mr Robson said he would meet Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland within two months to push for a national approach to education, treatment and compensation for asbestos-related diseases.

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Nanotubes may be as bad as asbestos

By R. Colin Johnson
EE Times
Carbon nanotubes could cause the same maladies as asbestos, according to a study by University of Edinburgh, which also showed that long-thin fibers cause the pathological response known to be a precursor to mesothelioma cancer in mice.

"Long, thin carbon nanotubes showed the same effects as long, thin asbestos fibers," said University of Edinburghprofessor Kenneth Donaldson.

Both carbon nanotubes and asbestos fibers were injected into the abdominal cavity of mice, a technique that is accepted in medical circles as a predictor of how pathogens affect lung tissue. The results showed that like asbestos, long nanotube fibers were thin enough to penetrate deep into lungs, but their length prevented the lungs' built-in mechanisms from removing the particles.

"If nanotubes get into the lungs in sufficient quantity, there is a chance that some people will develop cancer—perhaps decades after breathing it," said Donaldson.

Short nanotubes did not behave like asbestos, and were cleared from the bodies of experimental mice. However, long, thin nanotubes tended to bunch together, causing inflamation and lesions, which are precursors of cancer. Short nanotubes may also be found to cause harm, according to the researchers, who said more research is needed.

Carbon nanotubes have high aspect ratios, only nanometers in diameter but sometimes microns long. Aspect ratios are often over 1000:1. In semiconductors, nanotubes are usually safely affixed to a substrate, but their use in other industries could enable them to enter the water or air where they could become a health hazard.

If nanoparticles are breathed into the lungs, the researchers warned that the health affects would be as severe as breathing in asbestos. Asbestos exposure can cause lung cancer in 30 to 40 years after initial exposure.

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Pleural Mesothelioma Trial Shows No Benefit for Chemo

Adding chemotherapy to active symptom control in cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma appeared to have little effect in a large randomized trial, researchers said here.

Neither of two chemotherapy regimens -- analyzed together or singly -- extended life significantly nor was there a significant effect on quality of life, according to Richard Stephens of the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit, and colleagues.


But an exploratory analysis suggested that one of the chemotherapy agents used -- vinorelbine (Navelbine) -- might have a benefit and should be studied further, the researchers reported in the May 17 issue of The Lancet.

On the other hand, the trial might have been overtaken by events, the researchers said.

The study was designed in the 1990s and was intended to compare active symptom control to symptom control plus vinorelbine and symptom control plus mitomycin (Mutamycin), vinblastine (Velban), and cisplatin (Platinol).

But in 2002, a large randomized trial showed a modest survival improvement for cisplatin and pemetrexed (Alimta), which had the effect of slowing patient recruitment for the trial reported here.

Efforts to include the cisplatin and pemetrexed regimen were unsuccessful, the researchers said. Instead, given the slow accrual, they changed the study design to combine the two chemotherapy arms, although the three-arm randomization was kept to allow for exploratory analyses of each regimen.

Subsequently, a second large randomized trial found a survival benefit for cisplatin and ralitrexed (Tomudex).

The upshot of those two studies is that doublet chemotherapy appears to have a survival benefit of about 2.5 months, according to Nicholas Vogelzang, M.D., of the Nevada Cancer Institute in Las Vegas.

Dr. Vogelzang, who led the cisplatin/pemetrexed study, said the standard of care now is cisplatin and pemetrexed. It is also possible that cisplatin and gemcitabine (Gemzar) will be beneficial, he said, although that has not been well tested. Ralitrexed is no longer available, Dr. Vogelzang noted.

Writing in an accompanying comment article, he dismissed the notion of vinorelbine as a possible therapy.

"I believe that single-agent chemotherapy offers little to patients in the way of palliation or survival, since [active symptom control] plus vinorelbine was statistically indistinguishable from [symptom control] alone," he argued.

Indeed, in the current study, the researchers found:

• Compared with active symptom control alone, there was a small and non-significant survival benefit for added chemotherapy. The hazard ratio was 0.89, with a 95% confidence interval from 0.72 to 1.10.
• Median survival was 7.6 months for symptom control alone and 8.5 months when chemotherapy was added.
• Exploratory analyses suggested active symptom control plus vinorelbine might have an advantage, although it was also non-significant. The hazard ratio was 0.80 with a median survival of 9.5 months.
• There was no evidence of a survival benefit in the cisplatin arm, which had a hazard ratio of 0.99 compared with symptom control alone.
  

Medpagetoday Medical News

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Boston Mesothelioma cancer lawyers stress importance of filing compensation claims quickly

Boston Massachusetts (CaymanMama.com) — Once the diagnosis has been made, the patients of Boston mesothelioma cancer must waste no time finding a Boston asbestos cancer lawyer to file for compensation for the harm and injury inflicted to them by the asbestos industry. After evaluation of the mesothelioma cancer case, the attorneys would be able to guide the patient and his/her family as per provisions laid down in the law.

The fact is that the statute binds mesothelioma cancer patients and their families with a limited amount of time for filing compensation claims. This time limit varies from state to state. Time constraints and the need of medical attention for the patients diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer burdens family members. Armed with this knowledge, the asbestos attorney take care of the legal obligations relieving the patient and family members to attend to medication and hospitalization.

Mesothelioma lawsuits lawyers help people recover damages, losses and recover compensation. These attorneys not only educate the public about mesothelioma cancer and the adverse affects of asbestos in people’s health, but also guide them through the legalities of the mesothelioma cancers cases, offering first free consultations and offering their services on contingency fee basis.
Caymanmama.com - Law News

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Nicholas woman files asbestos suit for late husband

By Cara Bailey -Kanawha Bureau
12 May 2008

A Nicholas County woman has filed an asbestos suit against 50 companies, on behalf of her husband, who died of malignant mesothelioma.

Betty Bailes filed the suit April 15 in Kanawha Circuit Court on behalf of her husband, George Bailes.

According to the suit, George Bailes lived in Nicholas County, but worked in Kanawha County, where he was exposed to asbestos. Due to his exposure, he was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, which ultimately resulted in his death.

The suit states the companies knew about the dangers of asbestos but failed to warn their employees or take the proper safety precautions to prevent workers from being exposed to the asbestos.

The suit specifically names Union Carbide Corporation and T.H. Agriculture and Nutrition as defendants.

In the nine-count suit, Betty Bailes seeks compensatory and exemplary damages.

Attorney James M. Barber is representing Bailes. The case will be assigned to a visiting judge.
News Found at: http://www.wvrecord.com

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Missing records a loss to asbestos research

A FEDERAL government department has admitted "potentially losing" detailed records of 1000 asbestos-related disease cases required by researchers to better understand exposure risk.

The details were collected in the 1980s for one of the world's most comprehensive surveys on mesothelioma, the fatal lung condition which killed the asbestos crusader Bernie Banton last year.

The records were recently requested by a Sydney geologist for a well-publicised study to determine the number of Australians exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos at little-known, naturally occurring asbestos "hot spots".

Marc Hendrickx, from Macquarie University, said the records from the Mesothelioma Surveillance Program were essential for the study. However, the Office of the Australian Safety and Compensation Council says they cannot be found.

"It is certainly not our policy to discard records such as these," the director, Julie Hill, wrote in the latest Medical Journal of Australia.

"We regret the potential loss of these important records to the research community and are still attempting to locate them," she said.

More than 600 new cases of so-called "meso" are diagnosed every year, mostly in people directly exposed to the dangerous substance.

However, about 10 per cent of cases occur in people with no known exposure and some are believed to be caused by hidden deposits of naturally occurring asbestos, a pattern Mr Hendrickx planned to map to show potentially dangerous areas.
Source:http://www.smh.com.au

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Electrician’s death due to lethal fibres

A FORMER electrician from York died after being exposed to lethal asbestos dust while working at the city's carriageworks, an inquest heard.

On leaving school in the mid-1950s at the age of 15, Graham Sidebottom, 67, of Teddar Road, in Acomb, York, followed in the footsteps of his father and worked as an apprentice electrician at the British Rail carriageworks, in Holgate Road.

Mr Sidebottom, who worked there until 1992, died in May last year. The inquest was told his death was caused by malignant mesothelioma.

In a statement signed by Mr Sidebottom in January last year, he said: "My doctors feel I do have mesothelioma, particularly because of my exposure to asbestos dust and fibres during the course of my employment with British Rail."

In the statement, Mr Sidebottom, who had been smoking up until a few weeks before his death, said he had recollections as a young man of screwing up the asbestos into balls and throwing it "just for fun".

He said that while he was never told to wear a mask to do his job, no one knew how dangerous asbestos was.

He said he worked like this until about 1967, but from about 1971 exposure to asbestos dust had reduced.

York coroner Donald Coverdale said: "The statement Mr Sidebottom gave to his solicitor contains all the information I require and of course that does confirm exposure to asbestos while working at British Rail carriageworks for a considerable number of years. It's apparent from his statement he didn't have any protection in the form of a face mask."

Mr Coverdale said he had no doubt asbestos would have been thoroughly ingrained in Mr Sidebottom's clothes.

Mr Coverdale said: "There's only one verdict - that's that he has died from the industrial disease of mesothelioma." Speaking after the inquest, Mr Sidebottom's widow, Joyce Sidebottom, 62, said: "It's an awful way to die."

Mr Sidebottom died on May 2, 2007, at St Leonard's Hospice, in Tadcaster Road, York.

Kim Daniells, chairwoman of the York Asbestos Support Group, said: "The only known cause of malignant mesothelioma is asbestos exposure. The number of deaths from this condition continues to rise as a result of the working practises that were in place in the latter half of the 20th century.

"This further tragic death is just one in a long line of those that we're seeing of former employees at the carriageworks and from industry across the UK generally."

She said if anybody was worried about previous exposure to asbestos, or would like advice about asbestos diseases, or wanted support, they could contact the support group on 07787 120317.
Source:http://www.yorkpress.co.uk

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The Four Stages of Mesothelioma

After verifying a mesothelioma diagnosis, the next step is named staging. Staging is the process used to find out how far the cancer has spread. Imaging studies, such as CT scans and MRI's, help a doctor to determine the mesothelioma stage. This is important because it affects the treatment and prognosis of mesothelioma.

The most common system used for measuring mesothelioma staging is the Butchart Staging System. This staging procedure is only used for pleural mesothelioma (cancer of the lining of the lungs) because it is by far the most common type of mesothelioma.

A. Stage 1 - Localized Malignant Mesothelioma
Stage I mesothelioma is the initial stage of mesothelioma. Here, the cancerous tumor is found in the pleura (the lung lining), and may also involvesome tumors in the lung, pericardium (the lining of the heart), or the diaphragm.

B. Stage 2 Mesothelioma
In Stage II mesothelioma, in addition to the presence of mesothelioma in the pleura, mesothelioma has spread to the chest wall, esophagus, or heart. Also, mesotheliomamay have spread to the lymph nodes in the chest.


C. Stage 3 Mesothelioma
In Stage III, mesothelioma has invaded the diaphragm into the peritoneum (the lining of the heart), and may involve lymph nodes outside of the chest.

D. Stage 4 Mesothelioma
In Stage IV, mesothelioma has metastasized, spreading through the bloodstream to other organs of the body.

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