Brayton Purcell, LLP - 222 Rush Landing Road, PO Box 6169, Novato, CA 94945

How to Make Sure Your Child is Safe at School

Public and non-profit private schools have distinct regulatory requirements to protect school children and school employees from asbestos exposure.

Each school is required to develop, maintain and update asbestos management plans and to keep a copy at each individual school. These plans are required to document the recommended asbestos response actions, the location of the asbestos within the school, and any action taken to repair and remove the material.

The school authority must maintain records to be included in the Asbestos Management Plan which should include the name and address of each building and whether they have asbestos and if so which type of material. The plan should also include the dates of inspection, re-inspection plans and a blueprint which identifies where the asbestos is located.

Then the plan must have any action taken to reduce asbestos exposure with details of the person who is to ensure the plan is adhered to and the name and address of any laboratory which has sampled the asbestos.

Post Earthquake Checks

On August 24th, the strongest earthquake to hit Northern California in 25 years caused widespread damage to properties and injured dozens of people.  The earthquake had a 6.0 magnitude and occurred a few miles southwest of Napa. It knocked out power for thousands, caused gas leaks and a number of fires.

However, people need to be aware of potential hazards they may encounter before they reenter their homes and businesses and begin to cleanup and carry out repairs.

Firstly they should check all of the utilities. Not only for gas leaks, but electrical system damage and any leaks in the sewage or water lines in the property. It is important to check sewage as well as if the pipes are ruptured they could contain bacteria, viruses and mold as well as chemical contaminants.

In addition, an earthquake may also release large amounts of dust and it could contain asbestos and lead in older properties. You should never enter an older building where there is lots of dust after an earthquake without having it checked for asbestos as even a small amount of fibers in the air can cause fatal cancer later in life.

If you have been diagnosed with asbestos a related disease, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. Contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation.

Clean up of Asbestos Site

Dangerous toxic waste sites in the country are part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund cleanup program. The EPA is responsible for the safety of the local people at 1,700 hazardous waste sites across the country via this program. For example, in Walpole, the South Street Superfund site once housed tire factories and other industries that produced asbestos byproducts and was added to the Superfund Priority list in 1994.

The South Street site is now nearly cleaned up, after more than 20 years of inactivity as the town pushed for a deal with the business owners responsible for the contamination. The result is a cleanup plan that should have the land ready for use by 2016. Part of the deal requires the town to use the space for municipal purposes, with plans for a senior center and police station on the land.

While the EPA said the land will be appropriate for building, digging and other subterranean activity will not be permitted at the site due to health concerns. Each building on the land will have added barriers to protect inhabitants from any potential health hazards. Having said that, Walpole Health Agent Robin Chapell has stressed, that she believes that the land will be fully safe for use.

Check your Home for Asbestos

There are many building materials used in houses which were built before 1975 which can contain asbestos. It is found most frequently  wrapped around furnaces, boilers and heating ducts in the basement, but, in addition, was used in some types of blown-in insulation, vinyl floor tiles and linoleum, adhesive used to glued flooring to concrete, and siding shingles.

If you think that you may have asbestos-containing materials in your home, in most cases, it is not dangerous. If the material is in good condition, it’s best to leave it alone, since disturbing intact asbestos can create a hazard where there wasn’t one before as the fibers enter the air and potentially the lungs.

However, it is a good idea to inspect the materials regularly to make sure they haven’t begun to deteriorate. You should look for tears or damage from water or abrasion and if you find any suspicious areas, have them checked by a professional.

If you are considering a major repair or remodeling project, it’s a good idea to find out if there are any asbestos-containing materials in your home that might be disturbed during the work. And ensure that the company that does the removal is properly certified and follows procedures that will protect your family.

If you have been diagnosed with asbestos a related disease, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. Contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation.

Asbestos is all Around

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reported that naturally-occurring asbestos can be found in 42 of California’s 58 counties and the most is in and around Humboldt County, in areas of San Benito and Monterey Counties, and in western El Dorado County.

“Naturally-occurring asbestos” means the mineral as a natural component of soils or rocks as opposed to the asbestos which is used in commercial products, mining or processing operations. The most common type of natural asbestos is chrysotile, but other types are also found in California.  The problem is that when rock containing asbestos is broken or crushed, asbestos fibers can be released into the air. This can then lead to health problems including lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.

It appears that most California residents are aware of the hazards associated with exposure to asbestos in homes and buildings that contain materials made with the mineral, but Far fewer realize that it could be in the rock and soil around their homes, schools and work place.  Outdoor activities, such as construction projects that disturb the ground and create dust, can pose a health risk to anyone in the area.

If you have been diagnosed with asbestos a related disease, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. Contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation.

RPM International to spend $800 million on Asbestos Settlement

RPM International, whose consumer brands include Rust-Oleum, DAP and Zinsser, plans to spend nearly $800 million as part of an initial deal to fund a trust that resolves asbestos personal injury claims tied to a business owned by its Specialty Products Holding Corp.

The company, based in Medina, Ohio, has said that the agreement still needs the approval of the claimants as well as the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

RPM has said that it will start funding the trust for current and future claimants with a $450 million cash payment and then make additional payments over the next few years until a total of $797.5 million in contributions, which are expected to be tax deductible, is reached.

RPM’s subsidiaries make specialty coatings, sealants and building materials for both consumer and industrial markets and their Specialty Products unit filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in May 2010. They subsequently deconsolidated the business but plan to reconsolidate the unit with its operations once the settlement plan is consummated.

If you have been diagnosed with asbestos a related disease, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. Contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation.

Asbestos Delays Highway

Asbestos is a mineral fiber found in rock and soil but in certain forms, it can cause respiratory problems, including scarred and inflamed lungs and also cancer.

Scientists have discovered naturally occurring asbestos in Clark County, and the discovery has stalled plans to build a $490 million highway detour around Boulder City, so traffic can move smoothly between Las Vegas and Arizona.

Asbestos becomes dangerous when it is disturbed and the particles get into the air and can be inhaled. This means that construction could turn deadly.

The construction of the road was due to begin last spring but was put on hold to allow testing and analysis and the results are due out shortly.

Asbestos if left undisturbed is not dangerous, it only becomes so when it becomes airborne, hence removing it leads to far more danger than leaving it alone. However, in the construction of the highway, explosives will be needed to cut a route through the hills, so the challenge becomes how to ensure that the construction workers and motorists are not affected.

If you have been diagnosed with asbestos a related disease, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. Contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation.

San Francisco to Host Asbestos Conference

Perrin Conferences have announced that 11 judges, from the East, Central, and West regions of the United States, will attend its annual Asbestos Litigation Conference, scheduled for September 8-10, 2014, in San Francisco. Last year, the event drew more than 500 professionals to discuss all perspectives of asbestos litigation.

Nationally, the costs and damages associated with asbestos litigation have been estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars over the past several decades, with far-reaching implications affecting all sectors of the economy. Every year, the court system, attorneys, clients, insurance companies, risk managers, and a whole range of affected businesses and other parties, grapple with the need to adjudicate or settle hundreds of thousands of asbestos related cases.

By bringing all parties affected together in a constructive dialogue, the conference offers mutually beneficial insight and information sharing on current and emerging trends in an atmosphere of learning and networking.

If you have been diagnosed with asbestos a related disease, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. Contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation.

Asbestos discovered in the Capitol

Construction of the main section of the center of the Capitol in Washington began in 1793 and was finished in 1826.

Now, workers who were removing insulation from around pipes on the fourth floor of the building, above a staircase, have discovered asbestos which forced a temporary closure of the House side of the Capitol and led to a two hour delay of the day’s session.

The East Grand Staircase, which leads from the first to the third floor, was closed, and the whole area was examined. Samples were taken and analyzed and taken to a laboratory which revealed that the asbestos levels were low enough that the building could be reopened.

The Capitol architect’s office issued a statement saying that the building was safe to reopen, but that the staircase itself would be closed until further notice.

If you have been diagnosed with asbestos a related disease, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. Contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma

Symptoms of Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is cancer of a membrane, called the mesothelium which lines various organs in the body, primarily in the chest and abdomen. Most of the cases which are presented are pleural mesothelioma, in other words cancer of the lining of the lung cavity.

The disease is a silent one and very difficult to diagnose in its early stages. Patients will eventually begin to feel short of breath, and unable to carry out tasks they could do with no problems before, such as climbing stairs, walking up hill and even sometimes talking.

The other main symptom is weight loss and any unexplained weight loss when the patient is not trying to diet is often linked to an underlying problem such as cancer and should be investigated further.

Most of the patients with mesothelioma, eight or nine out of 10, have been exposed to asbestos at some time in the past. Whilst smoking in itself does not cause the disease, anyone who has been exposed to asbestos should not smoke as the asbestos exposure will greatly increase their risk of getting lung cancer.

If you have been diagnosed with asbestos a related disease, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. Contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP  at  (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation.