Jury Awards $15M in Personal Injury Case

A federal jury in Illinois awarded a South Carolina woman $15 million recently after finding that a tire on the motorcycle she was riding on had a defect and caused an accident that left her with severe brain damage.

EPA Refused to Warn of Asbestos Dangers

Congressional investigators will hammer the Environmental Protection Agency in a soon-to-be-released report for its flawed examination and cleanup of hundreds of factories that once processed asbestos-contaminated vermiculite into insulation.

Asbestos Every Little Bit Hurts

In 1976, W.R. Grace & Co. convinced the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to consider products containing less than one percent asbestos as non-asbestos containing products.

MU Researchers Receive Grant to Improve Fertility in Female Cancer Survivors

Before Michelle Baetiong began chemotherapy for abdominal cancer in 2006, she decided to have eggs from her ovary frozen, knowing there was only a 6 percent chance that the two harvested eggs would ever result in a successful pregnancy.

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.