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The McGill University Health Centre, a hospital which prides itself on adhering to strict environmental guidelines for constructing its new hospital, faces to lose it’s “green” status for using asbestos fibers in its drainage pipes. The hospital is still striving to maintain its status as environmentally friendly and has announced that it would seek at least “silver status,” in the internationally recognized Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system. The... Read Full Story

Northern Ireland’s Finance Minister has just approved new legislation that will allow its residents to claim compensation for pleural mesothelioma contracted following asbestos exposure. According to Finance Minister Sammy Wilson, the new legislation will take effect on December 14th. It overturns a 2007 decision by the House of Lords stating that victims of asymptomatic, asbestos-related conditions could not claim compensation. £2.5 million has already been set aside for claims. In... Read Full Story

The danger of climate change has been making itself apparent in recent years. As natural disasters occur more frequently, they bring about significant economic, financial, and environmental destruction, as well as several dangers toward human health and safety. According to the Australian government , another issue that comes up after a natural disaster is the increased risk of asbestos exposure . Concerns are growing among Australians as the occurrence of earthquakes and floods is increasing... Read Full Story

Several contract workers at Virginia’s Surry Nuclear Station have been exposed to asbestos despite assurances that they would not come into contact with the deadly substance and that any contaminated areas would be clearly marked. Read Full Story

The family of a mesothelioma sufferer in the UK has begun an asbestos awareness campaign after being told that his illness is inoperable.  David Phillips was diagnosed with mesothelioma four years ago, and at the time had no idea how he may have contracted the disease. Most people diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer are retired contract workers or military veterans who developed the disease as a result of asbestos exposure . Phillips, however, worked as a travel agent and was never aware of... Read Full Story

Cancer patients and suvivors can experience symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder similar to that experienced by military veterans, a new study reports . Resaerchers at the Duke Cancer Institute in Durham, North Carolina have found that many cancer survivors suffer from persisting symptoms of PTSD even a decade following their diagnosis. The symptoms include jumpiness, having disturbing thoughts about their cancer and treatment and experiencing emotional numbness towards close friends... Read Full Story

Mesothelioma patients may soon see a new, easier, more effective treatment for their cancer, as European researchers are currently developing an inhalant method of drug administration as opposed to the current intravenous treatment. This new medicine has the potential to work much more quickly than what is currently available, as well circumvent the issue of harmful side effects, which in many cases include kidney damage. At the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, scientists have... Read Full Story

Researchers in Australia may have found the solution to a previously unsolved problem regarding an aggressive and deadly cancer. The research was conducted on small-cell lung cancer , an ailment with a survival rate of only five percent within five years of diagnosis. Chemotherapy is usually an effective and many patients go into remission, but in most cases the cancer returns. Once the cancer has returned, the patients rarely survive. For years, scientists have been unable to pin down... Read Full Story

Cases of malignant mesothelioma are on the rise, according to a statement published by the World Health Organization (WHO). Based on data provided by countries around the world, the WHO has estimated that over 92,252 deaths were caused by mesothelioma between 1994 and 2008 – that’s over 6,000 each year worldwide. Two-thirds of those deaths occurred after the year 2000. Read Full Story

While it was once thought that mesothelioma was caused only by asbestos exposure , health officials and medical researchers are now expressing growing concerns regarding another culprit: a naturally occurring fibrous substance called erionite. Much like asbestos, is harmless until it is disturbed, at which point its small particles are released into the air where they can be inhaled and then embedded into the lungs. Read Full Story