NJ Workers Compensation Ranked Nation's 7th Highest Premium Rate

A recent study published by the State of Oregon rank's New Jersey with the 7th highest workers' compensation premium in the United States.

More on Workers' Compensation Premiums

Workers' Compensation: Health Care Continues to Eat Away at ...

Sep 12, 2012

Throughout the nation Workers' Compensation systems have been impacted by health care costs that now take a large piece of the premium dollar. Traditional health care offered by employers mirrors the same problem of ...

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Workers' Compensation: Premium Fraud: North Carolina Man ...

Mar 04, 2012

Premium Fraud: North Carolina Man Sentenced on Workers' Compensation Insurance Scam. English: The Seal of the United States Federal... Image via Wikipedia. Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern ...

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AIG settles workers compensation insurance complaint with all 50 ...

Jun 05, 2012

The settlement is a result of AIG misreporting $2.12 billion of workers' compensation premium as other lines of insurance. As part of the settlement agreement, AIG agreed to pay a national penalty of $100 million, and $46.5...

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NY Work Comp Premiums Reportedly Highest Assessments in Nation

Sep 11, 2012

The defense based NY Workers' Compensation Policy Institue has published a report reflecting that NY has the highest premium assessments in the country for workers' compensation. Note that NJ is not far behind when ...

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Italy's Supreme Court Rules Cell Phone Brain Cancer Work Related

Italy's Supreme Court today upheld a work-related brain cancer claim for an executive who was required to use a cell phone on the job. Workers' Compensation benefits were awarded. The Court relied upon scientific studies (Hardell) to support its decision. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified electromagnetic fields produced by mobile phones are possibly carcinogenic to humans.
Click here to read: "Italy court ruling links mobile phone use to tumour" (Reuters)

"Marcolini developed a so-called neurinoma affecting a cranial nerve, which was apparently not cancerous but nevertheless required surgery that badly affected his quality of life.He initially sought financial compensation from the Italian Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL) which rejected his application, saying there was no proof his illness had been caused by his work. But a court in Brescia later ruled there was a causal link between the use of mobile and cordless telephones and tumours. Italy's supreme court rejected an INAIL appeal against that ruling on Oct. 12 though its decision was only reported on Friday."

Read More About Cell Phone Use and Work-Related Exposures

Workers' Compensation: Cell Phones, Glioma and Cancer in the ...

Sep 12, 2012

In a new report by 31 scientists meeting at the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO/IARC) it was found that using a mobile phone may increase your risk for certain kinds of brain ...

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Cell Phone and Brain Malignancies: The Right to Know Radiation Act

Aug 09, 2012

As the controversy continues to rage over whether cell phone radiation can be linked to an increased risk of brain cancer, recently introduced legislation in the US Congress would offer the public more information to make ...

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Workers' Compensation: Employers Now Banning Cell Phone Use

May 23, 2012

A recent survey reflects increase employer concern over cell phone use while driving. Such written policies may encourage courts to bar employees who engage in such activity from recovery under workers' compensation ...

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The Next Wave of Workers Compensation Claims: WHO Calls Cell ...

May 31, 2011

After years of review, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the radio frequencies utilized by cell phones as possibly carcinogenic to human thereby opening the door to potential wave of workers' compensation...

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Federal Government Urged to Protect Zadroga (9/11 Health Fund) Act from Looming Cuts

Lawmakers Advocate for the Heroes Who Answered the Call of Duty on 9/11 to be Treated With Same Dignity As Military Veterans -- Slashing 9/11 Treatment and Compensation Funds Violates Congressional Intent and Contradicts Precedent to Aid Injured and Sick

With the deadline nearing for Congress to negotiate a balanced deficit-cutting package or face deep automatic cuts across federal programs - known as sequestration - U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Charles Schumer (D-NY), joined by Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Peter King (R-NY), and 9/11 first responders and survivors, stood at Ground Zero today calling on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to exempt the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act from automatic budget cuts should sequestration go into effect on January 1, 2013. The 2013 budget cuts already exempt veterans and at least six federal programs which aid the sick and injured from sequestration cut, including the Payment to Radiation Exposure Compensation Trust Fund, Radiation Exposure Compensation Trust Fund, Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Fund, Vaccine Injury Compensation, Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Trust Fund, and the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. In total, the OMB has included 150 exemptions to date – including the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund and pensions for former Presidents.

During last summer's debt-ceiling crisis, a deal was reached to automatically cut over $1 trillion in defense and domestic programs, known as sequestration, if a "super committee" could not reach a balanced deficit reduction plan. Despite clear precedent for an exemption for health and compensation programs, a preliminary report by OMB shows that $24 million is slated to be slashed from the 9/11 Bill's Victim Compensation Fund, and an additional $14 million would be cut from the World Trade Center Health Fund in 2013.

The lawmakers emphasized that Congressional members from both parties must come together to work towards an alternative to sequestration – a process they believe to be the wrong approach to deficit reduction, and was only to be triggered as a matter of last resort. In the event that these automatic cuts to military and non-discretionary spending do take place, however, New York’s elected leaders will fight to save 9/11 funds from any sequester cuts.

The lawmakers wrote in a September 28th letter to OMB Acting Director Zients, “[W]e all agree that applying sequestration to these two programs [established by the James Zadroga 9-11 Health and Compensation Act] does not make sense, is not consistent with Congressional intent, does not follow precedent regarding trust funds provided for victims, and we would urge OMB to reconsider this initial finding if it is required to proceed with a sequester… We are concerned that OMB has not fully investigated the facts under which these programs operate.”

“Nothing exemplifies this unbalanced and draconian approach to deficit reduction more than asking our heroes who have already sacrificed so much to sacrifice yet again,” saidSenator Gillibrand. “Our 9/11 heroes who answered the call of duty should be treated with the same dignity as our veterans. Just as we have come together as Democrats and Republicans to fight for our heroes, I urge our colleagues to do the same and work towards a balanced approach that keeps struggling families from sacrificing the most.”

“This is one of the most poignant examples of why we must work to avert the sequester,” said Senator Schumer. “We can entirely avoid this problem if both parties agree to support a balanced deficit reduction plan that includes revenues as well as sensible savings. But in the event that they don't, we must work to make sure there that the burden does not fall on the national heroes who are finally receiving the help they deserve through the Zadroga Act. Veterans have been exempted from sequestration and the heroes who have rushed to towers after 9/11 should be treated the same. They risked their lives in a time of war and suffered for it.”

“Slashing tens of millions of dollars from the World Trade Center Health and Victim Compensation Funds is just plain wrong, said Congresswoman Maloney. “Both are paid for with a dedicated funding stream and do not add one red cent to our nation’s budget deficit. This is a time for all members of Congress to put aside those issues that may divide us and come together as we did in the wake of the 9-11 attacks. After giving our word to those health was affected that we would ‘never forget’ and promising them that we would help them deal with the serious health consequences of responding to the attacks, it would be dishonorable to say now, ‘we take that back.’”

“We are prepared to fight for every last dollar we allocated for our bill, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, and ensure that we do not ration assistance for the sick,” said Congressman Nadler. “Thousands of 9/11 responders and survivors are sick today because of their exposure to toxins in and around Ground Zero, and they depend on this funding for their health and well-being. We are calling on the Office of Management and Budget to reconsider its decision on exempting Zadroga from the sequester.”

“We have come too far and our 9/11 heroes have endured too much for this funding to be subjected to a bureaucratic reduction,” said Congressman King. “It would be a cruel hoax to finally allow these individuals to start their necessary treatment, only to find out they will not be able to continue it through no fault of their own.”

“Were I went to school 2 + 2 = 4. I am not sure how they do their math in D.C. The Zadroga bill reduces the deficit by $433 million, said John Feal, Founder and President of the FealGood Foundation. “Why cut a program that reduces the deficit ? We should be talking about adding funds to the bill and keeping it up and running for more than 5 years, certainly not talking about reducing it.”

“Union members fought far too long for health care and compensation for the victims, first responders, recovery workers, and residents of Lower Manhattan to allow that hard fought victory to be eroded by shameful budget cuts,” said New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento. “I commend Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and Representatives Carolyn Maloney, Jerry Nadler, Peter King and the rest of the New York Congressional delegation for standing up for the heroes of 9/11 and pledge that we will not rest until they receive the care and support they deserve.”

“We fought hard for healthcare for those made sick by 9/11 and we will continue to fight for those among us who risked their health, their lives and brought Lower Manhattan back,” said Catherine Hughes, Chair of Community Board 1. “Our heroes must get the healthcare that they deserve period. As a nation we must pay our debts and eliminate government deficits, but the debt we owe to our first responders matters even more.”

In addition to noting that cuts to these programs would be devastating for the families of 9/11 victims and first responders, the five members of Congress also pointed out three key reasons why the 9/11 programs should be exempt from automatic cuts:

· The 9/11 health programs should be added onto the list of federal health and compensation programs that are already immune from cuts. There are currently 150 exemptions, including at least six programs established for injuries and illnesses, signed into law by February 2010—nearly a year before the 9/11 health bill was passed. Had the 9/11 health bill existed then, the 9/11 programs would have been among the items protected from sequestration.

· The proposed budget cuts are an affront to the 9/11 health law that was already formulated to cut the deficit. The 9/11 law was already devised to be fully paid for and to cut the deficit. According to the Congressional Budget Office's estimate, the law slashes $433 million from the deficit.

· The preliminary budget fails to take into account New York City’s agreement to voluntarily pay 10% share for the 9/11 program. Under federal rule, “activities financed by voluntary payments to the government” are exempt from sequester. Lawmakers pointed out that according to this statute, the City’s voluntary contribution should be protected from the sequester process.

The budget already spares veterans from most of the automatic budget cuts. OMB released a letter in April assuring that programs under the Veterans Affairs agency would be exempt from sequestration.

Full text of the lawmakers’ letter from September 28th is below:

Dear Acting Director Zients,

We are writing to convey our deep concern about the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) initial determination that the programs established by the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act are subject to sequestration under the Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012. As Members of Congress, some of whom voted for the “Budget Control Act of 2011” and some of whom voted against, we all agree that applying sequestration to these two programs does not make sense, is not consistent with Congressional intent, does not follow precedent regarding trust funds provided for victims, and we would urge OMB to reconsider this initial finding if it is required to proceed with a sequester.

The September 14, 2012 “OMB Report Pursuant to the Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012 (P. L. 112–155)” identifies the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), administered by the Department of Justice as programs subject to sequestration. Both of these programs are listed as being subject to a 7.6 sequester percentage with the WTC Health Program’s $190 million budget authority for FY 2013 slated for a $14 million reduction and the VCF’s $322 million budget authority reduced by $24 million. Not only would these cuts be devastating for the victims that need assistance, we are concerned that OMB has not fully investigated the facts under which these programs operate.

For example, the 7.6% sequester estimate was applied to the total $190 million health program instead of subtracting the 10% payment volunteered by the City of New York prior to calculating the cut. Pursuant to the PAYGO Statue, Section 11(g) ‘‘Activities financed by voluntary payments to the Government for goods or services to be provided for such payments” are exempt from sequester. The City of New York has voluntarily agreed, through a memorandum of understanding (MOU), to pay a 10% share for the program. Therefore, including their portion of the funding violates the sequester process.

In addition, as OMB is aware, the PAYGO Statute which was signed into law in February 2010 includes 150 exemptions. Among the programs exempted are similar health and compensation programs that have been established for other injuries and illnesses such as: the Payment to Radiation Exposure Compensation Trust Fund, Radiation Exposure Compensation Trust Fund, Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Fund, Vaccine Injury Compensation, Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Trust Fund, and the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund to name a few. But the 9/11 health and compensation funds did not exist at the time the PAYGO Statute was enacted. The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which established these funds, was not passed by the Congress until December 2010 and was signed into law by the President in January of 2011. Clearly had the 9/11 Heath and Compensation programs existed in February 2010, when the PAYGO law was passed, they would have been included on the list of specific exemptions and therefore we request that both the health and compensation programs are excluded from sequestration.

Moreover, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, when enacted, was not only fully PAYGO compliant with a dedicated stream of revenue that fully pays for the program, but in fact provided an additional $433 million in deficit reduction, revenue above what the Act spent. Given that it was fully PAYGO compliant and in fact in the end will lead to over $400 million in deficit reduction we do not believe that subjecting the two programs to sequester is proper or consistent with the precedent set by similar health and compensation programs provided to injured workers.

In conclusion, we know that the task before OMB is difficult and it is our sincere hope that Congress will find an alternative to sequestration. However, as your report states on page one, “The estimates and classifications in the report are preliminary. If the sequestration were to occur, the actual results would differ based on changes in law and ongoing legal, budgetary, and technical analysis.” We therefore write to you in the hope of pointing out that we do not believe that Congress intended to have these two programs fall under sequestration.

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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 work related accident and injuries.

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NJ Company Found Guilty of Dumping Asbestos into Wetlands in Upstate New York

Workers continue to be exposed to asbestos during removal and abatement projects. It is imperative that asbestos be removed in a safe and prescribed manner to avoid any unnecessary disease and illness. Merely "dumping" asbestos unlawfully is dangerous and illegal.

The owner of a 28-acre piece of property on the Mohawk River and the owner of a New Jersey solid waste management company were found guilty by a federal jury in Utica, N.Y., today of charges that they conspired to defraud the United States and violate the Clean Water Act by illegally dumping thousands of tons of asbestos-contaminated construction debris on the property in upstate New York, announced Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Richard S. Hartunian, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York.

“Mazza and his co-conspirators flouted numerous federal laws designed to protect Americans from exposure to toxic materials when they dumped asbestos contaminated waste into an area that included sensitive wetlands. They also committed fraud and lied to federal investigators in the process,” said Assistant Attorney General Moreno. “This conviction is a just result because these men have been held accountable for egregious environmental crimes that harm human health and the environment.”

“Today’s verdict was brought about through the tireless efforts of those state and federal investigative agencies that work every day to protect the environment and health of our citizens” said U.S. Attorney Hartunian. “We applaud them for their hard work.”

The defendants, Cross Nicastro, owner of the property in Frankfort, N.Y., along with Mazza & Sons Inc., and its owner, Dominick Mazza, were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the United States, as well as violate the Clean Water Act and Superfund laws. In addition, Nicastro, Dominick Mazza and Mazza & Sons Inc. were convicted of violating the Superfund law’s requirement to report the release of toxic materials and obstructing justice. Dominick Mazza was also convicted of making false statements to EPA special agents.

According to evidence presented during the 10-day trial, the defendants engaged in the illegal dumping of thousands of tons of construction and demolition debris, much of which was contaminated with asbestos, at Nicastro’s property, which contained federally-regulated wetlands. The dumping occurred without a permit.

Evidence demonstrated that the defendants, along with co-conspirators, concealed the illegal dumping by fabricating a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) permit and forging the name of a DEC official on the fraudulent permit. In addition, the evidence demonstrated that Mazza & Sons, Inc. obstructed justice by destroying and concealing documents responsive to a grand jury subpoena.

The conspiracy, substantive Superfund and false statement counts each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of either $250,000, twice the gross gain to the defendants, or twice the gross loss to a victim, whichever is determined to be greater. The obstruction of justice count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and similar fines.

This case was investigated by special agents from the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation; criminal investigators with the New York State Environmental Conservation Police, Bureau of Environmental Crimes; investigators from the New Jersey State Police, Office of Business Integrity Unit; the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; and the Ohio Department of Environmental Protection. The case was prosecuted by Todd W. Gleason and Gary N. Donner of the Environmental Crimes Section of the U.S. Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig A. Benedict, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.
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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 work related accident and injuries.

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FDA takes action against thousands of illegal Internet pharmacies

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in partnership with international regulatory and law enforcement agencies, took action this week against more than 4,100 Internet pharmacies that illegally sell potentially dangerous, unapproved drugs to consumers. Actions taken include civil and criminal charges, seizure of illegal products, and removal of offending websites.

The announcement takes place during the 5th annual International Internet Week of Action (IIWA), a global cooperative effort to combat the online sale and distribution of potentially counterfeit and illegal medical products. This year’s effort – Operation Pangea V – operated between Sept. 25 and Oct. 2 and resulted in the shutdown of more than 18,000 illegal pharmacy websites and the seizure of about $10.5 million worth of pharmaceuticals worldwide.

The goal of this annual effort, which involved law enforcement, customs and regulatory authorities from 100 countries, is to identify producers and distributors of illegal pharmaceutical products and medical devices and remove these products from the supply chain.

“Consumers in the United States and around the world face a real threat from Internet pharmacies that illegally sell potentially substandard, counterfeit, adulterated or otherwise unsafe medicines,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “This week’s efforts show that strong international enforcement efforts are required to combat this global public health problem. The FDA is committed to joining forces to protect consumers from the risks these websites present.”

Last week, the FDA reinforced its online efforts with the launch of a national campaign to educate Americans about the risks of buying prescription medications over the Internet. BeSafeRx – Know Your Online Pharmacy seeks to raise public awareness about the health risks of using fraudulent Internet pharmacies and what consumers can do to protect themselves.

During Operation Pangea V, the FDA targeted websites selling unapproved and potentially dangerous medicines. In many cases, the medicines can be detrimental to public health because they contain active ingredients that are approved by FDA for use only under the supervision of a licensed health care practitioner or active ingredients that were previously withdrawn from U.S. market due to safety issues.

Among the illegal medicines identified through the operation were:
Domperidone: This medicine was removed from the United States market in 1998 because it may cause serious adverse effects, including irregular heartbeat, stopping of the heart, or sudden death. These dangers could convey to the nursing baby of breastfeeding women, who may be using domperidone to try increase milk production (which is not an approved use).

Isotretinoin (previously marketed as Accutane in the United States): This medicine is used to treat severe nodular acne and carries significant potential risks, including severe birth defects if pregnancy occurs while using this medicine. To minimize potential risks to consumers, FDA-approved isotretinoin capsules are only available through restricted distribution in the United States.

Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate): This medicine, which is used to treat the flu, is often sold online as “generic Tamiflu.” However, there is no FDA-approved generic version of Tamiflu. Previous FDA tests found that fraudulent versions of “generic Tamiflu” contained the wrong active ingredient, which would not be effective in treating flu. In these cases, the wrong active ingredient was similar to penicillin and may cause a severe allergic reaction, including a sudden, potentially life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis, in consumers allergic to penicillin products.

Viagra (sildenafil citrate): This medicine is used to treat erectile dysfunction. Due to its vasodilation effects, sildenafil citrate should not be used by consumers with certain heart conditions. Consumers taking this medicine without the supervision of a health care professional may not learn about potential drug interactions, such as increased blood pressure lowering effects of organic nitrates when taken with sildenafil citrate.

The FDA sent Warning Letters to the operators of more than 4,100 identified websites. As a follow up, the agency sent notices to Registries, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and domain Name Registrars (DNRs) informing them that these websites were selling products in violation of U.S. law. The FDA is working with its foreign counterparts to address the remaining websites that continue to offer unapproved or misbranded prescription medicines to U.S. consumers.

“Internet pharmacies that illegally sell unapproved, counterfeit, or potentially adulterated or substandard drugs are an inherently international crime problem,” said John Roth, director of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigation. “The FDA is pleased to work with INTERPOL, the international police agency, to fight this problem. Because these criminals do not respect international borders, the international coordinated law enforcement response represented by Operation Pangea demonstrates that international cooperation is the best way to protect the American public from the risk of unsafe drugs.”

The FDA coordinated the efforts of this year’s Operation Pangea V, including screening all drug products received through the international mail facilities during the IIWA. Preliminary findings showed that certain products from abroad, such as antibiotics, antidepressants, and other drugs to treat high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure, were on the way to U.S. consumers. Many of those products can pose health risks if taken without the supervision of a health care practitioner or if the products have been removed from the market for safety reasons.

The FDA encourages consumers to report suspected criminal activity at www.fda.gov/oci.

The IIWA is a collaboration between FDA, INTERPOL , the World Customs Organization, Permanent Forum of International Pharmaceutical Crime, Heads of Medicines Agencies Working Group of Enforcement Officers, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency of the United Kingdom, the Irish Medicines Board, the London Metropolitan Police, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies, and national health and law enforcement agencies from 100 participating countries.

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NJ Company Pleads Guilty to Theft of Insurance Premiums

NJ Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced that a Burlington County company has pleaded guilty for under-reporting the number of its employees and wages to evade the full payment of workers’ compensation insurance premiums.

Techdan, LLC, which, at the time of the crime was located at 2092 Rt. 130 North in Florence, pleaded guilty yesterday to second-degree theft by deception before Superior Court Judge James W. Palmer, Jr. in Burlington County. The charge was contained in a July 3 state grand jury indictment.

Judge Palmer scheduled sentencing for November 16. Under the plea agreement, Techdan, LLC has agreed to pay $75,000 in restitution.

In pleading guilty, Techdan, LLC admitted that between March 12, 2004 and July 5, 2007, the company gave the false impression to Liberty Mutual Insurance Company that it was entitled to lower workers’ compensation premiums. Techdan, LLC admitted that it under-reporting the number of its employees and/or the misclassification of its employees’ occupational classes and/or under reporting the total employee payroll amounts to evade paying the full payment of workers’ compensation.

Deputy Attorney General Cheryl A. Maccaroni and Detective Natalie Brotherston and Civil Investigator Wilbert Sowney were assigned to the case. Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Ronald Chillemi thanked Liberty Mutual Insurance Company for its assistance in the investigation.

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The Need For New Blood and Effusion Biomarker for Pleural Mesothelioma

A report in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that more research is urgently needed to detect biomarkers to detect pleural mesothelioma so that treatment option can be expanded. The only known cause of mesothelioma is asbestos exposure a medical condition that develops after a long latency period. Many individuals have been exposed to asbestos fiber at work, in the military and as bystanders.

Malignant Mesothelioma, coronal CT scan. Legend: the malignant mesothelioma is indicated by yellow arrows, the central pleural effusion is marked with a yellow star. (1) right lung, (2) spine, (3) left lung, (4) ribs, (5) aorta, (6) spleen, (7) left kidney, (8) right kidney, (9) liver. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

"Despite advances in chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgical management for malignant pleural mesothelioma, the median survival remains 12 months. Early detection is limited by the long latency period, an inability of imaging to detect the disease at an early stage even when it is used as a screening strategy, and the lack of sensitive and specific blood-based markers. Moreover, in patients with undiagnosed pleural effusion, the ability to diagnose mesothelioma is delayed by failure to include the disease in the differential diagnosis and by the lack of noninvasive mesothelioma-specific blood-based markers."
"Future investigations should also explore why fibulin-3 is selectively elevated in mesothelioma as compared with other cancers and should address the question of whether this is an epigenetic-based phenomenon either through methylation or microRNA control. These studies could potentially clarify the role of fibulin-3 in mesothelioma growth, invasion, and metastasis formation and determine whether the molecule might be targeted for specific cytotoxic or biologic therapies."

Fibulin-3 as a Blood and Effusion Biomarker for Pleural Mesothelioma
Harvey I. Pass, M.D., Stephen M. Levin, M.D., Michael R. Harbut, M.D., Jonathan Melamed, M.D., Luis Chiriboga, Ph.D., Jessica Donington, M.D., Margaret Huflejt, Ph.D., Michele Carbone, M.D., Ph.D., David Chia, Ph.D., Lee Goodglick, Ph.D., Gary E. Goodman, M.D., Mark D. Thornquist, Ph.D., Geoffrey Liu, M.D., Marc de Perrot, M.D., Ming-Sound Tsao, M.D., and Chandra Goparaju, Ph.D.

N Engl J Med 2012; 367:1417-1427October 11, 2012DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1115050

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

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