Yesterday a house panel approved a bill that would ban all use of asbestos and asbestos-containing products.  The bill would prohibit importation, manufacture, processing, use and distribution of asbestos.  The asbestos ban will need to be approved by the plenary before implementation.  Legislators are pushing to come to a resolution on this bill before the close of this year’s Congress.  Supporters feel an urgent need to move swiftly to reduce continued exposure risks.

Currently, the Philippines have banned the use of brown (amosite) and blue (crosilodite) asbestos.  The new bill will include white (chrysolite) asbestos which continues to be used in fire proofing products, roofing felts, asbestos cement roofing and flat sheets.

Advocates spoke about the long term consequences of asbestos exposure including mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases.  They also discussed second hand exposure risks to families of workers who are exposed to asbestos.

I applaud the Philippines and their efforts to work towards a full ban of asbestos.  I hope other countries continue to take action resulting in a global asbestos ban and decrease in amount of people affected by deadly asbestos.

Complete story – House panel approves bill seeking to ban use of asbestos

One of the most frustrating symptoms for people who are undergoing treatment for mesothelioma and other types of cancer is nausea. Thankfully, anti-nausea medications, often called anti-emetics, can keep the worst of treatment-related vomiting at bay. Even so, many people complain of lingering nausea associated with their cancer treatments.

To tackle nausea, you need to be creative with nutrition. By picking the right foods and eating them in certain ways, you can lessen your nausea and make meals and snacks more appealing again.

Medical Management is Key

The most important thing to remember when dealing with nausea is that medication is your first-line defense. Nutrition works best, in conjunction with proper medical management of nausea and vomiting. Plus, it’s much easier to prevent nausea and vomiting than it is to treat them once they occur. It really is true that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

If your doctor or nurse gives you a set schedule for taking your medication, stick to it. Even if you don’t feel nauseous, take your medications to prevent the symptom from occurring.

If something is stopping you from taking your medications as prescribed, ask your medical team for help. There is no reason to suffer in silence. Your doctor can try different medications or different formulas and dosing schedules.

For example, some anti-nausea medications are taken as pills, while other are given as an injection. What works best for one person may not work well for another. Keep the lines of communication open and keep trying until you get the symptom relief you need.

Soothing Foods

Once you’ve worked with your doctor to find the right medicine or combination of medications to manage vomiting, you can address any remaining nausea with good nutrition The following tips will get you started.

•    If possible, avoid the kitchen when food is being prepared, so that you can avoid strong food smells.
•    Try low-odor, quick-cooking foods such as scrambled eggs; French toast; pancakes; oatmeal; cream of wheat; cold cereal; canned peaches, pears, or fruit cocktail; and shakes and smoothies.
•    Experiment with food temperatures to find what works best. For example, try warm foods such as oatmeal, cream of wheat, or soup, and cold foods such as frozen fruit, popsicles, frozen fruit bars, or shakes and smoothies.
•    Try different or unusual flavors. What you normally like may not be appealing now. For example, try making a sour, tart, or mildly sweet shake or smoothie by adding frozen cranberries.
•    To cut the overly sweet taste of liquid nutritional products such as Ensure®, try adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of finely ground, decaffeinated coffee to chocolate or vanilla flavors.
•    Use a “to-go” cup or travel mug with a lid to avoid unnecessary smells that can worsen nausea.
•    Keep snacks handy, because hunger may last only a few minutes.
•    Try keeping a little food in your stomach at all times. Having a completely empty stomach may worsen nausea.
•    Try sucking on candied ginger root or sipping ginger tea.
•    Stay upright, either in a chair or propped up with pillows for at least 30-60 minutes after eating. Lying flat after meals and snacks can worsen nausea and heartburn.

Last week a Florida appeals court overturned a $24 million verdict against Honeywell and ordered a new trial.  52-year old Stephen Guilder died of peritoneal mesothelioma in September.  He was awarded the settlement last Spring, claiming he was exposed to asbestos in brake pads manufactured by Bendix (now Honeywell).  Mesothelioma is a rare cancer almost always linked to asbestos exposure.

The appeals court reached its decision based on four separate grounds including not redact portions of a letter from a Bendix employee and not including other brake manufacturers as defendants.

Attorneys, victims, families, and advocates will be watching as this new trial progresses.

To learn more about this verdict Appeals court overturns $24 million asbestos verdict

A recent study by the Conservation Support Services (CSS) South Africa has show many communities are contaminated by asbestos.   Regions known for former mining activities showed high levels of asbestos in the community.  Reports show the mines may have been cleaned up, but the asbestos containing materials used to build homes, schools, roads, and other structures are now deteriorating and exposing the residents to deadly asbestos.

Many challenges face these communities including lack of funding for rehabilitation, scale of the problem and incidence in rural rather than urban areas.  Advocates also feel education and awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure need to increase, so that people can reduce their risk of exposure.  Researchers are hoping the study will help to bring awareness and solutions to this ongoing issue.

More information at Asbestos banned, but legacy continues

The UK has been in the news lately as the law denying compensation to people suffering from pleural plagues (an asbestos-related condition) is under review.  Two large companies, Nestle and Esso, have also made the news.

Esso was just required to pay a large sum to the widow of a man who died of asbestos-related cancer.  Nestle is in a case where the victim died of mesothelioma.  Both families sought compensation alleging the companies knew the dangers of asbestos and didn’t have workers use adequate protection if any at all when handling asbestos.  Cases like these may be the just beginning if the current law is overturned.

The country and the world is watching to how this legislation will be decided.  I’ll write more as its reviewed by the House Lords in the upcoming weeks.

More information at Asbestos ruling sees firms face huge claims

If you or a loved one is coping with a mesothelioma diagnosis, food is probably one of the last things on your mind. However, food is more important than you may realize. Of course good nutrition can make a big difference in your quality of life. But did you know that eating well actually can help you cope better with your mesothelioma treatments?

Here’s how it works. Some mesothelioma and cancer treatments have the unfortunate side effect of breaking down tissue in your body. Tissue can be anything, from your skin, to your muscles, to your white blood cells. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that keeping yourself well nourished will give your body the tools needed to rebuild tissues that treatment can break down. And above all else, keeping your body weight stable is the way to do this. Avoiding weight loss is the goal.

In order to rebuild tissue, you need to give your body energy, in the form of food. In other words, you can’t build “something out of nothing.”  If you are losing weight, it means your body is using up its own tissue simply to function. And if your body is dipping into itself simply to keep your heart beating and your blood pumping, it won’t have the materials and tools needed to rebuild itself.

In order to rebuild the tissue that treatment can breakdown, things like your white blood cells, skin, muscle, and gastrointestinal (GI) tract, you need to give your body enough calories and protein to prevent, or at least minimize, weight loss. That way, the energy and materials from the food you eat will go into rebuilding tissue.

Focus on Quality

To keep your weight up, focus on foods that provide a lot of “bang for your buck”. You need to eat things that give you as many calories as possible, in as little volume as possible. Use the following list and recipe to help yourself get the nutrition you need to best manage mesothelioma and its treatments.

Be sure to check back with the blog in a couple of weeks, when I’ll have more ideas and tips for using nutrition to deal with a common mesothelioma treatment side effect.

High Calorie Foods to Keep on Hand

•    Hard boiled eggs
•    Pre-cooked pasta that can be reheated easily for a quick meal or snack
•    Peanut butter, almond butter, or other nut butters, which provide 100 calories and 5 grams of protein in a single spoonful
•    High calorie, ready-to-eat cereal, such as granola, which can provide up to 300 calories per ½ cup
•    Yogurt, pudding, and other quick snacks; you don’t need the low-calorie, low-fat, low-sugar
•    Dried fruit, such as raisins, apricots, or dried cherries and cranberries
•    Pre-cooked chicken breast
•    Granola bars, power bars or other food to carry with you when you go out

Powered Up Sweet Potatoes

Preparation time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 10 to 15 minutes.
Serves one.

Ingredients

•    1 medium-size sweet potato
•    1½ cups apricot nectar (juice)
•    4 ounces silken (soft) tofu
•    2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey (or more to taste)

Instructions

Peel sweet potato and cube into ½-inch pieces. Steam sweet potato pieces for approximately 10 minutes, until soft. Carefully move steamed sweet potato into a mixing bowl and add apricot nectar, tofu, and maple syrup or honey. Use a blender to combine ingredients until they have a smooth consistency. Enjoy warm.

Per serving: 500 calories; 9 grams protein; 108 grams carbohydrates; 3.5 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 1,255 milligrams potassium; 62 milligrams sodium

Australian press reported today, the James Hardie asbestos compensation fund may run out of money by mid-2010 according to current figures.  In 2006 the company started the Asbestos Injuries Compensation Fund (AICF) to assist victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases (developed as a result of asbestos exposure from products they manufactured).

The original fund was 1.8 billion dollars and is currently estimated at 84.2 million dollars.  If the fund continues to pay asbestos settlements at the estimated rate, the fund will be depleted in 2010.  One consequence could be victims receiving installments rather than full amounts or payments being delayed.  Others fear no compensation could result if the fund runs out.

Part of the funding agreement between James Hardie, the AICF and NSW government states the company will contribute either the projected amount owed to victims or 35 per cent of its annual free cash flow.  The corporation has not made contributions to the fund because it has not had positive cash flow.  Hardie plans to provide an update  on settlement funds after November 23rd when they release half-year results.  A decision about contributions to the fund will be made in the Spring after their fiscal year ends March 31st.

Victims’ advocates and government officials are urging the government to step in to fill the gap if necessary.   All are hoping for a quick resolution so victims and families won’t have to deal with partial payments and delays in addition to the stress of coping with their diseases.

Read more at Asbestos fund could run out by mid-2010

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) released a statement today in regard to the Manhattan Beach City Council passing Resolution #6223.  The resolution urges state legislators to change California’s state rock.  Currently, California’s state rock is serpentine which often contains chrysotile asbestos.

ADAO has begun a “Drop the Rock” campaign which encourages statewide action on this issue.  The Manhattan Beach resolution to repeal serpentine as the state rock is the first official request to CA legislature.  The organization supports this change because asbestos is known to cause mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases.  They hope the campaign will bring about a change in the state rock and also increase awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure.

For more information visit the ADAO website.

Australia’s Construction Workers Union is fighting the Industrial Relations Minister over proposed occupational health and safety laws.  A new law has been drafted that would make it more difficult for unions to investigate unsafe conditions at work sites.  The union recently informed the public about asbestos at the Pickles Auctions, under the new law union representatives would be penalized for the same action.  The Union is pushing to maintain their rights to protect workers.

The Union is also advocating for an asbestos registry of people who have had asbestos exposure through their workplace.  The registry could help victims if they develop asbestos-related illness in the future.  The Union is working with victims and advocates to move this project forward.  For additional information about the registry or to sign up:  AWU National Asbestos Register

To read the ABC News article – Union anger over asbestos safety

The Damages (Asbestos-Related Conditions) Bill cleared the Commons on Friday and will now have a chance to pass through the House of the Lords.  The bill would overturn a previous law which denies compensation to victims who suffer from pleural plaques, scarring of the lungs due to asbestos exposure.

Victims view the bill as new hope and it may open the door to compensation for some.  Opponents argue only five percent of pleural plaques develop into serious  asbestos-related illness such as mesothelioma and lung cancer.  Officials on both sides of the issue are frustrated they are not closer to a final decision.

Read more at Asbestos-related illness decision may be overturned