Regulations Loosened for Asbestos Demolition

The Sun Herald, a publication in South Mississippi, annouced in an article entitled, Asbestos demolition rules loosened for Coast, that a federal extension granted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) late last week will allow twelve hundred more hurricane-destroyed houses in South Mississippi will be torn down under looser asbestos-handling requirements.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved No Action Assurance to run until September 30, 2007. The extension applies to hurricane-destroyed houses in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson and Pearl River counties of South Mississippi.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), which sets regulations for air emissions of asbestos from building demolition and renovations for the state, estimated that at the end of the extension, 4,200 houses will have been torn down.

So what do these losser regulations mean? They mean county and city governments do not need to examine each structure (house) they allow to be demolished for asbestos if the structure appears to be unstable.

What can exposure to asbestos cause? In the United States, asbestos is the only confirmed cause of mesothelioma but not all asbestos exposures are the same. One breath of asbestos taken over a lifetime will not likely cause a disease. On the other hand, it is not necessary to be an “asbestos worker” in order to develop mesothelioma clinical symptoms. Read more on asbestos exposure.

Makers of Potential Mesothelioma Treatment Seeks Orphan Drug Status (Part 2)

Back in December we posted news about Biopharmaceutical company Alfacell Corp. asking the Food and Drug Administration to grant its lead drug candidate, Onconase, orphan drug status in the post - Makers of Potential Mesothelioma Treatment Seeks Orphan Drug Status (Part 1)

On January 30th, the Food and Drug Administration granted U.S. orphan drug designation for ONCONASE(R) for treatment of malignant mesothelioma. The generic name for Onconase(R) is Ranprinase.

Use the following links for orphan products:

• List of Orphan Products Designated January thru February 2007
• Cumulative List of All Orphan Designated Year to Date 2007
  

For more information on malignant mesothelioma and Onconase, please visit:

• Onconase: Potential Malignant Mesothelioma Treatment
• Asbestos Mesothelioma Resource for New York and New Jersey Residents

Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007

On March 1st, the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation offered the endorsement of Senator Patty Murray's legislation, "Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007."

Dr. Harvey Pass, Chairman of the Foundation's Science Advisory Board, testified before a Senate panel responsible for overseeing workplace safety. Pass praised the legislation Senator Murray introduced today for placing a high priority on federal funding for mesothelioma research and mandating a collaborative effort be made among the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs to find the disease in its early stages so that newer therapies can prolong patients' lives.

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation is a non-profit organization, devoted to eradicating mesothelioma as a life-ending disease.

Use the links below to find more information about Mesothelioma:

• What is Mesothelioma?
• Where could I get asbestos exposure?
• Asbestos Mesothelioma Resource Center
  
• Mesothelioma Asbestos Attorneys in New York & New Jersey