ASBESTOS NEWS UPDATE
Health Department urges Brutus, NY, residents to test for mesothelioma

Government's mesothelioma concern: Brutus, NY, plant processed Libby-mined asbestos for 26 years

November 5, 2008 -- The Health Department’s Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR) released a report last week titled, “Summary Report of 28 Sites,” in which the agency revealed findings related to the processing of asbestos mined in Libby, Montana, and identified worker groups that are most susceptible to developing asbestos-related mesothelioma.

According to the report, the Libby-mined ore was shipped to hundreds of locations nationwide for processing, 28 of which underwent evaluation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and ATSDR staff beginning in 2002.

Brutus, NY, asbestos plant

One of the 28 sites included in the report is the former Zonolite Company, located in Brutus, NY, just outside of Weedsport. The processing factory operated between 1963 and 1989, consuming roughly 150,000 tons of vermiculite ore in that period to be used in insulation, fireproofing, and building and agricultural products.

The report identified three groups of people who may have been susceptible to asbestos exposure; they include: former employees of processing sites, household members of former employees, and members of the community who may have come into contact with factory waste. The report advises anyone in these groups to be tested for asbestos exposure and mesothelioma, the deadliest form of asbestos-related lung cancer.

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.