Alabama to Conduct Three Year Study of School Bus Seatbelts

There will be a study on the important question of whether Alabama school buses should be equipped with seat belts. A study panel appointed by Governor Riley voted unanimously on August 20th to seek proposals from Alabama universities to do a three-year study.

North Carolina Plant Explosion Caused by Inadequate Safty Controls

According to federal safety investigators, inadequate safety controls for chemical reaction hazards led to an explosion at a North Carolina chemical plant that killed one worker and injured 14 others last year in Morganton, North Carolina.

New Health Commissioner Faces Tough Task Rebuilding Trust

Dr. Sanne Magnan has a list of priorities as she takes over the Minnesota Department of Health, but one of the biggest tasks isn't mentioned: Repairing the damage done by her predecessor.

State Lawsuits Against Railroads May Have New Life

There is a provision in the new homeland security legislation, which was signed into law by President Bush, that the Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970 does not preclude state lawsuits against railroads by injured persons.

Roofing Firm Pleads Guilty in Electrocution of Worker

A Pennsylvania roofing company has pleaded guilty to violating a federal workplace safety regulation in the case of a worker who was electrocuted as a result of his scaffold coming into contact with a power line.

Diseases Associated with Asbestos

The use of asbestos has declined sharply over the last several decades as people became more aware of the serious health consequences associated with asbestos exposure.

Libby, Montana The Asbestos Nightmare

For those unfamiliar with the story, the W.R. Grace company operated a vermiculite mine and harvested tremolite, a dangerous form of asbestos, from 1963 to 1990, despite knowing as early as the 1950's that tremolite posed a serious public health risk.

New Clinical Trial of Zolinza on Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

A phase III clinical trial is underway, in Maryland, at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, to determine how effective vorinostat is at treating patients with pleural malignant mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma Subtype has Lengthier Projected Longevity

Patients with epithelial subtype mesothelioma treated with chemotherapy alone had a median survival of 15 months, and some patients survived beyond three years.

Mesothelioma Cases are On The Rise

Malignant mesothelioma is an extremely uncommon form of cancer, and the cancer has been almost exclusively determined to be related to the inhalation of asbestos particles.