November 26, 2008
After a fire at Blue Island Phenol, a chemical plant in Alsip, Illinois, hazardous chemicals leaked into the area. The plant manufactures phenol that is used in pharmaceuticals, herbicides, cosmetics, and acetone. The danger was increased because of the asbestos present at the site.
The fire caused several problems for the plant, not only repairs to the plant, but also the difficult problem of how to handle the issues around the asbestos exposure. Because the asbestos was disturbed by the fire, it is very likely that there is asbestos as well as phenol in the runoff that was created in fighting the fire and which may have been absorbed into the groundwater and soil near the plant site.
Asbestos is hazardous because it has been linked to asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. Because these diseases take a long time to develop – anywhere from 15 to 50 years – diagnosis is often delayed. Usually, by the the time a diagnosis is made, the disease has progressed so much that the treatment is aimed more at keeping the patient comfortable than to cure.
Blue Island Phenol has reached an agreement with the state Attorney General in which the company must close off any areas where hazardous material, including asbestos, may have been disturbed. They must also hire engineers to determine how much contamination was caused by the runoff and also what caused the incident that caused the fire.
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Asbestos, Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma | Tagged: asbestos exposure, Asbestosis, Blue Island Phenol, Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma, Pleural mesothelioma | 
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Posted by Dave Austin
November 10, 2008
Mesothelioma, an asbestos-linked cancer, has always been considered a death sentence because it takes so long to develop that it’s usually too late by the time it’s been diagnosed. For one man in Australia it has not been a death sentence.
An article in The Daily Telegraph reports that Stephen Bolon is the first Australian to be cured of mesothelioma. The break-through of this treatment of cancer has provided some new early detection tests and Stephen was one of the earliest people to take advantage of the tests. Lung biopsy showed no cancer but the soluble mesothelin-related peptide that measured raised levels in his body told doctors otherwise.
Stephen underwent surgery to remove his right lung, part of his diaphragm, part of his pericardium and his pleura, the thin covering that protects the lungs. That was followed by radiotherapy and two years later he is fit , healthy and cancer-free.
Respiratory physician Deborah Yates, of Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital, said mesothelioma had an incubation period of 20-40 years so once it was discovered it was too late for meaningful treatment. “We are very cautiously excited,” said Dr Yates. “We see so many people dying from mesothelioma, it would be wonderful if this works, it really would.”
Because Australia has the the highest incidence rates of asbestos-related disease in the world, it is at the forefront of research into mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung.
Doctors hope to make early detection even easier and are working under a grant to develop a simple breath test for that purpose.
Leave a Comment » | Asbestos, Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma, Treatment | Tagged: Asbestos, Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma Lawyer, Mesothelioma News, mesothelioma treatment, St. Vincent's Hospital, The Daily Telegraph | Permalink
Posted by Dave Austin
