asbestos

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US Bans Last Type of Asbestos in Use Here

Chrysotile asbestos, a carcinogen, is used in bleach, brake pads, and more

(Newser) - The EPA on Monday announced a comprehensive ban on asbestos, a carcinogen that's still used in some chlorine bleach, brake pads, and other products and that kills thousands of Americans every year, per the AP . The final rule marks a major expansion of EPA regulation under a landmark 2016...

There Were Rules on Handling Asbestos. They Were Ignored

ProPublica takes a deep dive on US' inaction on banning carcinogen, effect on chem plant workers

(Newser) - Each year, hundreds of tons of asbestos arrive in the US from Brazil, most of it destined for two big chemical companies: Olin Corporation and OxyChem, which use the cancer-causing fibrous minerals to help produce chlorine. The US still hasn't banned asbestos, despite dozens of other nations doing so,...

Johnson & Johnson's 'No-Brainer' Fix on Baby Powder

Cornstarch will take its place, starting next year, after complaints talc caused cancer

(Newser) - You already won't find Johnson & Johnson baby powder containing talc on most store shelves in the US and Canada, but now the company is nixing the ingredient in that product worldwide, after tens of thousands of complaints were filed alleging it caused cancer in consumers who used it....

Town of Asbestos Seeks New Name
Town of Asbestos
Seeks New Name

Town of Asbestos Seeks New Name

Quebec town was shunned by English-speakers

(Newser) - Officials in Asbestos have decided the town's name is holding it back. The small Quebec town, site of the world's largest asbestos mine, says it will announce a new name next year and residents are welcome to offer suggestions, the BBC reports. Asbestos, once considered a "miracle...

Women Awarded $4.7B in Talc Powder Lawsuit

They said asbestos in product contributed to cancer

(Newser) - A St. Louis jury on Thursday awarded nearly $4.7 billion in total damages to 22 women and their families after they claimed asbestos in Johnson & Johnson talcum powder contributed to their ovarian cancer. This was the first case against the company that focused on asbestos in the powder,...

Cancer Patient Scores $37M Win in Talcum Powder Lawsuit

NJ couple receives compensatory damages from Johnson & Johnson for cancer tied to asbestos

(Newser) - Stephen Lanzo says he used Johnson & Johnson products for decades, including products with talcum powder (e.g., the company's famous baby powder), and that his aggressive form of lung cancer was brought about by that powder. On Thursday, a jury awarded the New Jersey banker and his wife...

Report: Asbestos Found in Claire's Kids' Makeup

Concerned mom says poison found in products from 9 states

(Newser) - "I physically sank." That was Kristi Warner's response to news that a makeup kit used by her 6-year-old daughter tested positive for asbestos, a finding that has prompted retailer Claire's to pull at least nine products from shelves. As a lawyer at a Rhode Island law...

Report: Tween Retailer Has 'Deadly Poison' in Makeup

Justice says it's testing 'Just Shine Shimmer Powder' for asbestos after news team probe

(Newser) - Tween girls love a Justice store, but the latest news involving cosmetics sold at the national chain isn't exactly heartwarming. A WTVD I-Team probe claims that it sent samples of Justice's "Just Shine Shimmer Powder" out for testing to a North Carolina lab because it was curious...

Asbestos Claiming New Kind of Victim in 'Third Wave'
Asbestos Claiming New Kind of Victim in 'Third Wave'
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Asbestos Claiming New Kind of Victim in 'Third Wave'

New report shares the story of Kris Penny, 39

(Newser) - When 39-year-old Kris Penny woke up in the hospital after experiencing shooting stomach pains one September morning last year, he didn't know why his wife was crying. "What's the matter? I'm still here," he tried to comfort her. The flooring company contractor quickly learned that...

Navy Will Again Sink Ships Off US Coast

Re-starting old practice instead of recycling

(Newser) - The US Navy is resuming its practice of using old warships for target practice and sinking them in US coastal waters after a nearly two-year moratorium spurred by environmental and cost concerns. Later this month, three inactive vessels—Kilauea, Niagara Falls, and Concord—will be sent to a watery grave...

Showbiz Scribe Army Archerd Dead at 87

Column appeared in Variety for 52 years

(Newser) - Army Archerd, who chronicled Hollywood for 52 years as a columnist for Variety, died today of mesothelioma, the showbiz publication reports. He was 87; the cancer was thought to be related to exposure to asbestos during World War II. He was known for injecting a social consciousness into his reporting,...

EPA Declares Asbestos 'Emergency' in Mont. Town

(Newser) - The Environmental Protection Agency has declared a “public health emergency” in a Montana town where 200 people have died from asbestos poisoning, CNN reports. For 10 years the EPA has been involved in a cleanup of Libby, contaminated by castoff from a nearby vermiculite mine and insulation plant. The...

Terminally Ill Man Picks a Winner: Himself

At 50-1 odds, British cancer patient has won $16K betting he'll live

(Newser) - A terminally ill British man collected about $8,200 today after betting he’d stay alive, the BBC reports. After being diagnosed with asbestos-related cancer in 2006 and told he had just months left, 59-year-old Jon Matthews made £100 bets he’d stick around until June 1, 2008, and...

WR Grace Makes Deal to Settle Asbestos Claims

Chemical company hopes to leave bankruptcy by year's end

(Newser) - Chemical company WR Grace cleared a major hurdle in its 7-year effort to emerge from bankruptcy yesterday, agreeing to pay more than $3 billion to settle asbestos-related personal injury lawsuits, reports the Baltimore Sun. The deal, which a bankruptcy judge must approve, would establish a trust fund to settle current...

Supreme Court Denies Tobacco Industry Appeal

Justices won't intervene in W. Va. case involving hundreds of lawsuits

(Newser) - The Supreme Court today handed the tobacco industry a setback, rejecting without comment an appeal contending that West Virginia’s two-tiered system of consolidating cases is unconstitutional. In their appeal, industry lawyers called the process “deeply and fundamentally flawed,” the Wall Street Journal reports, but the plaintiffs' lawyers...

No Asbestos in Air After NY Blast
No Asbestos in Air After NY Blast

No Asbestos in Air After NY Blast

Traces of carcinogen found in dirt and debris; not a health hazard, say officials

(Newser) - No asbestos was found in the air today after a steam pipe explosion that led to one death and injured more than 30 in midtown Manhattan yesterday. The carcinogen has turned up in dirt and debris in and near the area, but officials say damage to long-term health is very...

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