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Will New Asbestos Detection Method Cut Mesothelioma Risk?
Malignant mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos, a mineral that was used extensively throughout much of the 20th century. Even with its use virtually eliminated, the carcinogenic material remains a threat, as it lurks in structures built before the 1980s, brake linings, and other previous applications. Detecting the presence of asbestos has long been a
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Decision in Australian Mesothelioma Case Marks Significant Change
Australia has the dubious distinction of leading the world in cases of malignant mesothelioma, but the country’s system of justice has lagged far behind that of the United States. Where Americans who’ve been victims of corporate negligence frequently receive multi-million jury awards, the same has not been true – until now. A Queensland jury has
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Illinois Attorney General Sues Hospital That Put Employees and Public at Risk for Mesothelioma
After asbestos was linked to the development of malignant mesothelioma, its use diminished dramatically. But legacy asbestos used decades ago continues to pose a threat. Despite stringent regulations for handling asbestos, negligence continues to place people at risk. This week Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul took legal action against the owners and operators of a
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Fears of Mesothelioma Postpone Project at U.S. Air Base in Italy
The U.S. military is all too familiar with the health risks posed by asbestos: Countless Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, and Coast Guard service members were diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases after exposure to the mineral during World War II and after. So it is no surprise that the discovery of asbestos at
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Michigan School of Social Work Awarded Grant for Mesothelioma Study
Michigan ranks 9th in the nation for number of diagnoses of malignant mesothelioma. The high rate of the rare, asbestos-related disease is generally blamed on the state being the heart of auto manufacturing in the United States, exposing countless auto workers to asbestos-contaminated products. Because so many people have been affected by the disease, it is
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Mesothelioma Claims May Be Impacted by Supreme Court Decision
When workers negligently exposed to asbestos are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other illnesses, their options for compensation include applying to one of the many asbestos trust funds created by companies who sought bankruptcy protection from continuing mesothelioma injury claims. A recent unanimous decision by the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to have an impact on
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Navy Wife’s Mesothelioma Blamed on Navy’s Negligence
It is unusual for a mesothelioma lawsuit to name the U.S. Navy as a defendant, but in the case filed by the family of Geraldine Perkins, it is the federal government that’s accused of negligence. According to the victim’s family, the Navy failed to adhere to mandatory asbestos safety precautions when Mrs. Perkins’ husband was
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Asbestos in Makeup Blamed for Women’s Mesothelioma
A new report published in The Guardian is detailing the stories of British women who blame big-name cosmetic companies for their malignant mesothelioma. Beyond the claims being filed against talcum powder products like those made by Johnson & Johnson, the women point to cosmetic talc used in bronzer, blusher, eye shadow, and other commonly used
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Multinational Study Questions Use of Immunotherapy for Patients with Mesothelioma
In recent years, researchers and physicians treating people with malignant pleural mesothelioma have expressed great hope for the use of immunotherapy, an innovative treatment that leverages patients’ own immune systems to fight the rare and fatal disease. However, an article published in the April issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology points to real-world results from Australian studies
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Johnson & Johnson Settles Talc Lawsuit with $700 Million Payment to U.S. States
In the face of mounting legal troubles accusing its popular baby powder of causing malignant mesothelioma and ovarian cancer, Johnson & Johnson closed the book on one aspect of those troubles, reaching a $700 million settlement with a multistate coalition of attorneys general representing 43 U.S. states. The lawsuit accused the company of deceptively promoting
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Researchers Undeterred by Disappointing Mesothelioma Trial
Although a phase II/III mesothelioma clinical trial delivered disappointing results, researchers reviewing its results remain interested in the use of novel dendritic cell immunotherapy. Some reviewers have suggested that the delayed administration of the innovative treatment played a role in it not meeting its primary outcome of improved overall survival.
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Texan Files Mesothelioma Lawsuit Against Johnson & Johnson
A Texas jury is the latest being asked to decide whether the use of Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder led to a man’s malignant pleural mesothelioma. Jerry Newton was diagnosed with the rare asbestos-related disease in 2019, and he blames the consumer giant’s talcum powder for his fatal illness.
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Court Again Sides with Daughters Following Father’s Mesothelioma Death
In March of 2023, the Louisiana Court of Appeals denied a petition from Union Carbide Corporation, which had argued against a jury’s $2.75 million wrongful death award to each of two daughters of a mesothelioma victim. The company appealed that decision to the Louisiana Supreme Court, which vacated the appeals court’s decision and ordered the
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California Appeals Court Upholds $2.6 Million Award in Second-Hand Mesothelioma Case
After he was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, Cornelius Williams filed a personal injury claim against several companies that he blamed for his second-hand asbestos exposure. Included among them was J-M Manufacturing Company, a pipe manufacturer whose asbestos-cement pipes his brother Nathan had worked with. A California jury awarded him $2.6 million in damages, and the company
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Positive Results From New Mesothelioma Drug Trial Announced at Oncology Conference
Massachusetts-based biopharmaceutical company RS Oncology used the opportunity of the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting to announce positive data from a Phase 1 clinical trial of RSO-021, its first-in-class therapeutic for malignant pleural mesothelioma.
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Oregon Jury Delivers $260 Million Mesothelioma Verdict Against J&J
In the latest talcum powder mesothelioma trial filed against Johnson & Johnson, an Oregon jury has ordered consumer giant Johnson & Johnson to pay $260 million in compensatory and punitive damages to a 48-year-old woman who accuses the company’s iconic baby powder product of being contaminated with asbestos and causing her deadly illness.
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Palliative Care Study May Benefit Mesothelioma Patients
Palliative care has long been known to offer significant benefits to patients suffering from malignant mesothelioma, as well as other advanced cancers. But to date, little has been known about the effectiveness of palliative care delivered virtually rather than in person. Now, a study conducted by Joseph A. Greer, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital and
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Mesothelioma Patients Accuse J&J of Fraud
Mesothelioma and ovarian cancer victims and their families seeking justice from Johnson & Johnson have initiated a new challenge against the company. Beyond their claims that the company’s talc caused their illnesses, the group is now accusing the company of purposefully and fraudulently initiating corporate transactions meant to block their ability to collect compensation.
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FDA Grants Approval for Priority Review of Immunotherapy Chemotherapy Combination as Frontline Treatment for Mesothelioma
Following positive results from clinical trials, the FDA has moved forward and granted priority review approval to the investigation of a new mesothelioma protocol. The supplemental biologics license application is for a combination of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda) being administered in combination with chemotherapy.
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Study Confirms Occupational Asbestos Exposure in Global Mesothelioma Deaths
A just-published study that appeared in the Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology confirms what advocates and victims have long known: occupational asbestos exposure is the primary cause of mesothelioma deaths. After noting a troubling rise in the number of mesothelioma deaths following occupational asbestos exposure, the authors urge “effective implementation of asbestos bans” to reduce
