| Mesothelioma drug listed on PBS
SUFFERERS of the asbestos-linked disease mesothelioma will have access to cheap treatment from today, after a long campaign to secure federal government subsidy paid off. The government says the chemotherapy agent Alimta - the only treatment available specifically for the killer cancer of the lung or stomach lining - will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from today. Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the listing of Alimta was an important announcement that followed the "tireless campaigning" of Bernie Banton, who died, aged 61, in November from the disease. "Bernie was a great Australian hero and it is due to his efforts that many people will understand the significance of this decision," she said. About 600 Australians are diagnosed annually with mesothelioma, but the long lag time between exposure to asbestos and the onset of symptoms means its prevalence is tipped to rise in the future.
WAYNE HOGAN AND ALAN PICKERT NAMED TO 2007 FLORIDA LEGAL ELITE
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. For the second consecutive year, Terrell Hogan president Wayne Hogan and attorney Alan Pickert were recently named to Floridas 2007 Legal Elite. The Jacksonville attorneys were selected for their work in the Civil Trial / Personal Injury category. The listing is part of a special report from Florida Trend magazine recognizing the states most respected attorneys. Voted by members of The Florida Bar, the attorneys named to the list have earned the trust and confidence of their peers those who know their work best. A prestigious group, the honored attorneys comprise only 1.8 percent of the nearly 60,000 Florida Bar members who practice in the state. Hogan has focused his practice representing consumers who have been injured by defective products, asbestos exposure, auto and trucking accidents, multiple defendant litigation, and medical malpractice. He was a member of the team of lawyers selected to represent the State of Florida against the Tobacco industry. Pickert, former president of the Jacksonville Bar Association, focuses his practice on representing individuals who have been significantly injured due to automobile and trucking accidents, vaccines and exposure to asbestos, such as mesothelioma and lung cancer victims. He has been published twice for his articles in asbestos and medical malpractice and has successfully represented victims and families in over 150 wrongful death lawsuits. Pickert has received one of the highest honors possible from The Florida Bar The Presidents Pro Bono Service Award for his work with the homeless and underprivileged.
SNP to reverse asbestos decision
Health issues in Scotland are devolved to Holyrood and Mr MacAskill said there was sufficient concern about pleural plaques to warrant legislation. The planned measures, which would take effect from the date of the Lords judgment on 17 October, would mean that those negligently exposed to asbestos who were diagnosed with pleural plaques would continue to be able to raise an action for damages. Increased risk "The effects of asbestos are a terrible legacy of Scotland's industrial past and we should not turn our backs on those who contributed to our nation's wealth in the past," said Mr MacAskill. "Pleural plaques in anyone exposed to asbestos mean they have a greatly increased lifetime risk of developing mesothelioma and a small but significantly increased risk of developing bronchial carcinoma." Pleural plaques - small areas of benign scarring on the lungs - are an indicator of exposure to asbestos and Law Lords had ruled that it should not be open to compensation claims because it was not a disease and had no symptoms.
Township: CN fire fallout not hazardous
PORT HURON TWP. Township officials believe a neighborhood is safe despite being blanketed by ash and debris from a Dec. 18 fire at the abandoned CN Railway property.
Last week, firefighters took samples of charred debris that fell on neighborhoods near 27th and Minnie streets. Township Fire Chief Craig Miller said officials initially were worried about asbestos contamination but have decided the danger from short-term exposure is minimal. Firefighter gear will be washed as a precaution. Railroad officials posted signs warning of asbestos contamination at the site after the blaze. The fire, which has been ruled suspicious, destroyed a 30,000-square-foot building. On Aug. 23, a building north of it was destroyed by a fire.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, asbestos is a known carcinogen and has been linked to lung and abdominal cancers.
Victims of asbestos fight payout 'apartheid'
People suffering from pleural plaques through exposure to asbestos will soon be facing a postcode lottery to determine whether they qualify for compensation. Pleural plaques are a scarring on the lining of the lungs, an asymptomatic sign of exposure to asbestos that does not of itself lead to more serious asbestos-related conditions. While about 1,800 people die of asbestos-related diseases each year in Britain, a number that is rising, some commentators have labelled plaques sufferers as 'the worried well' and the House of Lords recently ruled that the condition was not worthy of compensation. 'When people say those things, it's because they haven't had to live with it,' says Valerie Pask, a 55-year-old mother of seven from Nottingham who was diagnosed with plaques last year.
Modesto City Council outlaws Dumpster diving, park booze
Modesto's ban on Dumpster diving withstood pleas to overturn the measure Tuesday. It will take effect Feb. 21. People who dig through garbage containers could face $500 penalties and time in jail if police catch them. The City Council adopted the measure by a 4-2 vote, with Janice Keating and Will O'Bryant in the minority. They urged their colleagues to enact a different version of the law with less serious penalties, such as a $100 citation. In a separate, unanimous vote, the council increased penalties for drinking alcohol in city parks without a permit. The vote makes the offense a misdemeanor instead of an infraction and punishable by a $500 fine and time in jail. Police helped write each proposal and touted them as tools to aid them in dealing with neighborhood complaints.
Amy Carr recalls trying to rescue husband from burning wreck
Amy Carr thought she was going to watch her husband burn to death after a May 2006 wreck at a rural Pettis County intersection, she told jurors Thursday. Her voice wavered as she spoke of attempts to drag her husband, Tim, from their burning automobile. "I just couldn’t get him loose," she said. "It was very awful. It was just a frantic time for me." Amy Carr testified at her and her husband's personal injury trial and spoke of the night of the crash and the struggle she has faced during Tim's long recovery from the wreck. Tim Carr, manager of the Sedalia license bureau, is with his wife Amy suing Benjamin Purscell, the driver of the car that struck theirs at a rural intersection, and the estate of a passenger in that car, Amy Priesendorf. Priesendorf, 24, was killed in the crash.
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