Asbestos in 124 Highland schools

Highland Council has insisted there is no risk to pupils or staff after it emerged more than 120 schools across the region contain asbestos.

The council's asbestos register shows the substance is contained in more than half of its primary schools and about 80% of secondary schools.

Serious health problems including cancer can be caused by exposure to high concentrations of asbestos fibres.

The council said it did not believe the asbestos posed an "immediate risk".

The vast majority of the 124 schools included in the asbestos register contain the least dangerous chrysotile, or white asbestos, but some have the much more hazardous amosite, or brown asbestos.

Millburn Academy in Inverness is among nine schools listed as having crocidolite, or blue asbestos, which is generally considered to be the most dangerous form of asbestos.

Anti-asbestos campaigners have claimed in the past that the risk of contracting lung cancer from inhaling large quantities of crocidolite and amosite can be up to 50 times greater than with chrysotile.

They also believe those exposed to blue asbestos fibres are up to 500 times more likely to develop mesothelioma, a form of cancer usually caused by close contact with asbestos, than through exposure to chrysotile.

It can take up to 60 years for mesothelioma to develop.

'Controls in place'

The council's register shows that much of the asbestos contained in many school buildings has either been removed or sealed off to make it safe.

David Goldie, the council's interim director of housing and property services, said: "We do not believe that any asbestos in schools presents an immediate risk.

"The council has management arrangements and controls in place to ensure that asbestos is recorded.

"The presence of asbestos is taken into account in any building maintenance work being undertaken and any work undertaken to buildings containing asbestos is managed within the relevant regulatory framework."

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7200286.stm

LegalView Learns of High-Tech Doll Aiding in Traumatic Brain Injury Research in Australia

Users of LegalView’s traumatic brain injury (TBI) information portal recently learned of a high-tech doll that is helping Australian researchers uncover the affects of TBI in victims of shaken baby syndrome. The forensic medicine department at the University of Oslo recently developed a baby doll that helps them better understand how an infant is affected after a brain injury accident.

TBI is a common injury adversely affecting Americans each day in this country. In addition to this, thousands of infants are also affected by TBI. TBI as a result of shaken baby syndrome among infants is extremely preventable and the best prevention of this is through awareness. For more information on TBI among infants or if you or anyone you know has been previously affected by TBI, use LegalView’s brain injury accident portal to find side effects of TBI as well as treatments and how to locate an experienced brain injury law firm.

The doll allows researchers to use the built in technology and determine the stress on the brain that an infant would endure after a brain injury accident. According to researchers at the university, it is important to determine the medical results of what actually occurs to an infant with brain damage from shaken baby syndrome so that it is easier to develop legal cases against aggressive individuals responsible for brain damage in a child.

Additionally, LegalView provides several legal information portals ranging from mesothelioma cancer to all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accidents to Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF). Users can find information on mesothelioma cancer as well as what causes it, potential treatments and how to best develop mesothelioma litigation or how to locate an attorney specializing in asbestos who can offer consultation on potential legal cases.

Resources found on the ATV information portal include how to prevent an ATV rollover accident and what to do if one occurs. Knowing what ATV models are faulty and which ones have been recalled is the best way to prevent injuries from an ATV accident that can include brain damage, loss of limbs and death. For more information on how to protect yourself from an ATV accident, use LegalView’s ATV portal to learn more and to find an ATV law firm.

Also use LegalView’s site to learn more about NSF. NSF is a rare disease that is incurable, similar to mesothelioma, which is usually associated with the use of gadolinium. Gadolinium is a chemical dye that is used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) tests for individuals with kidney disease. NSF is a painful illness that causes the body’s skin to become thick and harden. Other symptoms of NSF include the appearance of large red scabs and eventually the skin thickens so much that the use of limbs and appendages becomes to difficult and therefore an NSF patient is in a sense partially paralyzed. If you or anyone you know suffers from kidney disease and may have been exposed to gadolinium dye, it is important to contact a doctor as well as to find an expert NSF lawyer.

Source: http://www.prlog.org/10046649-legalview-learns-of-high-tech-doll-aiding-in-traumatic-brain-injury-research-in-australia.html

LegalView Blog Notifies Readers of a New Experimental Asbestos Cleanup and Removal Method

Readers of LegalView's mesothelioma blog recently alerted readers of an experimental asbestos removal trial that is being used as an allegedly cheaper and safer method. LegalView provides information on asbestos removal as well as treatments and jury verdicts.

LegalView provides readers with up-to-date news on an experimental asbestos removal method, which will begin to be used in populated areas of the United States. The method, known as the Alternative Asbestos Control Method, uses a mixture of treated water that is sprayed onto buildings. The buildings are then demolished without removing the asbestos. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is condoning the method even though many individuals have raised concerns about asbestos dust being released into the air. The EPA began testing the method in 2007 at a private facility in Arkansas.

Asbestos is composed of minerals and was heavily used in recent decades in the construction of homes, schools and government facilities among many other structures. It was found that breathing in asbestos fibers and asbestos dust can, over time, cause an incurable form of cancer known as mesothelioma. Individuals who feel they may have been previously exposed to asbestos should contact an experienced mesothelioma law firm.

Mesothelioma can take years to develop and most often is misdiagnosed. Access LegalView's mesothelioma information portal to learn more about symptoms and side effects as well as mesothelioma treatments. Also use the site to find resources mesothelioma doctors and other experimental studies.

The EPA's experimental removal method is being touted as less costly and safer than other methods but the Public Interest group is questioning these claims. To learn more about asbestos or other legal topics, visit www.LegalView.com.

LegalView provides an endless array of resources for a variety of legal issues causing millions of Americans grief, time and money. To learn more about receiving an attorney consultation on a legal topic such as Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) visit LegalView's NSF information portal. NSF is a rare and incurable illness that causes thickening and hardening of a patient's skin. Eventually, an individual diagnosed with NSF is unable to utilize their appendages or limbs because of the skin becoming to thick and hard around the joints of the body.

Other issues that LegalView provides resources for include traumatic brain injury accidents and auto accidents. Millions of Americans are affected tragically because that individual, a family member or friend has been injured in either accident. LegalView enables readers to find a brain injury lawyer or auto accident attorney in their area through its information portals.

Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/1/prweb640371.htm

Inquest hears of asbestos death

A MAN who spent years removing asbestos roofing died after developing a deadly tumour, an inquest heard on Thursday.

Dennis Millward, of Titty Ho in Raunds, died at the age of 73 after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, which is associated with asbestos.

His wife June told Kettering Magistrates Court he worked for a time moving asbestos.

He would also cut and grind asbestos sheets without any protective clothing.

Mr Millward went to the doctor after suffering weight loss and breathlessness at the start of 2007 and died in Cransley Hospice on July 8.

Recording a verdict of industrial disease, coroner Anne Pember said: “He was exposed to asbestos when the dangers were not known. It’s a horrendous illness for which there’s no cure.”

Source: http://www.northantset.co.uk/news/Inquest-hears-of-asbestos-death.3690035.jp