Protecting What's Right Blog

Imports of asbestos into the United States have increased more than 34 percent since 2010, despite the fact that the mineral is a known carcinogen, according to numbers compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Based on data collected from January 2011 to July 2011, the United States was estimated to collect more than 1,100 tons of asbestos during the calendar year. Data for the entire year has not yet been compiled by the USGS. The 1,100 tons is an increase of 869 tons imported into the United States in 2009 and 820 tons imported in 2010.

Asbestos is a known carcinogen, but United States manufacturers continue to use the deadly mineral in more than 3,000 products, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Manufacturers use asbestos in commercial products including paper, brake linings, floor tiles, insulation and roofing materials.

Asbestos exposure is an occupational and environmental health hazard of epidemic proportions. More than 10,000 people die each year from asbestos-related diseases including mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer. An estimated 3,000 people are diagnosed annually with mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma develops most often in the membrane surrounding the lungs called the pleura. It can also develop around the abdomen and the heart.

Asbestos has not been mined in the United States since 2002. But foreign countries satiate demand by America’s industrial giants. Most asbestos was shipped from the Canadian mines. Other sources include Brazil and Zimbabwe.

Although the report states that the use of asbestos in 2011 and in the preceding 5 years is the lowest it has been since 1909, it is still way too much. The USGS report also estimates that the United States’ future asbestos consumption will hover around the 1,000-ton level.

According to the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, a California-based nonprofit, the asbestos industry has argued that imports of asbestos are decreasing. The USGS figures contradict that claim.

ADAO president and founder, Linda Reinstein, calls on Congress and President Barack Obama to prohibit the importation of raw asbestos and asbestos-containing products to protect public health. Reinstein, who lost her husband to mesothelioma, said we are unable to bring back the countless victims to asbestos exposure, but we can prevent exposure by banning asbestos for good.

Baron & Budd, a law firm founded to protect the rights of asbestos exposure victims, supports Reinstein and the ADAO. Our politicians should not wait any longer to ban asbestos. It’s harmed too many people and promises to harm many more if we allow asbestos to cross our borders.

Apparently the phrase “The customer is always right,” means nothing to the United States Supreme Court.

A court decision earlier this month prohibits consumers from filing lawsuits to settle excessive fee disputes if their contracts contained an arbitration clause. Arbitration hearings are out-of-court settlements usually tipped in favor of the company, which hires its own arbiter.

Consumer watchdogs say the decision gives companies more firepower to impose unnecessary fees. And it takes away the consumer’s Constitutional right to a jury trial.

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Despite the desperate need for companies harmed by the Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill to receive remuneration, the financial fight over which companies will pay for the Gulf Spill mess lingers.

Cleaning up the spill, the largest in United States history, is expected to cost about $42 billion, and the finger pointing is worthy of a sum that large. Read the rest of this entry »

Having major problems with your Mini?

You’re not alone.

A class action lawsuit filed by the national firm of Baron and Budd alleges that BMW of North America knew that the transmissions installed in some Mini Cooper models were prone to premature failure. Models include the 2002 through 2006 Mini Cooper Coupes and the 2005 to 2008 Mini Cooper Convertibles. This is the first class action lawsuit filed against the company regarding this issue. Read the rest of this entry »

Four years ago this month we stood on the streets of Fort Worth, Texas with a disparate group of men and women held together by one thing: the knowledge that asbestos kills.

“We” were attorneys and concerned staffers from Baron & Budd, construction workers, nearby residents and a representative from a union that had been hit hard by asbestos. Standing next to an apartment complex as it was being readied for demolition, we held signs, spoke to a few reporters and handed out flyers to neighbors.

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Drilling companies have told us that extracting natural gas from the ground poses no threat to our drinking water.

But for the first time, a report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that may not be the case.

The report released on Dec. 8 shows that chemicals from “fracking,” the controversial process of withdrawing natural gas from the ground, have been found in a rural Wyoming aquifer. Fracking involves pumping water, sand and other chemicals into the ground to crack the shale rock that holds trapped gas inside. Read the rest of this entry »

Did you know that the meat substitute Quorn contains a fermented fungus?

Doesn’t exactly sound appetizing, does it?

Quorn has become a controversial product because it contains a microscopic fungus, called mycoprotein, known to cause violent allergic reactions, vomiting and diarrhea, according to a report by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit has asked in a letter to the FDA to either take the Quorn off the market or place a warning label on its products.

Mycoprotein, the main Quorn ingredient, is a fermented fungus mixed with vegetable flavoring, egg whites and other ingredients that is then shaped into patties and frozen.

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