The recent death of James “Chalk” Thompson has inspired his family to reach out and help others. Thompson died of mesothelioma cancer, after a painful battle against it. During his last days he shared with his family his wish to save other from such a painful end. Although he was not able to do much in his condition, his family and friends have agreed to carry out Thompson’s wish: to educate the public about mesothelioma and warn them of its cause, toxic chemical asbestos.

Thompson worked as an insulator for fifty-three years in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. His exposure to asbestos is thought to have come from the insulation he worked with and around for so long. Asbestos, historically and currently, has been used specifically to insulate power plants, ship engines and other works creating extreme heat. However, many commercial and residential grade insulation materials, like those you would find in home attics across America, have been identified as containing asbestos as well. With fifty-three years on the job, Thompson had countless opportunities to come in contact with asbestos.

Asbestos is relatively safe when contained inside an enclosed component. Once asbestos fibers become airborne, though, they pose a great threat. If inhaled asbestos fibers can begin a mutative process inside the body, a process that develops into mesothelioma cancer. There are mesothelioma treatments available, but no cure.

There are two types of mesothelioma: pleural, which is the more common of the two and specifically affects lung lining, and peritoneal, which is less common and can affect a variety of other abdominal organs.  Both types of mesothelioma are characterized by a long latency period, often twenty to fifty years, during which signs and symptoms do not show. Once mesothelioma reaches its most aggressive stage, diagnosis is easier to make, but prognosis is grim. Mesothelioma life expectancy is short and painful.

Thompson’s hope was to spread the word about mesothelioma’s sad end. His daughter-in-law, Leslie Gabor, said, “He said, ‘Promise me that you will get awareness out there and . . . tell people the signs so they can get checked.’” That is exactly what his family is doing. They recently participated in Blue Cross Broad Street run, following up with a benefit to raise funds for Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation.

Thompson’s son, Jim, said of his late father, ““He wanted to go to the union halls . . . and try to get the word out to other guys about getting checked, but it didn’t work out that way, so now we’re picking up the pieces and trying to run with it. Hopefully, anybody that wants to know will be able to get information.  If we could save one person from going through what my father went through, it would be well worth it.”

Announced last week, Movember has raised and donated 2.6 million dollars to cancer awareness group Livestong. Movember is an international organization that started in 2003 to raise awareness and funds for men’s health issues, specifically cancers. Mesothelioma is one disease Movember participants speak out about. Mesothelioma is three times more common among men than it is among women, and is typically diagnosed in men between the ages of 60 and 70. In the US, mesothelioma diagnoses in men often come at the eve of retirement.

Unorthodox, but so-far successful, Movember participants raise awareness by growing moustaches in the month of November. This outward change solicits questions and initiates conversation to help educate the male population about mesothelioma and other severe health risks for men. Since their beginning, Movember has raised 180 million dollars for their cause.

Mesothelioma may be more highly associated with men than women due to its cause, toxic chemical asbestos. Much of asbestos exposure is associated with industrial and military employment—historically made up of majority male employees. However, as times changed and women entered the workforce in greater number, mesothelioma can be expected equally in men and women in years to come.

The nature of asbestos, however, leaves many options for exposure. For example, although a shipyard employee may work with asbestos components but use a respirator to protect himself, he can easily bring the toxic fibers home on his clothes, hair, or tools. In this way his loved ones and family members may still be put in harms way. Additionally, demolition, destruction and wear and tear of asbestos containing components can release asbestos fibers into the air without warning, putting the public at risk at almost anytime.

Mesothelioma is characterized by a long latency period and a short life expectancy following diagnosis. Often the disease grows without signs through the affected area of lung lining or other abdominal organ lining. Decades after original asbestos exposure, in the last and most aggressive stage, mesothelioma demonstrates symptoms mimicking those of bronchitis or pneumonia. Once a diagnosis is made, patients typically expect to live between six months and just a few years longer.

Mesothelioma treatments include surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation therapies, often combined for best results. There is no cure for mesothelioma, which is why continued treatment research, like that made possibly by Movember, is so critical in the fight against this disease.

Movember and Livestrong together envision a “comprehensive, national program with local components that will help men navigate the best treatment options, support them through treatment and help their quality of life post-treatment.”

The city of Augusta faces an expensive challenge after a non-operational California firm shirks responsibility. A three-story Augusta apartment building, owned by the California firm, was left abandoned and unmanaged. The seven apartments in the building have now become home to squatters, criminals and drug dealers.

Neighbors and locals are becoming increasingly concerned and fearful of the events taking place in the building, and the inhabitants taking up residence there.  Once considered a problem that might just go away, city officials are now recognizing the need for a proactive response to a situation fast “getting out of hand.”

City Manager William Bridgeo said of the decision to tear down the old apartment builidng, “This is one of those unfortunate situations, in my mind, where I fear Mr. Murphy and his law will kick in, and something tragic will occur if we do nothing. And there’s really no other responsible party we can go after. I have to tell you, I can’t see any other options open to us that responsibly address the concerns that police, fire, code enforcement and I have.”

Through legal process, Augusta city received the right to empty and demolish the building. However, when it was discovered that the shingles covering the buildings exterior were made of asbestos, a costly wrench was thrown in the city’s plan.

Asbestos is a toxic chemical heavily used in the US between the 1920s and 1980s in multiple types of construction, manufacturing and building industries. Known to cause severe respiratory conditions, asbestos is a public health concern and a threat to air quality. If asbestos fibers are inhaled they can cause rare cancer mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma affects about three thousand Americans each year and is characterized by a long latency period and short life expectancy following diagnosis. There are mesothelioma treatments available, but no known cure.

Augusta facilities and systems manager, Bob LaBreck, realizes the expense associated with asbestos abatement, which in this case will almost double the demolition budget. He estimates asbestos removal costs between $46,000 and $50,000, while the rest of the demolition is estimated between $30,000 and $50,000.

LaBreck said of the building, “It’s a mess, it’s covered in asbestos, and there is literally eight to 10 inches of debris on the floor, on every floor. You name it, it’s in there. It’s a tired building.”

City officials hoped to recover some abatement and demolition costs from the building’s California based owners, but chances are not looking good. Stephen Langsdorf, Augusta city attorney, considers recouping any costs a lost cause. “My opinion — it’s absolutely uncollectible.”

Mayor David Rollins faces the expense with the city’s benefit in mind.  “As much as we don’t like the number in front of us, the potential disaster is a much greater number,” he said.

Prof Julian Peto, of London School of Hygiene and Topical Medicine and the Institute of Cancer Research, believes the UK is experiences a higher national, annual mesothelioma death rate than any other country. With over two thousand British losses each year, Peto may be right.

One Scottish man is experiencing this sad statistic personally. George O’Donnell, 79, was diagnosed with mesothelioma after his doctors found scarring on his lungs. O’Donnell received chemotherapy to extend his life expectancy and raise his quality of life. His doctors advised him that there would be no full recovery.

“That’s very hard to take,” he said of the doctors’ prognosis, “but you just have to accept it.” O’Donnell is facing his struggle as bravely as possible.

Mesothelioma is estimated by the World Health Organization to affect ninety thousand people worldwide every year. Caused by toxic chemical asbestos, mesothelioma cases are not expected to drop until asbestos use is banned or at least greatly curbed. However, with its fire resistant and stabilizing qualities, asbestos continues to be used globally in countless building and manufacturing industries.

O’Donnell believes he was exposed to asbestos in just such an industry. He was employed in construction business in Glasgow for decades. Working demolitions and remodels could have exposed him daily to toxic asbestos fibers.

Elaine Darling, O’Donnell’s daughter, said of her father’s asbestos exposure, “He was never made aware of the dangers of asbestos. They didn’t have health and safety the way we do now. A lot of his work was pulling down tenement buildings and working on the roofs, where there was asbestos you didn’t know about.”

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer. Once asbestos fibers are inhaled into the lungs a process of tumor growth is begun in lung lining or lining of other abdominal cavities. These tumors grow in an irregularly patterned web through protective tissues, often taking twenty to fifty years to fully develop. This long latency period makes mesothelioma difficult to diagnose. It grows without showing symptoms until there is little time for treatment. Many mesothelioma patients, like George O’Donnell, have no idea they were ever exposed to asbestos, so they have no reason to consider seeking medical attention until the cancer has entered it’s final, aggressive, stage.

Elaine Darling said of her father’s disease, “It’s been hard seeing how the mesothelioma has affected my dad, seeing him lose weight and getting thinner about the face. It’s frightening how quickly something that has been inside him for years can take effect.”

Mesothelioma treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. These treatments are typically administered in multiple combinations to fight the cancer directly, or as part of a palliative care plan.

ExxonMobil has appealed a New Jersey court’s decision made in 2008, but the court is not hearing it. Exxon was found liable for Bonnie Anderson’s case of peritoneal mesothelioma, which she was diagnosed with in 2001.

Mesothelioma is causes by toxic chemical asbestos. Asbestos is most often a work-related hazard. The last century brought in countless tons of asbestos containing materials for use in refining, manufacturing, shipbuilding, construction, insulation and a variety of other building needs. Asbestos use went unchecked for decades before associated health concerns became widely known. In the 1980s, in the interest of public health and safety, the Environmental Protection Agency began to define regulations for its safe use and removal. However, gaining the nickname “backbone of American industry” asbestos was spread far and wide across America well before regulations were in place.

Bonnie Anderson worked as an electrician between 1975 and 1986. Although she worked in a refinery, a common location for asbestos exposure, she was not exposed to the toxic chemical on the job. It was sadly her husband, who worked in pump repair for ExxonMobil, who connected Bonnie with dangerous asbestos fibers. Much of his time was spent removing insulation material from pump components to be repaired or refitted. He would return home, covered in dust from work, where Bonnie would wash his work clothes for him. Bonnie claims she was exposed to asbestos fibers brought home on her husbands clothes. It was washing his work clothes, she stated, that led to her case of mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is characterized by a long latency period—often between twenty and forty years. Once asbestos fibers are inhaled into the lungs, they begin a cancerous development through the lung lining or lining of other abdominal cavities. Bonnie Anderson suffered from peritoneal mesothelioma, the less common of the two types specific to a variety of abdominal cavity tissues. Pleural mesothelioma, the more common type, is seen only in lung lining.

There are many mesothelioma treatments available, including surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Palliative care is also a common choice for mesothelioma patients who wish to focus on quality of life rather than undergo cancer-direct treatments; it may include surgery, but the goal is to aid in breathing and manage pain for patient comfort.

Exxon claims workers compensation laws do not cover the stretch made in the case of Bonnie Anderson, but the court has held its decision. Exxon is currently considering their legal options.

A Maryland school is not letting the presence of asbestos get in the way of their vision for the future. Wye River Upper School in Centerville has purchased an old armory; ivy-covered walls, asbestos tiles, rusty hinges and all, to be renovated into a center for kids with learning challenges.

The property was once an armory but has had many uses over the years. National Guard troops used it as a training ground and one local historian says boxing matches were once held on the premises. The basement boasts a shooting range complete with bullet hole filled walls. Rusty artillery closets and lockers are still present reminding the new owners of the historic treasure they have aquired.

Wye River Upper School was able to purchase the building for $475,000, made possible by a donor, wishing to remain anonymous, who gave the school $1 million dollars. With the remaining balance and some additional fund-raising renovations should be able to begin soon.

Asbestos has been found in the building and its removal will be the first step in the renovation process. Head of School Chrissy Aull is anticipating sharing the visions for the space with visitors and students.  “All the tile has to come up,” she said, “That will clear the way for us to bring in other people.” Once safety has been established, the creative concepts can unfold.

Asbestos is present in countless buildings and structures across the US. Considered a Type 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization, asbestos was used heavily in numerous industries and manufacturing between the 1920s and 1980s. Now, as environmental laws strictly regulate its use, asbestos has become a major setback in building and renovation projects.

Asbestos poses a serious threat to health and safety, as it is known to cause several severe respiratory conditions. Lung cancer, asbestosis and rare cancer mesothelioma are all caused by inhalation of asbestos dust and fibers. Mesothelioma is characterized by a long development time and eventual symptoms mimicking those of bronchitis and pneumonia. There are mesothelioma treatments available, which include surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, but no known cure.

Aull and her students are anxious to move past the safety hazards present in the old armory and begin work on its promising details.  An on site garage will be transformed into an art and music studio, while the old stage, still present in the building, will be reclaimed by the theater department.  Considering the work at hand and cash flow for the project, Aull said, “We’re hoping we can move in in September 2012.”