ASBESTOS NEWS UPDATE
Asbestos discovered at New Jersey public recreation area

November 4, 2008 -- Chunks of asbestos have recently been found lying on the ground at a newly finished recreation field in Lyndhurst, New Jersey.

The discovery has prompted the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to determine how much asbestos is present in the soil, and if there is a public risk for mesothelioma or any other asbestos-related disease.

Asbestos contamination was found near the property line behind the recreation field, which is adjacent to an old railroad track. Officials said it was likely that the asbestos became exposed from the installation of a boundary fence.

The plan recommended by the DEP is to secure the area to ensure the asbestos and any air-borne fibers do not create a public risk. Soil samples will be taken to determine where and how deep the asbestos is buried. Once that is completed, the DEP will determine the best and safest way to cap the asbestos.

New Jersey: No. 6 state in the nation for asbestos deaths

New Jersey is the sixth highest ranking state in the country for asbestos-related deaths, according to a study by the EWG Action Fund, a non-profit environmental research group based in Washington, D.C.

The study details for the first time the death toll in each state and county nationwide for the period between 1979 and 2001.

On the list of the Top 100 counties in the nation showing deaths due to asbestos, New Jersey contains 12 counties -- a figure of concern for any state and matched only by California and Florida. The 12 New Jersey counties are: Camden (ranked No. 6 in the nation), Somerset (No. 7); Middlesex (No. 36), Bergen (No. 37), Gloucester (No. 50), Ocean (No. 51), Burlington (No. 59), Union (No. 60), Hudson (No. 72), Monmouth (No. 77), Essex (No. 95) and Passaic (No. 96).

Seek justice

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 health and safety.

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 secured billions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for 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.