ASBESTOS NEWS UPDATE
Small town in Maine seeks Brownfield grant for asbestos cleanup

November 5, 2008 -- A tiny town in Maine, concerned about dangerous contaminants at an abandoned mill, has applied to the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a Brownfield grant to help clean up the asbestos-ladened site.

The problem site is Webster Mill in Orono, Maine. Long overdue for restoration, the building is riddled with asbestos and the soil on the property is contaminated with arsenic and lead. Exposure to asbestos is especially harmful, as it has been proven to cause lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma.

Town seeks Brownfield grant

Brownfield is the term used to describe sites that are federally designated as contaminated. The Brownfield Redevelopment Program is designed to offer financial incentives for companies to redevelop old industrial and commercial properties contaminated with hazardous substances.

Brownfield sites are commonly contaminated with hazardous substances, such as asbestos, lead, heavy metals, solvents, and other chemicals. Many, including asbestos, are known human carcinogens.

Time to seek justice!

Despite the serious health problems linked to asbestos exposure, asbestos is still imported and used in the United States. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. imported and used an estimated 1,820 tons of asbestos in 2007.

Government sources estimate that in the next decade more than 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with the deadliest form of asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma. This disease is most often the result of industrial workplace exposure to asbestos – and usually contracted through employers’ blatant disregard for the health and safety of their workers.

That’s why people diagnosed with mesothelioma and their family members have strong cases in court. Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of workers for 25 years – longer than most law firms in the nation. And in that time its attorneys have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for its clients.

If you have a mesothelioma injury, please complete the form on this page for a free evaluation of your legal rights. There is no cost to you until we win a settlement or a verdict.