December 20, 2022
Avon Products Inc. was ordered to pay over $10 million in punitive damages to a woman who contracted cancer from talc in Avon cosmetics. Avon hid the risks of their talc-based powders that cause cancer. They failed to warn customers about the risk of asbestos exposure from their products. Avon has already awarded Rita Chapman $40 million in actual damages totaling now more than $50 million. Chapman was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2021. She used Avon powders that had high levels of asbestos. Avon has faced almost 130 talc suits since 2020. Our attorneys are dedicated to fighting for your […]
November 28, 2022
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for men and women. The CDC estimates more than 80% of all lung cancer cases are caused by tobacco use. Most cases are diagnosed when the cancer is in advanced stages and rate for survival is diminished. There are two main forms of lung cancer – small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer is the more common. The most common subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer are squamous cell carcinoma, large cell carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma. Here are some ways […]
November 7, 2022
High levels of benzene, a cancer-causing chemical, have been detected in some dry shampoo products, according to a new report from Valisure, an independent laboratory. Last month some aerosol dry shampoos – including Dove, Nexxus, Suave, TIGI, and TRESemmé were voluntarily recalled because of the potential presence of benzene. Then Valisure sent a citizen petition to the US Food and Drug Administration where they described that among 148 batches from 34 different brands of dry shampoo products, 70% of samples tested showed “quantifiable” levels of benzene; 11 samples showed levels over 10 times more than 2 parts per million (ppm), the FDA limit […]
October 26, 2022
Women who use chemical hair straighteners, dyes, bleach, and perm chemicals are at a higher risk for uterine cancer according to a new report from the National Institutes of Health. In the study, 33,497 U.S. women from ages 35 – 74 were in the study. In 11 years, 378 uterine cancer cases were diagnosed. The study found that women who frequently used hair straightening products were more than four times as likely to develop uterine cancer compared to those who did not. Uterine cancer accounts for about 3% of all new cancer cases but is the most common of the […]
October 24, 2022
For the first decade of his career, trial attorney James Nevin worked at a relentless, breakneck pace, trying asbestos and other tort cases nearly nonstop.“I would finish one trial and the next day start a new one,” he recalls. “I would get a verdict in one trial and the next day I’d be doing motions in limine in the next trial. It was just trial after trial after trial, which was an amazing experience.” The law firm Nevin had joined right out of law school, Brayton Purcell LLP in California, was awash in cases of workers victimized by toxic exposures in […]
October 4, 2022
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will create a new national office of environmental justice to address pollution and climate change in low-income areas and communities of color. EPA administrator, Michael Regan, announced the creation of the office with environmental justice and civil rights leaders in North Carolina. “With the launch of a new national program office, we are embedding environmental justice and civil rights into the DNA of EPA and ensuring that people who’ve struggled to have their concerns addressed see action to solve the problems they’ve been facing for generations.” The new office will combine three smaller offices of environmental justice, civil […]
September 27, 2022
Verismo Therapeutics announced that is has received clearance of its new drug for ovarian cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, and, mesothelioma from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial of SynKIR-110. The first human trials are set to start soon. They will “address several areas of high unmet medical need.” The five-year survival rates are 49.7% for ovarian cancer, 30% for cholangiocarcinoma and 10% for mesothelioma. The FDA’s clearance of the new drug represents a new for mesothelioma treatments and innovative research. Verismo plans to begin enrolling patients in the first quarter of 2023 at […]
September 20, 2022
Historically there have been only two ways to diagnose mesothelioma: histology and cytology. Histology tests tissue and cytology tests fluid. Both tests are often performed to determine if a patient has mesothelioma. Often, the patient is in an advanced stage of mesothelioma at the time the tests are performed. However, there is some hope for earlier diagnosis. A new study has discovered that a blood test called Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) can discover mesothelioma earlier than traditional methods. FTIR is used to analyze the proteins left in the patient’s blood after blood cells and clotting proteins are removed. Researchers […]
September 1, 2022
A hairdresser, Pauline Kirby, who cleaned hair dryers that contained asbestos in the 1970s died from mesothelioma. Kirby’s diagnosis came in 2016, decades after her exposure to the carcinogenic material. Her husband, an electrician, said in her hearing that he didn’t realize that they had been exposed to asbestos while cleaning and repairing the hair dryers. About 90% of hair dryers manufactured through the late 1970s contained asbestos. Many hairdressers were exposed to the material consistently in the course of their employment. Her family also stated Covid lockdowns had ill effect on her health as she could not participate in […]
