Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of asbestos exposure on cancer-driver mutations. Methods: Between January 2014 and September 2018, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), anaplastic lymphoma receptor tyrosine kinase (ALK), and c-ros oncogene 1 receptor tyrosine kinase gene (ROS1) alterations, demographic … [Read more...]
What is the link between asbestos and lung cancer?
Asbestos is a material that people have used as insulation since the Industrial Revolution. There are strong associations between asbestos and certain types of cancer, including lung cancer and mesothelioma, which is a type of cancer that affects the mesothelial cells. According to the American Cancer Society, several expert agencies, including … [Read more...]
Talc-Based Beauty Products Found to be Contaminated with Asbestos
Talc-based beauty products have been found to be contaminated with asbestos according to some recent news headlines. How can this be? For years, cosmetics and personal care products have included a mineral ingredient called talc in their manufacturing process. Talc's original intention was to improve the texture and feel of products, absorb … [Read more...]
Mesothelioma risk among those exposed to chrysotile asbestos only and mixtures that include amphibole: a case–control study in the USA, 1975–1980
Objectives Occupational asbestos exposure is causally linked to mesothelioma. However, whether exposure to only chrysotile asbestos is associated with mesothelioma risk, and the heterogeneity in risk by different fibre types/lengths remains unclear. We investigated whether mesothelioma risk differs among workers exposed to only chrysotile … [Read more...]
Chemical Firm BASF and Its Law Firm to Pay $72.5M to Close Talcum-Asbestos Claims
BASF SE, the world’s biggest chemical maker, and a law firm agreed to pay a combined $72.5 million to resolve claims they hid evidence that certain talc products contained asbestos in an effort to scuttle thousands of lawsuits. Executives of BASF, along with lawyers from the New York-based Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, agreed to the joint … [Read more...]
Johnson & Johnson to stop selling talc baby powder in U.S. and Canada
Johnson & Johnson will stop selling its talc Baby Powder in the United States and Canada, it announced on Tuesday, saying demand had fallen in the wake of what it called “misinformation” about the product’s safety amid a barrage of legal challenges. J&J faces more than 19,000 lawsuits from consumers and their survivors claiming its talc … [Read more...]
Imerys signs agreement to end talc litigation in the United States
Imerys announced on May 15 that it had reached agreement on a plan to end the [ talcum powder – asbestos litigation ] that resulted in the Chapter 11 (receivership) placement of its North American subsidiaries Imerys Talc America, Imerys Talc Vermont and Imerys Talc Canada. The group had announced at the end of 2018 that these three subsidiaries, … [Read more...]
A dying wish for schools
Teacher Lea DiRusso knows she won’t survive mesothelioma, but hopes Philadelphia schools makes good on its promise to protect students and staff from asbestos. Lea DiRusso stared at the form in front of her, stuck on the words her doctor wrote to explain why she had to retire early from her career as a Philadelphia School District teacher: … [Read more...]
Asbestos inhalation poses cancer risks to workers and consumers
The processing and use of asbestos-containing diaphragms by the chlor-alkali industry poses an unreasonable risk to the health of workers, the US Environmental Protection Agency concludes in a draft risk evaluation. The assessment, released March 30, also finds unreasonable risks to workers and consumers who process or use asbestos-containing sheet … [Read more...]
EPA finds asbestos poses cancer risks for workers, reigniting calls for ban
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that [ asbestos dust ] poses an unreasonable risk of [ lung cancer and mesothelioma ] to both workers and consumers who inhale it, ramping up pressure on the agency to ban the substance. In a draft risk assessment published this week, the EPA said that workers who inhale [ asbestos dust ] … [Read more...]