Funding Needed for Lung Cancer Awareness and Research – How You Can Help As November draws to a close, so does Lung Cancer Awareness Month, but that doesn’t mean we should forget about this devastating cancer that affects hundreds of thousands of people annually. For a cancer than claims more lives than breast, colon, and […]
Ongoing Legislative Efforts to Ban Asbestos in the United States
Ongoing Legislative Efforts to Ban Asbestos in the United States In 2016, The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was reformed after the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act was signed by President Obama, to enforce a more thorough assessment of harmful chemicals by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Under the new chemical […]
Asbestos Insulation
Asbestos Insulation Before people knew about the dangers of asbestos, asbestos was known as this “miracle mineral,” used in a myriad of ways. From fire and sound proofing, to caulking and brake linings, the mineral’s heat resistant qualities, high tensile strength, and abundance made it a popular building material in the mid-20th century. Its numerous application […]
Allegheny County Asbestos Exposure
Allegheny County Asbestos Exposure In 2013, the EWG Action Fund reported that out of all the counties in Pennsylvania, Allegheny County in western Pennsylvania had the highest number of asbestos-related deaths from 1999-2013, and the highest number of asbestos-related deaths per year. Pennsylvania is one of six states that have asbestos-related death rates higher than […]
Misconceptions about Mesothelioma
Misconceptions about Mesothelioma Mesothelioma is not lung cancer One of the most common areas of the body where mesothelioma develops is the lung, and because of this, many misunderstand mesothelioma to be a type of lung cancer. In actuality, mesothelioma is cancer of the mesothelium – found in the lining of the heart, lungs, abdomen, […]
Asbestos Exposure Among Navy, Air Force, and Army Veterans
Asbestos Exposure Among Navy, Air Force, and Army Veterans From naval ships, to aircraft carriers, to army barracks, asbestos use remained the popular building material for nearly 50 years in the military, which resulted in asbestos exposure among thousands upon thousands of military personnel. Its widespread use in this industry, coupled with the long latency […]
Asbestos Exposure After A Natural Disaster
Asbestos Exposure After A Natural Disaster Asbestos was a popular building material with widespread use throughout much the of mid-20thcentury. It found its way into millions of homes and by 1980, floor tiles, pipe insulation, block insulation, roofing, ceiling tile, taping compounds, cement, and plasters all contained the deadly carcinogen. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency […]
Toxic Exposures Threaten Superfund Sites
Toxic Exposures Threaten Superfund Sites In 1980, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) was enacted in response to a growing numbers of hazardous waste sites that were releasing toxic chemicals and polluting the environment. The program known as Superfund was designed to clean up these hazardous sites by having the responsible parties […]
Asbestos Particles Invisible to the Naked Eye Exposed Through Light
Asbestos Particles Invisible to the Naked Eye Exposed Through Light Even though there is no safe level of asbestos exposure, the more a person is exposed to asbestos, the more likely he or she will develop an asbestos-related condition. Part of this is because there is such a long latency period between asbestos exposure and […]
The Asbestos Manufacturing Capital of the World – Ambler, Pennsylvania
The Asbestos Manufacturing Capital of the World – Ambler, Pennsylvania Asbestos manufacturing in Ambler, Pennsylvania dates back to the 1880s, when entrepreneurs Richard Mattison and Henry Keasbey relocated their asbestos manufacturing company, K&M, to the area. Drawn by the steady supply of spring water, limestone, and the recent railroad development, the pair thought Ambler would […]