It is rare to find video footage of current asbestos industry conditions from around the world, which makes these videos posted by IBAS of working conditions in Iran an incredible resource. Depicting conditions in asbestos using factories, these brief videos highlight the dangerous exposure these workers face every day. Visit IBAS to view the videos and read more about Asbestos Reality.
Famed Pearl Harbor tower to be repaired with federal funds
Referred to as the Empire State Building of Pearl Harbor by Ken DeHoff, executive director of the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, the iconic control tower on Ford Island currently stands as a symbol of rust and neglect.
DeHoff, a Cobra helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War, sees the 158-foot-tall riveted-steel tower as a potential gold mine for World War II research, in addition to offering a spectacular panoramic view of the surrounding areas.
On December 7, 1941, one of the first radio broadcasts of the Pearl Harbor attack was made from the tower. According to published reports, at 7:58 a.m., Vice Admiral Patrick Bellinger, the commander of Patrol Wing 2, announced, “Air raid, Pearl Harbor. This is no drill!”
“There’s just so much history in aviation right here on Ford Island,” DeHoff told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Study: Women with mesothelioma may live longer after surgery than males
Mesothelioma research is a popular topic in the medical world right now, due to the increasing number of people showing symptoms of the deadly disease. While research is leading doctors to a clearer path on how to treat the disease, there are still many difficulties in diagnosing and treating asbestos-related diseases.
However, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, have made an interesting discovery. A recent study done by the hospital has shown that while women tend to develop mesothelioma earlier than men, they also tend to live longer with the disease after surgery.
Currently there is no cure for mesothelioma, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and the average length of survival time ranges from four to 18 months after the initial diagnosis. There are some cases where a patient will live longer.
PRESS RELEASE: Philippine Senate to call hearing on asbestos ban bill
Associated Labor Unions (ALU)
Building and Woodworkers International (BWI)
Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP)
Manila, Philippines, 19 October 2010 – “Senator Manny Villar as Chair of the Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce will schedule public hearing on Senate Bill No. 89 (SBN-89) banning asbestos when the Senate resumes session on November 8, 2010”, replied Atty. Gladys Garcia from the Senator’s office during the handover of trade union position on the asbestos ban bill 11 October 2010.
More innovations in the Early Diagnosis of Lung Cancer
Lung cancer kills 1.3 million people a year and is the leading cause of cancer death world wide. Nearly 220,000 men and women were diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States in 2009, with nearly 160,000 Americans dying from the disease. For years, researchers have been seeking a way to detect lung cancer at its early stages, when it is most treatable. Last year we reported on an electronic nose developed in Israel that used nanoparticles to sniff out organic compounds in lung cancer, facilitating early diagnosis. Now there is a another technique poised to change the way lung cancer is diagnosed and treated.
Super Dimension , a private company based in Israel, has developed a comprehensive, advanced lung navigation system called Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy (ENB). First developed in 2005, it is now used in over 275 hospitals worldwide, and has facilitated diagnosis in over 15,000 patients.
More innovations in the Early Diagnosis of Lung Cancer
Lung cancer kills 1.3 million people a year and is the leading cause of cancer death world wide. Nearly 220,000 men and women were diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States in 2009, with nearly 160,000 Americans dying from the disease. For years, researchers have been seeking a way to detect lung cancer at its early stages, when it is most treatable. Last year we reported on an electronic nose developed in Israel that used nanoparticles to sniff out organic compounds in lung cancer, facilitating early diagnosis. Now there is a another technique poised to change the way lung cancer is diagnosed and treated.
Super Dimension , a private company based in Israel, has developed a comprehensive, advanced lung navigation system called Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy (ENB). First developed in 2005, it is now used in over 275 hospitals worldwide, and has facilitated diagnosis in over 15,000 patients.
Asbestos takes toll on British Columbia workers
WorkSafe British Columbia (BC), a government workplace safety agency in the Canadian province, recently compiled documents that show at least 50 workers in the region die annually from asbestos-related diseases.
While the use of asbestos was slowly phased out of Canada by the 1990s, its impact is still being felt in British Columbia, according to the Vancouver news provider The Province.
One man who is dealing with the consequences of suffering asbestos exposure in the workplace is Dirk Jansema.
Kansas prisons undergo asbestos testing
A number of prisons in Kansas will need to undergo asbestos abatement after an audit conducted by the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) revealed that guards and inmates were possibly exposed to the deadly mineral.
Two prisons are scheduled to have asbestos removed, but dozens of other detention facilities throughout the state may need to have abatement conducted in the future, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal.
“Asbestos-containing materials were found in various buildings at DOC facilities,” Bill Miskell, spokesman for corrections department, told the news source. Asbestos was commonly used as a flame retardant and insulator in older structures.
Global Asbestos Conference
This week marks an important milestone in the history of the global ban asbestos network. On September 17, 2000, the landmark Global Asbestos Congress (GAC 2000) began in Osasco, Brazil. For the first time asbestos victims, trade unionists, and occupational and environmental health experts from around the world joined together in an effort to protect the rights of asbestos victims throughout the world. Nearly one hundred international guests and more than three hundred Brazilian delegates attended plenary sessions, workshops, and round-table discussions.
João de Souza, President of Brazilian Association of the Asbestos-Exposed (ABREA), Brazil attended the conference 10 years ago. “The GAC 2000 in Osasco brought us a new dimension in the struggle to ban asbestos. It was no longer a fight for national or local asbestos bans but a planetary struggle uniting citizens, activists, victims, politicians, unionists, students, and common people eager to eliminate the greatest industrial killer of all time. We left the conference stronger and much more confident in our skill to transform an unfair global situation.”
In the ten years since the first Global Asbestos Congress, over 50 countries have banned the deadly mineral. Research continues to develop new and improved treatments for asbestos-related diseases. Yet much work remains to be done. The World Health Organization estimates that today 125 million people are still occupationally exposed to asbestos. Asbestos may take as many as 10 million lives before it is finally banned worldwide. Each of these deaths could be prevented by a global ban on asbestos. The time has come.
UK construction firm fined for asbestos violations
An English construction company recently pleaded guilty to asbestos violations after knowingly exposing its employees to the deadly mineral.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), England’s federal health agency, Greswolde Construction did not warn its employees that asbestos was present during a project at Rokeby Primary School in Rugby despite having a survey that showed what areas contained asbestos.