Latest news with #mesothelioma
BBC News
22-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Sketty broken lift means man, 80 with cancer must climb stairs
A resident with lung cancer has been forced to climb to the fourth floor of his block of flats because of a broken lift. Brian Dabbs, 80, said the lift in the Runnymede Court block in Sketty, Swansea, broke down on suffers from mesothelioma, and says he is worried it will be five days until it is Housing apologised and said it is trying to fix the lift. "People have been stuck in there for maybe three times in the last three months, and it happened again on Sunday," Mr Dabbs said. "I've spoken to the one lady that was stuck in the lift and there were two people in there altogether - a lady, a man and a dog. "I'd gone out for food on Sunday and when I came back I was told I had to walk up the stairs."I live on the top floor, and I'm suffering from mesothelioma and I've got a shortness of breath and I need that lift to get out." He added: "So today (Tuesday), I've had to come out for a prescription and I've got to walk up the stairs to get up there. I rest on every floor."It's just so inconvenient. It's unbelievable. My friend phoned the lift company and said they couldn't fix it till Friday. So we've got another few days before it gets fixed." Beacon Housing told BBC Wales it was made aware the lift had developed a fault on Sunday.A spokesman said: "Lift contractors attended within the hour to assess the issue but due to the nature of the fault, parts are required to restore its operation. "These were ordered and repairs will be completed promptly once received. However, the indicative timescale provided to homeowners for repair reflects the time that parts will take to be delivered. "We apologise for the inconvenience and are making every effort to reinstate the lift promptly."We have had no contact from homeowners at Runnymede beyond the initial reporting on Sunday and are therefore unaware of anyone experiencing individual difficulties. If they contact us, we can put them in touch with relevant support based on their individual circumstances."
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Cancer warning over common workplace: Employee hit with shock asbestos cancer and dies a month later
Two grieving sisters have warned of the hidden risks of 'safe' workplaces, after their mother died from an aggressive cancer caused by inhaling toxic fibres emitted from building materials. Carole Hart died just a month after being diagnosed with mesothelioma—a lethal type of cancer that affects the lining of the body's organs. Between 85 and 95 per cent of cases are caused by exposure to asbestos, a group of toxic materials used widely in the construction industry before the millenium. The majority of patients worked on building or electrical sites, where they were exposed to asbestos over a long period of time, leading to chronic inhalation of cancer-causing chemicals. But Ms Hart, who died in August last year at the age of 74, worked for home decor and electronics firms. Her daughters, Anette Graham, 53, and Tracey Phillips, 57, believe the deadly exposure may have taken place between the years of 1965 and 1993. During this period, she worked firstly in the factory for electronics store Thorn EMI—where she was a packer—and then in the factory of decor company Belling & Co Limited. The sisters along with their legal team are now appealing to their mother's former colleagues to come forward with information to help establish where she came into contact with asbestos. 'While there's nothing we can do to change what happened or bring mum back, the least we can do is get some answers to help honour her memory,' said Ms Graham. Mesothelioma is slow forming, typically developing between 20 to 60 years after the initial asbestos exposure. The rate at which it develops can vary based on factors like the person's age at first exposure, the amount exposed to, and the duration of the exposure. Ms Hart began to develop symptoms in December 2023, 30 years after she stopped working in the factories. She initially though her problems—breathlessness and chest pain—were down to pneumonia. But by July 2024, her symptoms had worsened and she began to suffer terrifying seizures, leading her to seek the help of doctors at A&E. Shortly afterwards she was diagnosed with mesothelioma, with further scans showing the disease had already spread to her brain. Ms Graham said: 'When mum was taken to hospital not for one minute did we expect her to be diagnosed with mesothelioma. 'It wasn't a condition we knew anything about. To then hear how advanced it was, and to watch mum deteriorate so quickly, was heartbreaking.' She died a month later, on August 30 2024. 'It's still incredibly difficult for us to accept she's gone,' said Ms Graham. 'She was the best mum and her friends described her as a generous and charismatic lady.' Inhaling asbestos' microscopic fibres can cause lung cancers (including mesothelioma), as well as asbestosis, an excruciating inflammation and scarring of the lungs. The condition is responsible for around 2,400 deaths each year, according to Cancer Research UK. The Health and Safety Executive estimates that 1.3 million tradespeople are at risk of exposure, and they could come into contact with asbestos on average more than 100 times a year Approximately 5,000 Britons die every year from asbestos-related cancers caused by work-related exposure, according to the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. Most cases are diagnosed among people aged 75 or over, with men more often affected than women. Natalia Rushworth-White, the specialist asbestos disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the family said: 'Losing Carole so soon after her diagnosis continues to have a devastating impact on her loved ones, particularly her daughters. 'Mesothelioma is a horrible condition and far too many families have suffered because of it. 'Nothing will ever change what Carole's family are going through, but we're determined to provide them with the answers they deserve.'
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
J&J (JNJ) Faces $8M Verdict Over Talc Case; Stock Still Gains 4.66% YTD
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is one of the 10 undervalued blue chip stocks analysts recommend for smart investing. On June 18, Dean Omar Branham Shirley, LLP, a Dallas, Texas-based law firm, announced an $8 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. The verdict was awarded to Janice Paluzzi, an 84-year-old Massachusetts woman who developed mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer linked to asbestos exposure. Copyright: moovstock / 123RF Stock Photo According to the jury, the plaintiff's illness arose from her decades-long use of Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder products. The jury found that J&J's talcum powder products contained asbestos and that a design defect in these products substantially contributed to Ms. Paluzzi's mesothelioma. They also found Johnson & Johnson negligent in the design of the powder and that this negligence substantially contributed to her illness. As a remedy, the jury awarded Ms. Paluzzi $8 million: $5 million for past pain and suffering and $3 million for future pain and suffering. Despite the unfavorable ruling, Johnson & Johnson's stock is up 4.66% year to date as of June 19. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is a global healthcare company. It develops and sells pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer health products. It operates through two major divisions, pharmaceutical and MedTech. Some of its key pharmaceutical products include Darzalex, Stelara, and Tremfya. While we acknowledge the potential of JNJ as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 10 Biotech Stocks Screaming a Buy and 13 Best Software Stocks to Buy Now. Disclosure: None.
ABC News
22-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Calls for support as Latrobe Valley power workers continue to die from asbestos exposure
Like many men of his generation, Mick Tomkins does not like to make a fuss. The 73-year-old enjoys meeting up with a group of mates to swim at the nearby Traralgon pool most mornings, before a coffee and a chat about the footy. But, like many men of his generation, Mr Tomkins is also living with the insidious legacy of being a power station worker in the 1970s, after being diagnosed with terminal mesothelioma last year. "It was a bit of a shock," he said. Mr Tomkins was just 20 years old when he first took on a role as a subcontractor, helping build the new W station at Yallourn. For the young sheet metal worker, it was the prospect of high-paying work that would support his family. "That construction was an area I really didn't want to go into, but I had a wife and a couple of kids, so I had to get work and they paid very well out there," he said. The power industry was booming, with Mr Tomkins joining around 1,000 other contractors onsite at the time. What workers did not realise was that their job exposed them to asbestos on a daily basis. "The laggers would go in and put the insulation on the pipes, and we would come in and coat them with sheet metal," he said. "Most of that insulation was fibreglass, but then we had sectional asbestos over the pipes. It would not be until 50 years later that Mr Tomkins and his family would discover the damage caused by this exposure. In 2003, after a series of court cases, asbestos was banned in Australia. More than a decade ago, Mr Tomkins and his family started to monitor his condition by getting regular lung compression testing. Then, about three years ago, Mr Tomkins said he started to develop a cough that would not go away. He would soon not be able to walk to the front gate. A CT scan and a biopsy would later confirm Mr Tomkins had mesothelioma. For the stoic father and grandfather, the news, while devastating, was not unexpected. "I didn't panic. In some ways, in the end, I'd sort of half expected it because of the cough," he said. For Pauline Tomkins, Mr Tomkins' wife of 54 years, and their family, it was confirmation of the worst kind. "We just all went quiet, and I just kept looking at the floor," she said. "It was always in the back of my mind, but the trouble is when it is said to you." A 2009 study by Monash University found that former power workers in the Latrobe Valley were contracting mesothelioma at a rate seven times the national average. The proliferation of asbestos among Latrobe Valley workers prompted an apology from the then Victorian premier John Brumby at a regional sitting of the 56th parliament at Monash University's Gippsland Campus on October 15, 2008. "On behalf of the Victorian government and the community, I want to say sorry and to express our regret for the pain and the suffering felt by some former power industry workers and their families where that was caused by asbestos exposure at the former SECV … It is unacceptable that any person, through the course of their work, is exposed to what we now know is a deadly substance," Mr Brumby said. For Vicki Hamilton, the CEO and secretary of the Asbestos Council of Victoria (better known as GARDS), the ongoing legacy of illness for the Latrobe Valley hits close to home. Ms Hamilton lost both her father and grandfather to asbestos-related disease, and said despite the high profile nature of asbestos cases, many people mistakenly believed the challenges were behind them. "I get a couple of calls a month at least from people who know that they're sick and they are going to see a doctor," she said. Ms Hamilton said 140,000 workers were exposed to asbestos between the 1920s and the 1980s. "That affected a whole community, and every person, every second or third person in the Latrobe Valley knows somebody who has an asbestos-related disease," she said. The Asbestos Council formed part of a state government task force established in 2019 to review how asbestos was managed in the Latrobe Valley. In 2022, the task force made 21 recommendations to minimise the risk and harms of asbestos exposure. The recommendations included establishing a statewide centre to manage all asbestos queries, developing targeted awareness campaigns, and mandating training for the handling and removal of asbestos. However, no recommendations had been implemented when the work of the task force culminated in March 2023. Ms Hamilton said more needed to be done as workers continued to come forward with diagnoses. "I'm very lucky, the state government just helped to fund me for part of my money because, without that, we would have been looking at closing within 12 months because that's about the only money we have left." A Victorian government spokesperson said the government was working to prevent or minimise risks associated with asbestos. "Actions underway to address the harmful legacy of asbestos and prevent asbestos-related diseases in Victoria include raising awareness of asbestos risks, prioritising and coordinating the removal of asbestos from Victorian government buildings, establishing convenient disposal points and strengthening compliance and enforcement," the spokesperson said. With legal help, Mr Tomkins was able to make a claim for compensation against his former employer's insurance company. Now, he and his family are taking each day as it comes. Mr Tomkins is balancing his life with treatment, and so far has found success with immunotherapy to keep his cancer under control. "We just take each day now as we go and just do what the doctors say," Mr Tomkins said. "I don't look like I'm dying, do I? "I've had a life, but you know I'd like to still have a longer life actually."
Gizmodo
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Gizmodo
Trump EPA May Undo Cancer-Causing Asbestos
Who needs regulations on things with clear ties to mesothelioma? In 2024, the Biden administration issued a ban on the last type of asbestos still used in the United States due to its links to cancer. The Trump administration isn't so sure that we need to protect people from such things. Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that Trump's Environmental Protection Agency will delay the ban on the material and reconsider the rule entirely. Because, hey, when has a little cancer ever hurt anyone? The material at the core of this back-and-forth policymaking is chrysotile asbestos, otherwise known as 'white asbestos.' While it has been on the way out for a while, it's far from eliminated. White asbestos is still used in some roofing materials, textiles, cement and is found in brake pads and other automotive parts. It is also sometimes used to make chlorine. Its usage continues despite the fact that the material has been linked to lung cancer, ovarian cancer, laryngeal cancer, and mesothelioma, which is a cancer in the linings of the lungs, abdomen, heart, or testicles. The EPA estimates that asbestos exposure is linked to more than 40,000 deaths in the United States. For those reasons, more than 50 countries have already banned the use of the material outright. The U.S. joined their ranks in 2024, when the Biden administration announced a ban on it last year, though even that had a very long lead time before it actually went into effect. Under the rule introduced by the EPA under Biden, the white abestos ban had a 12-year-long phase-out period, meaning it wouldn't have truly been banned in full until 2036. But how's a chemicals manufacturer supposed to operate with more than a decade of heads up? It's just too much to ask. Might as well just kill the rule entirely. The Times reported that the Trump administration is considering reworking the rule to lift the ban on the import and use of asbestos in chlorine production and the use of sheet gaskets that contain asbestos in chemical manufacturing facilities. If you're wondering why the Trump administration would back off on this rule that seems like a pretty obvious no-brainer, especially for the administration that claims it wants to make America healthy again, there's a relatively simple answer available: the lobbyists run the show. Per the Times, the court filing from the EPA indicating that it is reconsidering the rule was signed by Lynn Dekleva. Before joining the administration, Dekleva was an official for the American Chemistry Council, where she lobbied to block regulations on the carcinogen formaldehyde. And before that, she spent 32 years at DuPont, a company repeatedly identified as a major producer of dangerous 'forever chemicals.' Now she's in charge of approving chemicals for use at the EPA. Good luck to the rest of us.
