The ship was scheduled to be dismantled at India’s Alang ship breaking yard, the largest such facility in Asia. Although the ship entered Indian waters last month, Indian officials did not allow the ship to dock until they could complete their investigation into the vessel’s possible asbestos contamination.

Environmental campaigners have lobbied the Indian government to close the Alang ship breaking yard for many years, citing the negative environmental effects and health effects on workers at the facility. Workers use simple tools to dismantle ships that are brought to Alang, which opponents say is not properly outfitted to handle ships that have been contaminated with asbestos.

According to a study commissioned by the Indian government, one out of six workers at the Alang facility has shown signs of asbestos poisoning. Many of the workers display the early warning signs of asbestosis, an incurable lung disease caused by asbestos exposure. Workers who are exposed to asbestos may also be at risk of developing lung cancer or mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that can affect the lining of the heart, lungs or abdomen.

In announcing the resolution, Sen. Murray and Rep. McCollum stated that they hoped to bring increased national attention to the problem of asbestos exposure and the deadly health consequences that can result from it. Despite the thousands who die from mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases every year, Rep. McCollum stated that many Americans are still aware that asbestos exposure remains a serious threat to the health of many workers.

The joint resolution introduced by both women cited the need for better mesothelioma treatments to help those who are diagnosed with the disease, the Naval veterans and first responders who served at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001 who were exposed to asbestos and the millions of additional workers who continue to be exposed to asbestos as reasons for declaring a National Mesothelioma Awareness Day.

According to his doctors, Archerd was diagnosed with a rare form of mesothelioma as a result of shipyard asbestos exposure that he suffered while serving with the U.S. Navy during World War II. Many naval and other sea vessels use asbestos materials as insulation for pipes and other equipment. Asbestos-containing products are also found in many military and commercial shipyards.

Archerd was hired as a columnist with Variety in 1953 and wrote over 10,000 columns for the publication before retiring his column in 2005. Well-regarded by the stars of the Hollywood community, a party held in 1993 to celebrate Archerd’s 40th year with Variety was attended by celebrities including Kirk Douglas, Gregory Peck, Sidney Poitier, Anthony Hopkins and Jack Nicholson.

Archerd is survived by his wife Selma, his son Even, two stepsons and five grandchildren.

According to the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine study, the new test works by focusing on pleural effusions, a buildup of fluid in the cavity that surrounds the lungs. More than 90% of patients with mesothelioma develop a pleural effusion, although the symptom can also be found in patients with other types of cancer.

The new test looks for the presence of a protein called mesothelin in the pleural fluid. Patients with mesothelioma have levels of the protein that are six times higher than patients with lung cancer and 10 times higher than patients with benign conditions.

Researchers who helped to develop the new test say that it will eliminate the need for more invasive procedures and tests that were once necessary to diagnose mesothelioma. The team is hopeful that the new tests will also allow physicians to diagnose patients with mesothelioma sooner, allowing them to begin treatment and relieve the symptoms of the disease earlier in its development.

Researchers with Duke University, the University of North Carolina and the University of Nevada tracked nearly six thousand individuals who worked at one of four North Carolina textile plants between 1950 and 1973. The plants converted raw asbestos and cotton fibers into woven materials such as yarn.

According to the results of the study, workers at the plants had higher rates of lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma than expected. Although an individual’s risk of developing lung cancer or asbestosis increases with the amount and duration of asbestos exposure, there is a risk of developing mesothelioma symptoms no matter how long or in what amount the exposure occurred.

The new study also challenged the notion that certain forms of asbestos may be safer and pose fewer health risks to workers. The study examined workers who had used chrysotile asbestos, which is used in textile mills. Researchers found that the workers were at a higher-than-expected risk for receiving a diagnosis of lung cancer, asbestosis or mesothelioma.

Ross worked as a brakeman on the Great Northern Railway from 1956 until last year, when he was forced to retire because of his health. Ross was diagnosed with mesothelioma in November 2006 after he began to develop symptoms of the disease, such as shortness of breath.

According to asbestos lawyers representing the companies named in his mesothelioma lawsuit, Ross should be forced to undergo an autopsy following his death in order to determine the type of asbestos that killed him. However, Ross’ own attorney says that because neither his client’s illness nor its cause are in doubt, an autopsy is not necessary to the case and should not be mandated by the court.

In his testimony before the court, Ross said that he wants to spare his wife from any further hardships caused by his mesothelioma symptoms. “I’m not against all autopsies. I’m against someone telling my wife that they’ve got to do an autopsy on me,” he said. “With all the indignities that she’s got to go through with my disease, she doesn’t need to go through that when I pass away.”

In order to remain as healthy as possible during cancer therapy, some patients may take antioxidants, a class of chemicals which includes vitamin C. Under normal conditions, antioxidants help to rid the body of compounds known as free radicals, which can cause damage to cells that can lead to cancer. Taking antioxidants can help to prevent cancer in healthy individuals.

However, for patients receiving cancer treatment, vitamin C supplements may prevent chemotherapy drugs from attacking cancer cells in the same way that they prevent free radicals from reaching healthy cells. Depending on the type of drug that was used, researchers found that between 30% and 70% fewer cancer cells were killed when vitamin C was administered.

While the researchers who conducted the study state that vitamin C supplements can do more harm than good for patients undergoing treatment for mesothelioma or other forms of cancer, they also state that patients should continue to eat a healthy diet containing vitamin C and other antioxidants.

The study examined 58 workers who were employed at one of the seven taconite mines which operated in Minnesota’s Iron Range. Taconite is a mineral containing low-grade iron ore that is used in the production of steel.

The study found that although all but one of the workers first developed the symptoms of mesothelioma between 30 and 60 years after they were exposed to taconite dust in the mines, the lengths of their exposure varied considerably. About one-quarter of the workers were employed at the mines for a year or less, while another quarter worked there for more than 30 years. The study also found little correlation between where the miners were employed and their mesothelioma diagnosis.

Researchers hope that the findings of the new study will help in crafting three large scale studies into the link between Iron Range workers and mesothelioma which are planned for up coming years. These studies will examine factors that may have contributed to the 58 men receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis, including whether they were the victims of asbestos exposure outside of work. Exposure to asbestos is the most common cause of mesothelioma symptoms.

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According to an investigation conducted by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Minnesota health department learned in March 2006 that 35 Iron Range miners had died from mesothelioma. This was more than twice the number of mesothelioma deaths identified in a 2003 study. Last week, the health department announced that it had uncovered an additional six miners who had developed mesothelioma symptoms. This disclosure brought the total number of mesothelioma cases to 58.

Critics of Mandernach and the health department say that if the agency had disclosed the findings of its study more quickly, mine workers would have been able to seek medical attention in the 15 months since it learned of the 35 additional cases. Sen. Tom Rukavina says that the health department’s discovery of the additional mesothelioma cases may signal an increase in patients receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis over the next few years.

Equally outraged was United Steelworkers, District 11, which said in a press release that it may seek damages in a mesothelioma lawsuit against the department. The union added that the agency’s actions warranted a criminal investigation.

The recently uncovered mesothelioma deaths were discovered in a study of former Iron Range miners begun by the Minnesota health department in 1998. The study uncovered a possible link between the development of mesothelioma symptoms and exposure to taconite dust, a form of iron. Most cases of mesothelioma are caused by exposure to asbestos.

The Department of Health says that the new information suggests that the link between taconite and a mesothelioma diagnosis may be even more significant that previously thought. Officials say that the department is planning a new study, which will examine the link between mesothelioma and asbestos or taconite exposure. The study will also compare the cases of workers who developed mesothelioma symptoms to those who did not in the hopes of understanding the risk factors for the disease.

Donely’s father worked as a painter and auto body repairman. According to the mesothelioma lawsuit, the asbestos fibers he carried home on his clothing would become airborne in the home, causing Donely to be exposed.

In addition, Donely says that he worked as a painter, steelworker, factory worker, drill rig worker and other jobs from 1966 until 1980, during which time he was exposed to asbestos. He alleges that this wrongful exposure to the mineral caused him to receive a mesothelioma diagnosis in 2005.

Donely’s mesothelioma lawsuit also states that he has been unable to obtain documents necessary to prove his case from the companies responsible for his asbestos exposure. According to the complaint filed by his mesothelioma lawyer, Donely believes that the companies may have destroyed some of these documents. As a result, it has made it difficult to prove that his mesothelioma diagnosis was caused by these corporations.

Donely is seeking an award in excess of $700,000, as well as punitive damages.