asbestos News

Asbestos Concerns Halt Restoration of Century-Old Washington Hotel

Restoration work on a century-old former hotel in eastern Washington has been halted after air quality inspectors say they found signs of asbestos. The Spokesman-Review reported that the state Department of Labor and Industries stopped work on the Otis Hotel …

Montana Judge Rules Against in Insurer in $43M Asbestos Settlement

A Montana judge says a Nebraska-based insurance company is liable for a $43 million settlement between the state and people sickened by exposure to asbestos from a Libby vermiculite mine. National Indemnity Co. paid $16 million toward the 2009 settlement …

Oregon City Tightening Demolition Rules over Lead, Asbestos

Portland, Ore. is aiming to crackdown on toxic emissions by requiring developers to more thoroughly search for lead paint and asbestos before demolishing houses. The city council adopted rules that require those who seek to knock down a house to …

Unlicensed Contractor Sentenced to Prison for Fraud in Massachusetts

An unlicensed home improvement contractor whose false promises left an elderly Massachusetts woman’s home in ruins and others temporarily homeless is heading to prison. The Salem News reports that 49-year-old Jaime Ford was sentenced to two years in prison Thursday …

Construction Firm Disputes OSHA in Work at New Hampshire Power Plant

A construction company says it will challenge violations and nearly $330,000 in fines proposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration over possible mercury exposure at Eversource’s Schiller Station in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Connecticut-based Manafort Brothers Inc. began mercury and …

Asbestos Removal At Nevada Site to Cost $53K

A small city in northern Nevada is moving forward with the demolition of its old police station. The Elko Daily Free Press reported the Elko City Council is considering awarding a $53,000 bid to a company to remove asbestos from …

Former Students at California School Sue over Asbestos Fear

A judge has cleared the way for dozens of former student’s in California’s Central Valley to take their school district to trial over fears that a job-training program exposed them to cancer. Attorney Allen Sawyer said this week he represents …

Montana Settles with Asbestos Victims for $25M

The state of Montana has reached settlements totaling $25 million with more than 1,000 victims of asbestos-related disease over claims that health officials failed to bring attention to the hazards of a contaminated mine. The Flathead Beacon reported that the …

Canada to Ban All Products Containing Asbestos by 2018

Canada is moving to ban all products containing asbestos by 2018. The comprehensive ban will include construction materials and brake pads that currently use the cancer-causing agent. Canada closed its last asbestos mines a decade ago, but had obstructed international …

Wyoming Refiner Pays $655K for Asbestos Cleanup

Sinclair Casper Refining Co. has paid $655,000 to the Environmental Protection Agency for cleaning up asbestos at an oil refinery in the town of Thermopolis, Wyo. The Casper Star-Tribune reported the agency determined there was significant contamination at the site …