An Englishman who fixed roofs for a living died of mesothelioma, which was caused by the asbestos exposure he experienced because of his work.

Occupational Asbestos Exposure

Phillip Frederick Edwards spent his life working for the town of Milford Haven, first fixing corrugated asbestos roofs and then as a foreman, sweeping and cleaning up buildings, according to the Milford Mercury.

There were packs of asbestos tiles where the 56-year-old worked and it is believed that his contact with the deadly mineral lead to the development of his mesothelioma.

Edwards was first diagnosed with the rare and deadly asbestos cancer following a biopsy in 2004. At the time he was given only 18 months to live, but he underwent radio and chemotherapy for mesothelioma and continued working up until his recent passing. The coroner ruled that he had died of an industrial disease, which typically means from asbestos exposure.

Many handymen and industrial workers were exposed to asbestos during their employment, as it was commonly used because of its strength and resistance to fire. Unfortunately, years of asbestos exposure has caused many such workers to develop mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.

A Utah jury has awarded a woman who suffers from mesothelioma $5.2 million in damages.

Vickie Warren’s lawyer is calling the award “the largest asbestos verdict ever in Utah or the surrounding states,” according to the Desert News.

Woman Worked in Construction as a Young Girl

Warren has been battling the deadly and rare form of cancer, which affects the lining of the abdomen, chest and lungs and is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. She came in contact with the deadly mineral when she was a girl, helping her father in the homebuilding business. He would smooth joints in the walls with a compound that he would apply and shave down, but cleaning up the dust that was left behind was up to Warren.

Union Carbide Found Liable

The jury awarded the damages against Union Carbide, which is paying a hefty sum to an asbestos victim for the second time this month after it was found partially responsible in a Florida trial that gave a sufferer of mesothlioma $14 million. The mining company supplied the asbestos fibers to Georgia-Pacific and Hamilton Materials, both of which made the compounds used by Warren’s father.

Asbestos exposure is a dangerous thing as the diseases the mineral causes can take decades to manifest themselves and when they eventually do, the victim generally does not live very long.

An Australian contractor is under investigation for allegedly dumping asbestos illegally at a waste facility.

The contractor took the asbestos from a construction site and attempted to dispose of it at the Morgan Park Waste Facility, reports the Warwick Daily News. The Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) is investigating the incident.

According to a spokeswoman for the Southern Downs Regional Council, the asbestos, which was wrapped correctly, was rejected from the dump and was being “temporarily” stored at a secure facility.

Asbestos Not a Danger, Offender Given Warning

“Council is satisfied that there has been no danger to the public as the waste was not open and presented no danger to the public,” she told the news source. “The offender has been given a verbal warning and it is up to DERM to deal with the enforcement of breaches of the waste tracking provisions of the environmental protection legislation in regard to the unlawful transport of the material.”

Disposing of asbestos properly is essential in the construction and demolition businesses because if some of the dust from the deadly mineral escapes it can be inhaled by anyone and potentially cause mesothelioma or asbestosis.

Residents of a trailer park in East Boise, Idaho, suspect that there is asbestos buried in the park and are upset that the owners of the park haven’t taken any action.

Some people who live in the Blue Valley Park believe that asbestos pipes that were buried under the community lake had been dug up and then shoddily re-buried, according to Fox12 in Idaho.

“So, rather than dispose of it properly, a lot of it was just back graded and buried there,” Dan Sanford, a homeowner in the park, told the television station.

Sanford is distressed that children might be exposed to the alleged asbestos while playing in the park.

“So, envision your 3-, 4-, 5-year-old grandchild out there, with a shovel and a bucket, out by the gazebo and digging up pieces of asbestos and breathing it in,” said Sanford.

Trailer Park Owners Not Taking Action Over Asbestos

Residents are also upset that the owners aren’t doing anything about the perceived problem, and one local has an explanation.

“The cost. It costs a lot of money, first of all. Second, it’s a headache.” Christine Brown told Fox 12.

Asbestos exposure has been known to cause a number of deadly diseases, such as malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.

Prompted by complaints from parents, an asbestos removal project at a New Jersey school will be delayed until the children go home for the summer.

Parents Not Notified of Asbestos Removal

The asbestos abatement began on the weekend of May 15 as part of a capital project at Anna C. Scott Elementary School in Leonia, New Jersey, according to NorthJersey.com. There was an outcry from parents once they realized the asbestos removal had taken place without their prior knowledge.

Bernard Josefsberg, the superintendent, received dozens of e-mails from parents claiming that he attempted to “cover up” possible safety risks. Josefsberg admitted he should have informed parents about the asbestos abatement but insisted that the project presented no risks to the children, a fact that appears to be confirmed by a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection inspection that found the work complied with environmental regulations and statutes.

Still, the school will hold two meetings this week to inform parents about the project and the new construction schedule.

“The purpose of the meetings are to answer questions and let parents know I’m planning on postponing the work until the school year ends,” Josefsberg told the news source.

Asbestos exposure can cause mesothelioma and asbestosis.