According to the Swindon Advertiser, workers in the area suffering from mesothelioma will be receiving their settlements a bit more quickly. Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton said his department would work with HM Revenue and Customs and the Association of British Insurers. This decision will overturn a motion made by the Lords that would have caused mesothelioma patients to have ended up receiving smaller payments and to seek out individual previous employers to get compensation from each.

With the new ruling, victims will not have to prove which company with which they were employed at the time when they contracted mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is common in Swindon because of the city's background in railway workshops.

Related Links:
Mesothelioma Guide
Swindon Man's Death from Mesothelioma

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 11:13 PM | Permalink

A program is underway to remove creosote from the Puget Sound. Creosote has proven detrimental to the health of organisms in the sound and cleanup is primarily concerned with two methods of exposure: when aquatic organisms grow on creosote structures and when creosote washes ashore. Cleanup is anticipated to take several years.
"Unfortunately, the same mechanisms that make creosote effective at protecting wood products may be resulting in acute and chronic adverse impacts to our aquatic environment, " says Doug Sutherland, manager of the Department of Natural Resources.

Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce

By removing unused pilings from the sound before these structures end up washing ashore, contaminants will be reduced. The program will be funded by the state legislature through the governor’s Puget Sound Initiative, State Parks, the Coastal Protection Fund, NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, and private donations. Volunteers also will help with the cleanup.

Related Links:
Puget Sound Creosote Awareness Project
Spokane Review

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 11:44 AM | Permalink