Workplace Safety is the Most Important Issue This Labor Day

More than 85% of of the workers polled this Labor Day consider workplace safety as the most important issue. The study, "Public Attitudes Towards and Experiences with Workplace Safety," draws on dozens of surveys and polls conducted by NORC, one of the nation's leading academic survey operations, think tanks and public opinion firms. NORC’s analysis sought to gain a picture of Americans' experiences with workplace safety issues. The study was done for the Public Welfare Foundation, based in Washington, DC, which supports efforts to improve workers' rights.

Click here to read the study.

For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com  have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational exposures,

Related articles:

• Workers rate safety most important workplace issue in new Labor Day study (scienceblog.com)
• Workplace safety records go online this fall (cbc.ca)
• 85% of Americans Say Workplace Safety Regulations are "Very Important" (workinprogress.firedoglake.com)
• Workplace safety website falls short of pledge (newswire.ca)
• Workers rate safety most important workplace issue in new Labor Day study (physorg.com)
• Workplace safety ranked #1 labor standard [The Pump Handle] (scienceblogs.com)

There is No Good Asbestos -- It Is All a Killer

Chrysotile Asbestos and Mesothelioma

• Article

Jump to

• References

Richard A. Lemen

Assistant Surgeon General, U.S. Public Health Service (retired), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (retired), Canton, Georgia, E-mail: richard@ralemen.org

Citation: Lemen RA 2010. Chrysotile Asbestos and Mesothelioma. Environ Health Perspect 118:a282-a282. doi:10.1289/ehp.1002446

Online: 01 July 2010

Editor’s Note: We appreciate Lemen’s concern about the incorrect statement that was included in the original Editor’s Summary for Tse et al. (2010), and we regret the error. The Editor’s Summary has been corrected in the online version of the paper, and an erratum was published in the June issue of EHP [118:A240 (2010)]; the text of the erratum is included below:

The Editor’s Summary for the article “Are Current or Future Mesothelioma Epidemics in Hong Kong the Tragic Legacy of Uncontrolled Use of Asbestos in the Past?” by Tse et al. [Environ Health Perspect 118:382–386 (2010); doi:10.1289/ehp.0900868], has been corrected online: specifically, “(which has been implicated but not conclusively established as a cause of mesothelioma)” has been deleted.

The author testifies in asbestos litigation on behalf of plaintiffs.

The Editor’s Summary for the article by Tse et al. (2010) stated the following:

Assuming an average latency of 42 years, the authors predict that incidence rates will peak in 2009 and that diagnoses will peak in 2014. However, they caution that ongoing use of chrysotile asbestos (which has been implicated but not conclusively established as a cause of mesothelioma) and the release of asbestos fibers from older buildings during demolition or renovation may slow the projected decline.

The statement concerning chrysotile asbestos being “implicated but not conclusively established as a cause of mesothelioma” is inconsistent with current scientific opinion. I refer you to the most recent evaluation by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in which Straif et al. (2009) stated,

Epidemiological evidence has increasingly shown an association of all forms of asbestos (chrysotile, crocidolite, amosite, tremolite, actinolite, and anthophyllite) with an increased risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma. Although the potency differences with respect to lung cancer or mesothelioma for fibres of various types and dimensions are debated, the fundamental conclusion is that all forms of asbestos are “carcinogenic to humans” (Group 1).

In addition, opinions such as that expressed in the Editor’s Summary are advanced only by scientists with prochrysotile industry bias.

When I wrote the draft for the first IARC Monograph on asbestos in 1976, which the expert committee accepted and published in 1977 as IARC Monograph Volume 14, a similar conclusion was stated: “Many pleural and peritoneal mesotheliomas have been observed after occupational exposure to crocidolite, amosite and chrysotile.” Since then—more than 30 years—science has not changed its opinion that all forms of asbestos, including chrysotile, cause mesothelioma.

In fact, in the article that is the subject of the Editor’s Summary, Tse et al. (2010) did not indicate that chrysotile is not a cause of mesothelioma; on the contrary, they stated the following:

Although the mesothelioma incidence is anticipated to decline in the coming decades, it may not decrease to background risk levels given that chrysotile consumption has not been banned under the current legislation and that secondary asbestos exposure from the environment will likely continue. Nevertheless, the hypotheses generated from this ecologic study need further confirmation by subsequent analytic studies. The present study provides supportive evidence for an immediate and global ban on asbestos use.

I hope that future Editor’s Summaries will reflect the conclusions of the article and not put forth statements that are not supported by mainstream science. I also support the conclusion of Tse e al. (2010) for “an immediate and global ban on asbestos use.”

References Top

1. IARC 1977. Asbestos. IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risk Hum 14: 1–106. FIND THIS ARTICLE ONLINE
2. Straif K, Benbrahim-Tallaa L, Baan R, Grosse Y, Secretan B, El Ghissassi F, et al. 2009. A review of human carcinogens—part C: metals, arsenic, dusts, and fibres. Lancet Oncol 10: 453. –454. FIND THIS ARTICLE ONLINE
3. Tse LA, Yu IT, Goggins W, Clements M, Wang XR, Au JS, et al. 2010. Are current or future mesothelioma epidemics in Hong Kong the tragic legacy of uncontrolled use of asbestos in the past? Environ Health Perspect 118: 382–386. FIND THIS ARTICLE ONLINE

Click here to read more about asbestos related disease and claims for benefits. For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com  have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered asbestos related illnesses.

Related articles

• Is there still a lot of asbestos in American homes? (greenanswers.com)
• Quebec government urged to rethink loan for resumed mining in Canadian town of Asbestos (guardian.co.uk)
• Tell Canada to Quit Targeting the Developing World With Deadly Asbestos (globalpoverty.change.org)
• Ban asbestos worldwide: doctors (cbc.ca)

Slow Economic Grown Forecasts Dismal Future for Workers Compensation

The announcement today of slower economic growth predicts a gloomy future for the US Workers' Compensation industry. A 2nd Quarter growth rate of 1.6% is far below the minimum 2.5% rate necessary to halt the increasing numbers of unemployed workers.


The US workers' compensation industry is dependent on premiums, based on wages, paid to workers. A lack of workers on payrolls stalls the economic engine necessary to fund the system. The predictable response is an increase in rates chargeable to fewer employees in a time when the country faces a predictable deflation rate in advance of potentially soaring rates based upon inevitable inflation resultant from increased governmental spending. Seven more years, at a minimum of high unemployment has been predicted.


Compounding the scenario is the fact that the historical pattern of the past will most likely not allow for a major rebound as the facts of economic growth, globalization and transfer of manufacturing overseas has devastated the base of growth for the national workers' compensation system. 


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.


Related Articles
Is The Recovery Of The Workers’ Compensation System An Illusion?

Hip Implants Recalled Due to Failure

Johnson and Johnson has recalled 2 Hip Implants because of failure. The two implants were made by the DePuy Orthopaedics unit of Johnson and Johnson. The decision to withdrawn the products was based upon the fact that many patients require a second hip replacement because of product failure.

DePuy release a statement today that they two products being recalled were: the ASR XL Acetabular System, a hip socket used in traditional hip replacement, and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System, a partial hip replacement that involves placing a metal cap on the ball of the femur, a method intended to preserve more bone. There about 93,000 of the defective appliances that have been implanted worldwide.

For over two years the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been besieged with complaints about the failure of the devices and painful surgery to replace them.

The office of Jon L. Gelman has advocated for consumer rights and has helped those who have unfortunately received defective medical devices. Please call 1-973-696-7900 or e-mail for further information.

Workers' Compensation and Joint Replacement

• Preventing Joint Replacement Surgery in Workers' Compensation Claims 

Related articles

• J and J unit recalls hip replacement products (usatoday.com)
• J and J recalls 2 hip replacement systems for problems (sfgate.com)
• J and J Recalls 2 Hip Replacement Systems for Problems (abcnews.go.com)
• Johnson and Johnson Recalls Hip Implants (nytimes.com)

$500,000 Verdict Awarded Police Officer Terminated Due to Disability

The Record reports that a police officer, who was unable to work because of blood thinner therapy flowing from a work related injury and a pregnancy, was awarded $500,000 because the employer terminated her because of the disability.

,,,,,,,,

For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com  have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered accidents & exposures at work.

Veterans at Increased Risk for Mesothelioma

The US Department of Veterans Affairs  has now recognized that veterans may be at an increased risk for the development of mesothelioma, a cancer associated with exposure to asbestos fiber. The government has announced that during World War II, several million people employed in the U.S. shipyards. U.S. Navy Veterans were exposed to amosite and crocidolite since these varieties were used extensively in military construction.

How Veterans Have Been Exposed to Asbestos during Military Service

Veterans who served in some of the following major occupations may have been exposed to asbestos:

• Mining
• Milling
• Shipyard work
• Insulation work
• Demolition of old buildings
• Carpentry and construction
• Manufacture and servicing of friction products, such as clutch facings and brake linings
• Manufacture and installation of products, such as roofing and flooring materials, asbestos cement sheet and pipe products, and military equipment

Health Problems Associated with Exposure to Asbestos

Breathing asbestos mainly causes problems in the lungs and the membrane that surrounds the lungs, including:

• Asbestosis – Scarring of lung tissue that causes breathing problems, usually in workers exposed to asbestos in workplaces before the Federal government began regulating asbestos use (mid-1970s).
• Pleural plaques – Scarring in the inner surface of the ribcage and area surrounding the lungs that can cause breathing problems, though usually not as serious as asbestosis. People living in areas with high environmental levels of asbestos, as well as workers, can develop pleural plaques.
• Cancer - The two types of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos are lung cancer and mesothelioma, a cancer of the thin lining surrounding the lung (pleural membrane) or abdominal cavity (the peritoneum).

 The VA has indicated that exposed veterans may be eligible for governmental benefits including: Health Care Benefits, Disability Compensation Benefits, and other benefits including home loans, vocational rehabilitation and education.

Click here to read more about asbestos related disease and claims for benefits. For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com  have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered asbestos related illnesses.

Related Articles

Lawsuit Filled Alleging Asbestos Exposed Chemical Worker Suffered Fatal Mesothelioma

Possible Vaccine for Mesothelioma

The Politics of Asbestos – US Government Failed the People Declares Senator Baucus

National Cancer Institute Establishes Web Site to Answer Questions About Malignant Mesothelioma

$7 Million Verdict Upheld for Wife of Asbestos Worker for Handling Workers Clothes

Stay Lifted in RICO Class Action Against Wal-Mart

A Federal Judge has lifted a stay in a class-action law suit against Wal-Mart that charges the company with conspiring with workers' compensation insurance companies to limit medical treatment for injured workers. The stay was lifted by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Blackburn on July 1, 2010. 

The claim, on behalf of 7,000 Colorado Wal-Mart workers charges conspiracy with: Claims Management Inc., American Home Assurance Co. and Concentra Health Services Inc., to control medical treatment, who may have been entitled to treatment under the Colorado Workers Compensation Act. Other allegations of fraud are also asserted.

Gianzero et al. v. Wal-Mart Stores et al., No. 09-00656, stay lifted (D. Colo. July 1, 2010).

Click here for additional articles about Wal-Mart and workers' compensation. For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com  have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered asbestos related illnesses.