Gulf Oil Spill Forecast to Involve The US East Coast

The  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAH) has just released a dismal projection that there was a high probability that the Gulf Oil Spill will migrate up the East Coast of the US.


"Much of the west coast of Florida has a low probability (1%–20%) for impact, but the Florida Keys, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale areas have a greater probability (61%–80%) due to the potential influence of the Loop Current."


If this senario plays out, the health threat to workers and volunteers will expand.


To read more about petroleum exposure and workers' compensation click here.

Click here for more information on how Jon L Gelman can assist you in a claim for workers' Compensation claim benefits. You may e-mail Jon  Gelman or call 1-973-696-7900. 

Occupational Risks and Health Hazards to Oil Spill Workers & Volunteers

Video Highlight: Welcome Remarks by Harvey V. Fineberg, President, IOM

Several days ago the US Institutes of Medicine held a conference on the medical conditions potentially related to occupational exposures arising out of the gulf oil spill. The complete program,  Assessing the Human Health Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: An Institute of Medicine Workshop, is now available online.

To read more about petroleum exposure and workers' compensation click here.

Click here for more information on how Jon L Gelman can assist you in a claim for workers' Compensation claim benefits. You may e-mail Jon  Gelman or call 1-973-696-7900. 

Delay To Reinstate For Tactical Reasons Not Excuseable

The NJ Court of Appeals did not permit reinstatement of a dismissed claim where the claimant's attorney waited more than one year following the entry of a dismissal for lack of prosecution. While the NJ case law permits discretion by the Judge of Compensation to reinstate a claim, the Court upheld the trial court's decision of not allowing reinstatement.


"Here, there was no impediment to the filing of a timely motion for reinstatement for nearly the entire one-year statutory period. Despite the considerable age of most of the petitions in question, and despite the fact that they still were not capable of being moved due to petitioner's failure to provide discovery, petitioner here did nothing but adopt a deliberate course of delay, choosing to expend as much of the one-year period as possible without taking action. The fact that petitioner's attorney's unanticipated illness proved untimely and struck at a critical moment is of no consequence. Even if counsel's inactivity between September 7 and October 3, 2008 was excusable, his conscious and deliberate inaction from September 27, 2007 until September 6, 2008 was inexcusable. An attorney's neglect or inadvertence is not ground for relief pursuant to Rule 4:50-1(a). See, e.g., Baumann v. Marinaro, 95 N.J. 380, 394 (1984); Quagliato v. Bodner, 115 N.J. Super. 133, 138 (App. Div. 1971)."

Danter v. Arrow International, Inc., DOCKET NO. A-0111-09T30111-09T3, (NJ App Div 2010) Decided June 30, 2010 - Unpublished.


To read more about dismissals  and workers' compensation click here.

Click here for more information on how Jon L Gelman can assist you in a claim for workers' Compensation claim benefits. You may e-mail Jon  Gelman or call 1-973-696-7900. 

Federal Government Launches HealthCare Insurance Website

"
The Federal Government has launched a new web site to provide information to consumer of health care insurance.
"HealthCare.gov launches today. It’s a website designed to help you take control of your health care – by putting the power of information at your fingertips.

"It’s the first website to collect both public and private health insurance options across the nation in a single place. Even better, our insurance options finder automatically sorts through this huge catalog of options to help you identify the ones that may be right for you.

"Other highlights of the site include extensive information about your rights as a consumer, how to navigate the health insurance marketplace, and how the Affordable Care Act can help you – all tailored to you.

To read more about health care  and workers' compensation click here.

Click here for more information on how Jon L Gelman can assist you in a claim for workers' Compensation claim benefits. You may e-mail Jon  Gelman or call 1-973-696-7900. 

City Out Sourcing Police To Reduce Workers Compensation Costs

Maywood City California is taking the cost saving approach by out-sourcing its essential services, including its police, to reduce workers' compensation costs. City officials anticipate a 40% cost savings through the use of out-sourcing. The city has an operating deficit of $1.4 Million.

To read more about the economy and workers' compensation click here.

Click here for more information on how Jon L Gelman can assist you in a claim for workers' Compensation claim benefits. You may e-mail Jon  Gelman or call 1-973-696-7900. 

EPA Recommends Further Toxicity Studies of Gulf Oil Dispersants

The Environmental Protection Agency today released peer reviewed results from the first round of its own independent toxicity testing on eight oil dispersants. EPA conducted testing to ensure that decisions about ongoing dispersant use in the Gulf of Mexico continue to be grounded in the best available science. Additional testing is needed to further inform the use of dispersants. 


Mandated by the US EPA , British Petroleum (BP) was ordered to reduce the amount of dispersants being utilized. "BP shall implement measures to limit the total amount of surface and subsurface dispersant applied each day to the minimum amount possible. BP shall establish an overall goal of reducing dispersant application by 75% from the maximum daily amount used...."


One of the primary dispersants been utilized is Corexit(r) 9500. NALCO, the manufacturer warns on the material data safety sheet (MSDS): "Do not get in eyes, on skin, on clothing. Do not take internally. Avoid breathing vapor. Use with adequate ventilation. In case
of contact with eyes, rinse immediately with plenty of water and seek medical advice. After contact with skin, wash immediately with plenty of soap and water."


"EPA's results indicated that none of the eight dispersants tested, including the product in use in the Gulf, displayed biologically significant endocrine disrupting activity. While the dispersant products alone – not mixed with oil - have roughly the same impact on aquatic life, JD-2000 and Corexit 9500 were generally less toxic to small fish and JD-2000 and SAF-RON GOLD were least toxic to mysid shrimp."


The EPA called for further testing. The next phase of EPA’s testing will assess the acute toxicity of multiple concentrations of Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil alone and combinations of Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil with each of the eight dispersants for two test species. 


To read more about petroleum exposure and workers' compensation click here.

Click here for more information on how Jon L Gelman can assist you in a claim for workers' Compensation claim benefits. You may e-mail Jon  Gelman or call 1-973-696-7900. 

New Study Released Explaining the Asbestos - Mesothelioma Link

"Asbestos carcinogenesis has been linked to the release of cytokines and mutagenic reactive oxygen species (ROS) from inflammatory cells. Asbestos is cytotoxic to human mesothelial cells (HM), which appears counterintuitive for a carcinogen. We show that asbestos-induced HM cell death is a regulated form of necrosis that links to carcinogenesis. Asbestos-exposed HM activate poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, secrete H2O2, deplete ATP, and translocate high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, and into the extracellular space. The release of HMGB1 induces macrophages to secrete TNF-α, which protects HM from asbestos-induced cell death and triggers a chronic inflammatory response; both favor HM transformation. In both mice and hamsters injected with asbestos, HMGB1 was specifically detected in the nuclei, cytoplasm, and extracellular space of mesothelial and inflammatory cells around asbestos deposits. TNF-α was coexpressed in the same areas. HMGB1 levels in asbestos-exposed individuals were significantly higher than in nonexposed controls (P < 0.0001). Our findings identify the release of HMGB1 as a critical initial step in the pathogenesis of asbestos-related disease, and provide mechanistic links between asbestos-induced cell death, chronic inflammation, and carcinogenesis. Chemopreventive approaches aimed at inhibiting the chronic inflammatory response, and especially blocking HMGB1, may decrease the risk of malignant mesothelioma among asbestos-exposed cohorts."

"Programmed necrosis induced by asbestos in human mesothelial cells causes high-mobility group box 1 protein release and resultant inflammation" Published online before print June 28, 2010, doi:10.1073/pnas.1006542107 (This item requires a subscription to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).

Click here to read more about asbestos related disease and claims for benefits. 

For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com  has been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered asbestos related illnesses.