According to a Reuters report, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has proposed a formal inquiry into the dangers posed by cell phones to consumers, specifically the amount of radiation they emit. For the formal inquiry to move forward, it must be approved by a majority of the five-person panel of FCC commissioners.

The FCC first set radiation emission standards for cellular devices in 1996, when only a limited number of Americans owned a cell phone. Since then, use of these devices has grown to almost uncontrollable levels and nearly 5 billion phones and other devices are in use today worldwide. This includes phones used by children.

The proposal from Genachowski concerns the testing standards the FCC uses to determine how much radiation is emitted from cell phones and wireless devices and whether current laws are too relaxed or too strict on the amount of radiation emitted from them. And unlike other organizations around the world which believe that radiation from cell phones can lead to health problems like tumor and cancer growth, domestic health and communications officials do not believe there is a connection.

Last year, the World Health Organization ruled that radiation from cell phones is a possible carcinogen and that more research was needed before determining that it is a likely cause of cancer. This opinion joins a growing concern that cell phones and the increasingly frequent use of them are affecting human health, specifically the growth of brain tumors and the development of glioma and meningioma. 

Regulators in California have proposed mandating that radiation emission levels from cell phones be clearly labeled on packaging for these products to give consumers more information on the dangers they possibly face from using them. These efforts have largely been blocked by the wireless industry which firmly believes their products do not pose a health risk to the public. 

A spokesperson for the FCC told Reuters the proposed review of the agency's standards is likely necessary because American standards "are the most conservative in the world" and they haven't been addressed in more than 15 years. 

Since that time, there have been numerous studies conducted on the safety of cell phones and the dangers posed by the radiation they emit through their radiofrequency. This form of radiation is different from the rays emitted from medical imaging tests like X-rays and CT scans but some studies believe these rays can alter brain activity.

Specifically in the FCC proposal is to update the standards regarding children and their exposure to the radiation from cell phones. 

Few studies have been done to assess the potential of Depo-Provera to cause breast cancer in young women.  However, some international studies have produced mixed findings.  To add to knowledge about this possible risk, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center compared data on 1,028 Seattle-area women ages 20 to 44 who had been diagnosed with breast cancer to 919 age-matched controls who did not have a history of breast cancer. About 10 percent of subjects in the study reported using Depo-Provera.

Recent use of Depo-Provera (within five years) for 12 months or longer was associated with a 2.2-fold increased risk of invasive breast cancer, the study found. Women who used DMPA for less than a year or who had stopped using it more than a year earlier did not have an increased risk of breast cancer.  The risk began to lessen in the months after a woman stopped using Depo-Provera.

“While DMPA is widely used by women throughout the world, there are limited data on the association between DMPA and breast cancer incidence,” Christopher I. Li, M.D., PhD., a member of the Hutchinson Center’s Public Health Sciences Division, said in a press release. “Our study adds to the body of knowledge from international studies conducted in a diverse group of countries – Kenya, New Zealand, Thailand, Mexico and Costa Rica – which have shown that one of the risks associated with DMPA use may be an increased risk of breast cancer."

In August, the Times reported that since January, the FDA received around 5,000 adverse event reports related to all-metal hip replacements, more than it received in the previous four years combined.

Many studies in the past have found an association between SSRI antidepressants and birth defects, including heart problems and neural tube defects.  In fact, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has placed most SSRIs in Pregnancy Category C, a classification that means they have been linked with birth defects in animal studies, but have not been proved safe or unsafe in humans because few studies have been conducted.  However, Paxil has been placed in Category D, meaning that studies have shown it to pose a risk to a developing fetus, but in some cases its benefits may outweigh its risks.

This latest study compared both pharmaceutical records and medical records of 289 mother-child pairs where the child had been an ASD diagnosis to more than 1,500 pairs where there was no such diagnosis.  According to Environmental Health News, the researchers - a team from Kaiser Permanente in Northern California - determined which mothers had taken an SSRI, paying special attention to when the prescription was issued relative to their pregnancy.  The researchers also accounted for maternal psychiatric illnesses, such as depression, as well as the severity of such illnesses.

The researchers found that children born to mothers who took an SSRI in the year before pregnancy faced a two-fold increased risk of being diagnosed with ASD.  The risk jumped to nearly four-field if an expectant mother took an SSRI antidepressant in the first trimester of pregnancy.

The study is important because it provides the first look at the relationship between SSRI use and autism risk, Environmental Health News said.

Gadolinium contrast dyes are sold under the names Ablavar, Eovist, Magnevist, Multihance, Omniscan, Optimark, and Prohance. In 2007, the FDA mandated that all gadolinium agents sold in the US carry a black box warning – the agency’s strongest safety notice – regarding the risk of NSF. This past September, the FDA ordered the warning be strengthened.  

All gadolinium contrast dye labels will now emphasize the need to screen patients to detect these types of kidney dysfunction before administration, the FDA said. Three of the dyes which the FDA said are associated with a greater risk of NSF compared to the other agents, Bayer Healthcare’s Magnevist, GE Healthcare’s Omniscan, and Covidien’s Optimark, will be described as inappropriate for use among patients with acute kidney injury or chronic severe kidney disease.

According to a new study published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, the rate at which patients with kidney disease are exposed to gadolinium agents has dropped significantly since the initial FDA alert was issued. The study looked at patients receiving medical care in the US Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System. From July 2005 to September 2008, a total of 1,080,536 MR studies were performed. Of these, 406,003 (38 percent) were gadolinium-enhanced MR studies

From the first warning in 2006 through the fourth quarter of 2008, the usage of gadolinium agents in patients undergoing MR studies was essentially unchanged for patients with a glomerular filtrate rate (GFR), a measurement of kidney function, above 60. The rate declined, however, by 71 percent for those with a GFR of 15-30 and 61 percent for patients with a GFR of 15 or less. A GRF under 30 is indicative of kidney failure. Patients with a GFR of 15 or less must undergo dialysis

In addition, the rate declined 81 percent among subjects who had received recent dialysis (98 percent for a subset of patients with acute kidney injury).

Meanwhile, the rate of use of non-gadolinium MR agents increased for all GFR categories, except for patients who had received recent dialysis. The rate rose by 19 percent for patients with a GFR of 15-30 and by 71 percent for those with a GFR of 15 or below.

In addition, it appears that clinicians began screening patients for kidney issues prior to their MR studies after the FDA issued its first gadolinium alert in 2006. During the time frame covered by the study, the proportion of gadolinium enhanced MR studies with serum creatinine measurements – a test used to measure GFR – obtained within one month, three months, and six months prior to the study increased by 99 percent, 59 percent and 41 percent.

Three of the dyes, Bayer Healthcare’s Magnevist, GE Healthcare’s Omniscan, and Covidien’s Optimark, will be described as inappropriate for use among patients with acute kidney injury or chronic severe kidney disease. All gadolinium contrast dye labels will emphasize the need to screen patients to detect these types of kidney dysfunction before administration, the FDA said.

In a statement, the FDA said these label changes are intended to help ensure these drugs are used appropriately, and that patients at risk for NSF who receive these agents are actively monitored for the development of the disease.

In its announcement, the agency said its safety review of the most widely used gadolinium agents determined that Magnevist, Omniscan, and Optimark are associated with a greater risk than other gadolinium contrast dyes for NSF in certain patients with kidney disease.

To further enhance the safe use of the imaging agents, the FDA further recommends that health care professionals:

• Estimate kidney function through laboratory testing for patients at risk for chronically reduced kidney function.

• Avoid use of gadolinium contrast agents in patients suspected or known to have impaired drug elimination unless the imaging is essential and not available without contrast.

• Monitor for signs and symptoms of NSF if a gadolinium is administered to a patient with acute kidney injury or chronic, severe kidney disease.

• Administer a gadolinium contrast agent only once during an imaging session.

NSF leads to excessive formation of connective tissue in the skin and internal organs. It is characterized by high blood pressure, burning, itching, swelling and hardening of the skin. Other symptoms include red or dark patches on the skin; pain deep in the hip bones or ribs and muscle weakness. There are no effective treatments for NSF, and the disease can progress to the point of causing severe stiffness in joints, and it can lead to death.

While not much is known about the disease, a growing mountain of evidence indicates that NSF is most likely to occur in people with severe kidney disease who have been exposed to a gadolinium contrast dyes. Since 2007, all gadolinium agents sold in the U.S. have carried the same black box warning – the FDA’s strongest safety notice – regarding the risk of NSF.

GE Healthcare and the other makers of gadolinium agents are named in approximately 500 lawsuits filed by NSF patients, most of which have been consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) before Judge Dan Polster.

The papers findings will be discussed this evening during a segment of the HBO sports program “Real Sports.” The program airs at 10 p.m. EST.

According to the ALS Association Web site, Lou Gehrig’s disease – named for the Yankee slugger believed to have succumbed to ALS in 1941 – is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death.

According to a report in the New York Daily News, ALS is rare, affecting only about 100,000 people. But NFL players have a higher rate of the disease than the general population. Statistically, only about two should have the disease, but the Daily News pointed out that since 1970, 14 NFL players have been diagnosed with ALS.

Players in other sports also have a higher rate of ALS than the population at large, the Daily News said. In Canada, eight Canadian Football League players have been diagnosed with the fatal ailment, and in Italy, more than 40 professional soccer players are victims.

According to an Associated Press report, Dr. Ann McKee, a neurology professor at Boston University and one of the paper’s authors, was able to study the brains and spinal cords of ex-Minnesota Vikings linebacker Wally Hilgenberg, former Southern California linebacker Eric Scoggins, and a boxer whose family asked that his name be kept private. All suffered head injuries in the course of their careers, and all later died of Lou Gehrig’s disease. McKee found toxic proteins in the spinal cords of all three individuals, the Associated Press said.

McKee has studied chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease linked to head injuries that causes cognitive decline, abnormal behavior and dementia. She said the proteins were not found in the spines of athletes with CTE who didn’t have Lou Gehrig’s disease, and they were not found in non-athletes who died of ALS, according to the Associated Press.

According to a report in The New York Times, both Mckee and her colleague, Dr. Robert Stern, said the finding solidifies a long-suspected connection between ALS-like motor disease and head trauma experienced in collision sports and combat.

“People are being misdiagnosed clinically while they’re alive as having A.L.S. when in fact they have a different motor-neuron disease,” Stern said. He added that the new information will lead to a better understanding of the disease and more effective treatments.

The paper does not address the case of Lou Gehrig specifically, but the as the Time’s points out, the baseball legend was the victim of some significant head injuries – including concussions – during his career, and was known for playing through his injuries. For example, during one game in 1934, Gehrig was hit with a pitch just above the right eye and was knocked unconscious for what was described in news reports as five minutes. Despite a headache and a large bump on his head, Gehrig played the next day.

It’s entirely possible, the Times said, that Gehrig did not die from the disease that was named for him. However, it is impossible to know for sure, as his remains were cremated.

Popcorn Lung, known formally as Bronchiolitis obliterans, is a potentially life-threatening, irreversible ailment, for which the only cure is a lung transplant. Popcorn Lung inflames the bronchioles—small lung airways—causing scarring and “obliterating” appropriate airflow. The condition received its nickname in 2007 when it was found to be occurring in popcorn plant workers.

In 2003 and 2004, the National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health found a link between diacetyl and the development of Popcorn Lung among hundreds of workers at six Midwestern popcorn factories. In April 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that workers at food flavoring factories, as well as popcorn plants, were at risk for the disease.

Since the link between the disease and diacetyl has been established, hundreds of food industry workers have filed Popcorn Lung lawsuits.

According to the Joplin Globe, the verdict in this latest case was awarded to Gerardo Solis, 45, who worked at the Flavorchem plant between1998 and 2006 when he was diagnosed with Popcorn Lung. The lawsuit named BASF Corp., a supplier of diacetyl and the world’s largest chemical company, as a defendant.

Solis’ lawsuit said he is totally disabled with 25 percent of normal lung capacity and is projected to require a lung transplant within the next 10 years.

Prior to the Solis verdict, the largest judgment awarded to a Popcorn Lung victim was $20 million, the Joplin Globe said. That verdict was granted in 2004 to a man who worked at the former Jasper Popcorn Co. plant. and his wife.

The human body does need zinc – but only in small amounts. Studies show that consuming at least 50 milligrams of zinc a day for a few months could lead to copper deficiency, which can cause anemia, bone loss, nerve damage and other problems. Ingesting 80 or 100 milligrams or more for months or even years can lead to irreversible damage.

Compelling evidence exists that long-term exposure to the zinc in denture cream can lead to not only irreversible nerve damage, but to disability, as well. In August 2008, the peer reviewed journal Neurology reported on four patients suffering from neuropathy and other neurological symptoms typical of zinc poisoning and copper depletion. The article specifically linked excessive exposure to zinc in denture cream to “profound neurologic disease” in the patients reviewed.

In October 2009, the journal “NeuroToxicology” published an article on 11 patients who had suffered from significant injuries and neurological disorders for a period of years. The study authors discovered that all 11 patients had used Fixodent or another zinc-containing denture cream. Blood test confirmed that each suffered from zinc poisoning and copper deficiency. he authors of the “NeuroToxicology” article concluded that: “It appears the (11 patients’) disease is fully explained by denture cream use.”

Scores of people have sued Glaxo and Procter & Gamble, claiming their neurological injuries were the result of zinc in Fixodent and Super Poligrip. Last year, denture cream lawsuits pending in federal courts were consolidated in a multidistrict litigation in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Miami Division (MDL No. 2051). The first trials in that litigation could start in early 2011.

Procter & Gamble took steps in March to inform users that excessive exposure to zinc in Fixodent could pose health risks. Without much fanfare, the company placed new information on its Web site, www.dentureliving.com, stating that some reports suggest that excessive and prolonged zinc intake may be linked to adverse health effects. Procter & Gamble also began shipping Fixodent with updated label instructions on how to apply the product.

The month prior, Glaxo went even further, and made the decision to stop the manufacture, distribution and advertising of three versions of Super Poligrip that contained zinc. Glaxo said that the denture creams would be reformulated without zinc. The company’s statement read in part:

“We are taking these actions because we have become aware of potential health problems associated with the long-term excessive use of our zinc-containing denture adhesive products.”

Still, many denture cream users are unaware of this risk. And so are a lot of their doctors.

“A lot of my clients were complaining of symptoms and go to their doctors, and the doctors will simply ignore them; they are unaware of the zinc poisoning issues.” Andy a partner with the law firm of Parker Waichman LLP, and a Co-Lead Counsel to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in the denture cream litigation, recently told Dallas’ News 8. “They are unaware that these products even contain zinc.”

According to the American College of Radiology advisory, as of December 2009, NSF has been documented in 382 patients who received Omniscan; in 195 patients who received Magnevist; and in 35 patients who received OptiMARK.

In addition to recommending that these agents not be used in people with kidney disease, the group also suggests doctors should obtain renal function tests on their patients at least six weeks before performing an MRI that requires contrast injection.

NSF leads to excessive formation of connective tissue in the skin and internal organs. It is characterized by high blood pressure, burning, itching, swelling and hardening of the skin. Other symptoms include red or dark patches on the skin; pain deep in the hip bones or ribs and muscle weakness. There are no effective treatments for NSF, and the disease can progress to the point of causing severe stiffness in joints, and it can lead to death.

While not much is known about the disease, a growing mountain of evidence indicates that NSF is most likely to occur in people with severe kidney disease who have been exposed to a gadolinium contrast dyes. Since 2007, all gadolinium agents sold in the U.S. have carried the same black box warning – the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) strongest safety notice – regarding the risk of NSF.

GE Healthcare and the other makers of gadolinium agents are named in approximately 500 lawsuits filed by NSF patients, most of which have been consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) before Judge Dan Polster. The first trial in the multidistrict litigation, involving Omniscan, had been scheduled to start later in May, but that case has settled. The next Omniscan trial is slated for later this year.

According to the Associated Press, Bol died last week at the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville, where he was being treated for severe kidney trouble and Stevens Johnson Syndrome. It is believed Bol contracted the skin disease as a reaction to kidney medication he took while in Africa. He was only 47.

Bol played 10 seasons in the NBA with Washington, Golden State, Philadelphia and Miami and later worked closely as an advisory board member of Sudan Sunrise, which promotes reconciliation in Sudan. Bol averaged 2.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 blocked shots.

According to the Associated Press, Bol was hospitalized in mid-May during a stopover in Washington after returning to the United States from Sudan. An official with Sudan Sunrise told the Associated Press that the skin around Bol’s mouth was so sore that he went 11 days without eating and could barely talk. Stevens-Johnson Syndrome also caused Bol to lose patches of skin.

“Anyone, at any age, can contract Stevens Johnson Syndrome,” Jean McCawley, the founder of the Stevens Johnson Syndrome Foundation, said in a statement. “The biggest issue we see is a lack of awareness about adverse drug reactions. Even with the unfortunate passing of Mr. Bol, there have been many incorrect statements made about SJS.”

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome causes blistering of mucous membranes, typically in the mouth, eyes, and vagina and patchy areas of rash. According to the Stevens Johnson Syndrome Foundation, almost any medication including over-the-counter drugs, such as Ibuprofen, can cause the disorder. Most commonly implicated drugs are anti-convulsants, antibiotics (such as sulfa, penicillin and cephalosporin) and anti-inflammatory medications. If left untreated, the disorder can lead to death.

Early signs and symptoms of Stevens Johnson Syndrome include:

• Rash, blisters, or red splotches on skin

• Persistent fever

• Blisters in mouth, eyes, ears, nose, genital area

• Swelling of eyelids, red eyes

• Conjunctivitis

• Flu-like symptoms

• Recent history of having taken a prescription or over-the-counter medication

As the Stevens Johnson Syndrome Foundation points out, that there is no mandatory reporting for allergic drug reactions, so there’s no way to know how many people contract Stevens Johnson Syndrome each year.

GE Healthcare’s Omniscan is a gadolinium contrast dye. Such agents have been linked to NSF, a disease that leads to excessive formation of connective tissue in the skin and internal organs. It is characterized by high blood pressure, burning, itching, swelling and hardening of the skin. Other symptoms include red or dark patches on the skin; pain deep in the hip bones or ribs and muscle weakness. There are no effective treatments for NSF, and the disease can progress to the point of causing severe stiffness in joints, and it can lead to death.

While not much is known about the disease, a growing mountain of evidence indicates that NSF only occurs in people with severe kidney disease who have been exposed to a gadolinium contrast dyes like Omniscan. Since 2007, all gadolinium agents sold in the U.S. have carried the same black box warning – the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) strongest safety notice – regarding the risk of NSF.

According to ProPublica, the woman at the center of the Danish case, Birthe Madsen, is believed to be among the first patients to develop NSF after exposure to a gadolinium agent. She had been injected with Omniscan for a magnetic resonance scan in 2002 and gradually became immobilized and died of a lung embolism the following year.

A Danish government insurance agency determined in 2004 that Omniscan caused her immobility and in turn her death, ProPublica said. GE Healthcare received this information, but the company did not immediately report it to the Danish Medicines Agency as required by law. A follow-up also did not mention the insurance agency’s conclusion.

GE Healthcare and the other makers of gadolinium agents are named in approximately 500 U.S. lawsuits filed by NSF patients, most of which have been consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio as part of a multidistrict litigation. As ProPublica points out, a key debate in the litigation concerns what GE Healthcare knew and disclosed to regulators about Omniscan’s risks. Critics of the company say more forthright disclosure might have helped doctors and regulators respond earlier and more effectively.

One such critic, ProPublica says, is Madsen’s son, Casper Schmidt, a Copenhagen lawyer.

“If my mother’s case had been reported more accurately, and if the company had to explain why a patient died,” Schmidt said in an e-mail to ProPublica, “it would have helped enable doctors and regulators to better understand the disease earlier.”

GE Healthcare’s Omniscan is a gadolinium contrast agent used in MRI procedures. Such agents have been linked to a debilitating disease called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF). The disease leads to excessive formation of connective tissue in the skin and internal organs. It is characterized by high blood pressure, burning, itching, swelling and hardening of the skin. Other symptoms include red or dark patches on the skin; pain deep in the hip bones or ribs and muscle weakness. There are no effective treatments for NSF, and the disease can progress to the point of causing severe stiffness in joints, and it can lead to death.

While not much is known about the disease, a growing mountain of evidence indicates that NSF only occurs in people with severe kidney disease who have been exposed to a gadolinium contrast dyes like Omniscan. Since 2007, all gadolinium agents have carried the same black box warning – the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) strongest safety notice – regarding the risk of NSF.

GE Healthcare and the other makers of gadolinium agents are named in approximately 500 lawsuits filed by NSF patients, most of which have been consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) before Judge Polster.

GE Healthcare had attempted to exclude many of the plaintiffs’ theories and witnesses from the proceedings. But Judge Polster has rejected those attempts, including one that would have barred a plaintiff theory that Omniscan breaks down chemically, releasing a toxic metal that triggers the disease. He also ruled to allow the testimony of two medical school professors that the company failed to properly warn radiologists about Omniscan.

In addition, Judge Polster ruled that he would not permit GE Healthcare’s in-house expert to testify that NSF has occurred in the absence of exposure to gadolinium-based agents because the two studies that served as the basis for that opinion are “fundamentally flawed.” He also said GE Healthcare would not be allowed to introduce testimony by a former FDA official that the agency would have stopped the company from unilaterally changing its label to include stronger warnings on the NSF risk.

Judge Polster’s decision will likely make it easer for plaintiffs to present their case, and much more difficult for GE Healthcare to mount a defense.

The first trial in the multidistrict litigation, involving Omniscan, had been scheduled to start later this month, but that case has settled. The next Omniscan trial is slated for later this year.

According to ProPublica, the recommendation came at a meeting convened by GE Healthcare’s vice president for drug safety. It was prompted by reports in Europe that linked Omniscan to a potentially crippling disease that would be come to be known as NSF. Details of the meeting were revealed in a newly unsealed order in a lawsuit against the company, ProPublica said.

Instead of following the advice of its owns safety experts to restrict the use of Omniscan in high risk patients, GE publicly took the position that its drug was no more dangerous than those of its competitors and argued against putting an exclusive warning on the drug’s label.

According to ProPublica, the order also references previously sealed evidence indicating that doctors and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) had not seen internal company research that raised questions about Omniscan’s propensity to break down chemically, releasing the potentially toxic metal gadolinium into the body.

Plaintiffs’ lawyers see the May 2006 meeting as pivotal because many patients were exposed to Omniscan afterward, ProPublica said.

NSF is a debilitating leads to excessive formation of connective tissue in the skin and internal organs. It is characterized by high blood pressure, burning, itching, swelling and hardening of the skin. Other symptoms include red or dark patches on the skin; pain deep in the hip bones or ribs and muscle weakness. There are no effective treatments for NSF, and the disease can progress to the point of causing severe stiffness in joints, and it can lead to death. While not much is known about the disease, a growing mountain of evidence indicates that NSF only occurs in people with severe kidney disease who have been exposed to a gadolinium contrast dyes like Omniscan.

Since 2007, all gadolinium agents have carried the same black box warning – the FDA’s strongest safety notice – regarding the risk of NSF. But last fall, the FDA released a risk assessment that indicated that Omniscan, along with two other dyes called OptiMark and Magnevist, carried a higher risk of the disease. The assessment cited 382 cases in which Omniscan was named as the single imaging agent in an NSF report. Magnevist was named in 195 reports and OptiMark in 35.

GE Healthcare and Omniscan are named in approximately 500 lawsuits filed by NSF patients. Most of these are pending in federal court. However, the unsealed order revealing the May 2006 meeting was issued in an Illinois case presided over by Cook County Circuit Judge Deborah Mary Dooling. According to ProPublica, Judge Dooling said the evidence she reviewed was sufficient to add a claim of punitive damages. However, the parties were able to reach a confidential settlement before it went to trial.

The researchers pointed out that the study results do not prove that the supplements directly contribute to the disease. For example, it is possible that factors the study did not measure could explain the association between multivitamins and breast cancer. However, the researchers said the matter warrants further research.

The study authors recommend that until more is known about the possible association between multivitamins and breast cancer, women would be best served if they get vitamins and minerals from a well-balanced diet rather than pills.

The study involved 35,000 Swedish women aged 49 to 83. Just over a quarter said they took multivitamins. Overall, those women were 19 percent more likely to develop breast cancer. During about 10 years of follow-up, 974 women were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 293 of these diagnoses occurred among the 9,017 women who reported using multivitamins, WebMD said.

The women in the study did not provide information on what brands of vitamins they took. Other factors, like age, family history of breast cancer, weight, fruit and vegetable intake, and exercise, smoking and drinking habits, were taken into account.

According to a Reuters report, there are some plausible explanations for why multi-vitamin use would be associated with higher breast cancer rates. For example, other research has found that women who take multivitamins have increased breast density, which is linked to a relatively higher risk of breast cancer. However, Reuters said it is not clear if multivitamins actually cause the higher density.

Animal studies have also linked breast cancer to the B vitamin folic acid, Reuters said, though human studies have found varying results.

According to the American Journal of Dermatology, more than 30 million people tan indoors every year, and nearly three quarters of them are women between the ages of 16 and 29. Using a tanning bed before the age of 35 increases the risk of melanoma by 75 percent. It is one of the most common cancers among young adults in the United States, and it is on the rise in all age groups.

Concerns about the cancer risks associated with tanning beds have been growing in recent years. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is affiliated with the World Health Organization, just added tanning beds to its “Group One” list, which identifies the most harmful forms of radiation.

Earlier this year the Federal Trade Commission charged the Indoor Tanning Association with making false claims about the health benefits of their products. The group has entered a settlement agreement with the government and pulled the ads in question.

At yesterday’s panel meeting, representatives from the Skin Cancer Foundation, American Cancer Society and American Academy of Dermatologists, along with melanoma survivors, urged the FDA to reclassify tanning beds.

Members of the panel agreed that the devices should be reclassified, and said that more restrictions are needed to protect teenagers from the cancer risks of tanning beds. “Given the absence of any demonstrated benefit, I think it’s an obligation for us to ban artificial tanning for those under 18,” said panelist Dr. Michael Olding.

Not all panel members were in agreement with the idea of a ban, however, calling it unrealistic. Instead, they pushed for a requirement for strong warnings and parental notification.

Tanning beds and tanning lamps are listed as FDA Class I devices — those least likely to cause harm. But the FDA is considering reclassifying them as class II or class III medical devices, which would subject them to stricter regulation. By increasing their classification to Class II, the FDA could limit the levels of radiation the devices emit and make other changes to their design.Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. More than three-quarters of all skin cancer-related deaths are from melanoma. About one person dies of melanoma every hour in the United States.

According to Health Canada,a review of the Roche global safety database found that as of November 22, 2009, 66 cases of severe skin reactions including EM, SJS and TEN, in adults and children have been reported worldwide in association with Accutane side effects. Since two of the cases were fatal, everyone who associates his/her health problems with taking this drug should contact his/her doctor immediately and may start thinking to initiate an Accutane lawsuit in Canada or elsewhere to get both moral and financial compensation. While there are confounding factors for the majority of the reports received, a causal association between Accutane and these severe skin reactions cannot be excluded, Health Canada said.

These severe skin reactions can start with mild non-specific symptoms such as fever, malaise, chills, aching muscles, headache, sore throat or stinging eyes. It can take up to 3 days for the skin lesions to develop.

People taking Accutane have been advised to stop taking the medication immediately and contact their doctor if they experience any of the following:

• rash, especially if associated with fever and/or malaise or conjunctivitis (red or inflamed eyes, like “pink eye”)

• blisters on legs, arms or face and/or sores in mouth, throat, nose or eyes

• peeling skin

Accutane has been associated with a number of serious side effects, incluing  severe birth defects, inflammatory bowel disease, problems of the liver, kidneys, central nervous system, and pancreas, as well as the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and auto-immune systems. It has also been known to cause psychiatric problems, and has been linked to hundreds of cases of suicide in the U.S.

Last summer, Roche AG announced it would start Accutane recall in the U.S. and 11 other countries. The company cited declining sales as one of the major reasons behind the decision, as well as the high-cost of product liability suits and competition from generics. The last date for distribution of Accutane in the U.S. was June 25, 2009. At that time, Roche stopped direct distributions, but patients could still get Accutane from pharmacies that still had it in stock.

Popcorn Lung, known formally as Bronchiolitis obliterans, is a potentially life-threatening, irreversible ailment, for which the only cure is a lung transplant. Popcorn Lung inflames the bronchioles—small lung airways—causing scarring and “obliterating” appropriate airflow.

Some of the larger microwave popcorn manufacturers, such as ConAgra, have stopped using diacetyl. But the chemical is still used in thousands of products, including microwave popcorn, frozen foods, cake mixes and butter-flavored cooking oils. Unfortunately, it is not often listed on ingredient labels, so there is no way for consumers to protect themselves from exposure. When the chemical is heated, say in a microwave, it is released into the air in vapor form.

In 2007, a Colorado man named Wayne Watson became the first consumer to be diagnosed with Popcorn Lung. He had never worked around diacetyl, but he did have a decade-long, 2-bag-a-day microwave popcorn habit. Watson’s doctor theorized that the inhalation of diacetyl fumes from bags of microwave popcorn caused his illness. 

According to a report on www.10tv.com, Watson’s case prompted his doctor, Cecile Rose, to send a letter to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and three other government agencies, warning that diacetyl was a potential health threat not just to workers, but also to consumers. The agency said it followed up with Dr. Rose, and also assigned a team of scientists to examine scientific research into types of diacetyl exposure, according to www.10tv.com.

But so far, the FDA has not taken any regulatory action, and officially considers diacetyl safe. The agency hasn’t indicated when it will finish its diacetyl review and issue findings.

Since the link between diacetyl and Popcorn Lung was established, hundreds of stricken snack industry workers have filed lawsuits against flavorings manufacturers. Consumers stricken with the disease have also filed Popcorn Lung lawsuits. Watson did so, and according to 10tv.com, has reached a confidential settlement with one defendant, a flavor developer. Watson’s lawyer also told 10tv.com that he recently filed Popcorn Lung lawsuits on behalf of three other consumers.

According to the Associated Press, more than 300 other  Popcorn Lung cases are pending around the country, and verdicts as high as $20 million have been awarded in previous lawsuits.

According to wsnv.com, Pratt & Whitney owned the land that is now The Acreage about 50 years ago. It was used to test rocket engines, and since the 1950’s Pratt & Whitney has been storing toxic pollutants inside of a plant located near the community.

The residents of The Acreage have been concerned about a cancer cluster since several children living in close proximity to each other were diagnosed with brain tumors or brain cancer. Earlier this summer, residents’ concerns prompted the Florida Department of Health to begin a study of cancer rates in the area. The department’s eight month study found higher rates of brain tumors and brain cancer among children, especially girls.

The lawsuit against Pratt & Whitney was filed by four residents of The Acreage. It doesn’t explicitly blame the company for the high rates of cancer among children in The Acreage. However, the complaint does accuse Pratt & Whitney of negligence when dumping hazardous waste where the community now stands, and claims it failed to take adequate measures to prevent the escape of contaminants and other hazardous materials from its property. The lawsuit also points out that one of the chemicals stored at the nearby Pratt & Whitney facility is 1, 4-Dioxane, which the U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services considers as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.

The plaintiffs, all of whom own homes in The Acreage, claim the presence of the cancer cluster has caused their property values to plummet. They want Pratt & Whitney to compensate residents for their declining home values.

Confirmation of the cancer cluster in The Acreage has also spurred residents to approach Governor Charlie Crist for help. According to cbs12.com, the governor’s office has called on the state Department of Environmental Protection to conduct more tests of well water at homes in the Acreage. On Thursday, representatives from the department were working on getting permission from homeowners to conduct the tests.

Tests that the state Department of Environmental Protection conducted last summer concluded that well water quality in The Acreage is “generally good,” despite some instances of elevated radiation that might stem from natural causes.

In addition, a task force made up of homeowners, elected officials, parents of children who’ve had cancer, and others is being set up to oversee the cancer cluster investigation.

The residents of The Acreage have been concerned about a cancer cluster since several children living in close proximity to each other were diagnosed with brain tumors or brain cancer. Earlier this summer, residents’ concerns prompted the Florida Department of Health to begin a study of cancer rates in the area.

The results of the first phase of the study were unveiled in late August. According to the Palm Beach Post, investigators found 1,369 cases of all types of cancer among residents in The Acreage between 1995 and 2007. A similar-sized area elsewhere in Florida could be expected to have 1,055 cases in that time, the Post said. The report revealed six cases of brain cancer in children 14 and younger from 1997 to 2007. Of those, three were diagnosed in 2008, the report said.

Those findings prompted the health department to launch a second phase, which consisted of interviewing he families of 13 children previously diagnosed with cancer. All of the children were younger than 18 when diagnosed with a brain tumor or brain cancer from 1993-2008. On Monday, health officials announced that preliminary findings from that phase found higher rates of brain tumors and brain cancer among children, especially girls. The health department confirmed that the findings indicated a cancer cluster in The Acreage.

Now, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and other lawmakers have called for an investigation to determine the cause of the cluster. According to The Palm Beach Post, Nelson said environmental tests should start “as soon as possible.” He pledged to work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to get them to “lend their resources and expertise to the investigation.”

But already, state health officials are predicting that they won’t be able to find the cause of the cancer cluster. On Monday the director of the Palm Beach County Health Department also said health officials are not planning to conduct environmental tests at this point.

According to the Post, State Rep. Joseph Abruzzo, D-Wellington, rejected those assertions. “We need to give them the resources to make sure they can identify a cause,” Abruzzo said.

The state health department expects to finish and report on the second phase of its cancer investigation in The Acreage by mid-March. If it decides to start a third phase, which could include environmental tests, it would be at least a year before its completed, the Post said.

The residents of The Acreage have been concerned about a cancer cluster since several children living in close proximity to each other were diagnosed with brain tumors or brain cancer. Earlier this summer, residents’ concerns prompted the Florida Department of Health to begin a study of cancer rates in the area.

The results of the first phase of the study were unveiled in late August. According to the Palm Beach Post, investigators found 1,369 cases of all types of cancer among residents in The Acreage between 1995 and 2007. A similar-sized area elsewhere in Florida could be expected to have 1,055 cases in that time, the Post said. The report revealed six cases of brain cancer in children 14 and younger from 1997 to 2007. Of those, three were diagnosed in 2008, the report said.

At the time, officials said the findings pointed to elevated cancer rates in the community. Those findings were enough to convince the health department to launch a second phase of the cancer cluster study, which started in December. That phase involved interviewing the families of 13 children previously diagnosed with cancer. All of the children were younger than 18 when diagnosed with a brain tumor or brain cancer from 1993-2008.

According to The Miami Herald, conclusions from the first phase were based on numbers from the 2000 U.S. Census, when the population was smaller — possibly making the cancer rates look incorrectly elevated in comparison. But now the health department says that even accounting for population growth, preliminary results from the second part of the study show childhood cancer rates are still abnormally high.

According to findings from the second phase of the study, in 2005 through 2007 three new cases of brain cancer were reported in The Acreage, three times higher than the norm.

Unfortunately, there is a chance that residents of The Acreage won’t ever know what is behind the high cancer rates in their community. According to The Miami Herald, until the health department finishes analyzing those interviews in the next two months, the state wouldn’t conduct any environmental tests, if at all, to look for a potential cause.

As we reported previously, initial soil and water samples conducted by state health officials tested negative for toxins. Earlier this month, health officials screened for radon gas in about a dozen homes of the children who had been diagnosed with brain tumors.

Recently, one of the refineries in the Marcus Hook area - Sunoco's - was fined for illegal air emissions by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The fines just came after Sunoco reported several air-emission releases in 2008 to the agency. Those incidents occurred as follows:

• In May 2008, according to DEP, a boiler malfunction released 8.3 tons of carbon monoxide.
• In June 2008, two incidents resulted in 18.1 tons of volatile organic compounds being released into the air, as well as 1,300 gallons of oil.
• In December 2008, another 3.93 tons of nitrogen oxide and 8.09 tons of volatile organic compounds were released into the atmosphere after a compressor shutdown.

DEP inspectors also found numerous air permit and storage tank violations during that time period. Violations that occurred in June, September and November 2008 allegedly involved seal problems and an unreported oil leak. Sunoco was cited for not performing various inspections of instruments, tank hatches and ventilation systems.

Sarcoidosis is a disease that results from inflammation of tissues of the body. It can appear in almost any body organ, but most often starts in the lungs or lymph nodes. The disease can appear suddenly and disappear, or it can develop little by little and go on to produce symptoms that come and go, sometimes for a lifetime. As sarcoidosis progresses, small lumps, or granulomas, appear in the affected tissues. In the majority of cases, these granulomas clear up, either with or without treatment. In the few cases where the granulomas do not heal and disappear, the tissues tend to remain inflamed and become scarred (fibrotic).

Though the exact cause of sarcoidosis is unknown, it is believed to be caused through an alteration in the immune response after exposure to an environmental, occupational, or infectious agent.

According to The New York Times, the TSA says the dose from scanner is about the same amount as an average American receives from natural background sources in four minutes on the ground. A spokesperson for the agency told The Times that even for pregnant women, children and people whose genetic makeup made them more susceptible to X-ray damage, each person would have to undergo 1,000 screenings per year to exceed radiation standards.

But according to The New York Times, some experts believe the use of the scanners will “incrementally increase the risk of fatal cancers among the thousands or millions of travelers who will be exposed.”

In a 2002 report on the safety of backscatter scanners, the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements said it “cannot exclude the possibility of a fatal cancer attributable to radiation in a very large population of people exposed to very low doses of radiation.” An author of the report, David J. Brenner, a professor of radiation biophysics at Columbia and director of the university’s Center for Radiological Research, told The New York Times that risks might increase as airports begin using backscatter scanners as a first-line screening system.

Arjun Makhijani, a nuclear physicist, told the Times that if a billion passengers were screened with the dose assumed by the radiation protection council, that would mean 10 more cancer deaths a year. That number would represent only a tiny increase in the cancer death rate.

But others do not agree that the cancer rate would increase. Robert Barish, a radiation consultant in New York and the author of a 1996 book, “The Invisible Passenger,” told the Times that the doses delivered by the scanners were tiny by any standard, and passengers would get the same dose in a few minutes in a high-altitude jet.

According to Business Week, the findings do not fault proper disinfectant use and have only been found in laboratory testing. "It is OK to use disinfectants. Just don't misuse or overuse them," said study co-author Gerard T.A. Fleming—a scientist at the National University of Ireland in Galway—quoted Business Week. The disinfectant is found in an array of products including skin cleansers and face creams, spermicides, and some disinfectant products, noted Business Week, citing Fleming.

As we have long written, overuse and misuse of antibiotics is believed to make germs stronger as the germs learn to fight the effects of the drugs. This study found that the germ, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, was able to develop a resistance to antibiotics, explained Business Week, adding that the germ can lead to sickness in those with weakened immune systems and is key in hospital-acquired infections.

The researchers added benzalkonium chloride to a solution with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, said Business Week; Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutated and developed a resistance to Cipro (generic: Ciprofloxacin) after exposure to benzalkonium chloride and also developed a resistance to the disinfectant. Cipro is often used to treat anthrax.

According to Fleming, disinfectants must be used correctly and people should "not be tempted to dilute them down so that they go further in an attempt to save money…. Disinfectants work at the concentration stated on the bottle, but if they are diluted to a level where microorganisms can evolve, resistance can build up," quoted Business Week. "… disinfectants are our first line of defense against harmful germs. Antibiotics are our second line of defense in case of infection. Our study has shown that it is possible to corrupt the first and second line of defense. What then are we left with?" Fleming added.

Meanwhile, last week, another study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and which appears in the December 23 online and February print edition of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology—found that Acinetobacter—a very resistant bacteria—appears to be thriving in hospitals nationwide, according to Business Week. Looking at data (1999-2006) from 300 hospitals across the country, the researchers saw an excess of a 300-percent increase in cases of Acinetobacter resistant to Primaxin (generic: Imipenem).

Acinetobactor is generally found in patients being treated in the intensive care units of hospitals and often results in significant “pneumonias or bloodstream infections,” said Business Week, adding that the infections are not always cured with the most powerful of antibiotics.

Last month we wrote that a large study on the effects of antibiotics used during pregnancy and birth defects—the first of its kind to review the use of antibiotics during pregnancy—found a link between medications for urinary tract infections and birth defects. That study appeared in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, said the Associated Press.

Concerns over the possible health consequences of cell phone use are growing. Just this past October, we reported that a preliminary analysis of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) groundbreaking Interphone study found a “significantly increased risk” of some brain tumors “related to use of mobile phones for a period of 10 years or more.”

Last month, the Washington D.C. Court of Appeals  reversed a lower court decision that found that cell phone cancer lawsuits were preempted by federal law.   While the appeals court ruled that plaintiffs could not pursue claims that they were injured by phones which met the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) emissions standards, it ruled that personal injury claims were not pre-empted if they were based on phones that were either built before 1996, when the FCC purportedly began applying its radiation limits to cell phones, or failed to meet the commission’s requirements.  

The decision came in a case called Murray v. Motorola, and involves Verizon, Motorola, AT&T, Sprint, Nokia and other cell phone providers. The plaintiffs had claimed that they or their loved ones suffered illness, including brain cancer, as a result of the use of cell phones manufactured, sold or distributed by the defendants. They also alleged that defendants have long been aware of numerous studies revealing that radio frequency radiation from cell phones can cause tissue destruction, a precursor to cancer.

Henrick Thomsen began speaking out about NSF and its association with gadolinium dyes in 2007, after about 30 patients at Copenhagen University Hospital developed the condition.  According to The Guardian, GE Healthcare says the alleged defamation occurred during a 15-minute presentation Thomas made to fellow radiologists in 2007 at Oxford University, and in statements made in an article published in Thomsen's name in the journal Imaging Management.

Thomsen's lawyers are using a concept known as "qualified privilege" to defend him.  As a doctor, Thomsen claims he had a duty to report his experience with Omniscan, and his audience had a legitimate interest in receiving it. For its part, GE Healthcare asserts  that  qualified privilege doesn't protect Thomsen because he acted "maliciously".

For now, because of the libel claim against him, The Guardian says Thomsen has stopped lecturing in the UK.  He also claims patients in England are  being put at serious risk because he and other scientists are prevented from sharing their knowledge as a result of the way the libel courts in the country operate.

GE Healthcare has already spent £380,000, or $614,000 USD, to sue Thomsen in the UK.  According to The Guardian, if the drug giant wins, Thomsen will have to pay its costs.  The case is not expected to reach court for another 18 months. 

Strangely, even though Omniscan's possible side effects have been much discussed in both the US and Denmark, GE Healthcare has not taken any legal action in either of those countries.  Critics of the UK's tough - some would say draconian - libel laws have claimed for a while that they have a chilling effect" on democracy, and many are now pointing to Thomsen's case as an example.

 NSF is a rare, debilitating and often fatal disease that appears to only affect people with severe kidney disease who have been exposed to these gadolinium contrast dyes during MRI and MRA procedures. In the U.S., Omniscan and all other gadolinium dyes currently in use have been required to bear a black box warning regarding the potential for NSF since 2007, and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is currently considering even tougher labeling requirements for the drugs.  

CT scans are extremely popular as a diagnostic tool.  According to the Journal, use of the scans has  tripled in the U.S. since the early 1990s to more than 70 million in 2007.   Though there have always been concerns regarding the cancer risks associated with radiation from CT scans, but it hasn't been clear how high those risks actually are.

Concerns over the safety of CT scans were heightened recently, when the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced in October that it was probing 206 radiation overdoses from CT brain scans reported at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.  Last week, the agency said it had found 50 more instances of such overdoses at several other hospitals.

The first study detailed by The Wall Street Journal found that radiation doses received in a single CT scan varied greatly among the hospitals, with some patients receiving only one-tenth the radiation that others got.  For this study, researchers looked at 1,000 adult patients at four hospitals.  They projected that the dose of radiation received in a single heart CT scan at age 40 would later result in cancer in 1 in 270 women and 1 in 600 men.  For those receiving a head CT scan, 1 in 8,100 women and 1 in 11,080 men would likely develop cancer from the radiation, the study said. 

The second study, which analyzed information from several databases, estimated that 29,000 future cancers could be related to CT scans received in 2007, The Wall Street Journal said.  The cancer risk was greatest for younger patients, and the study projected that the greatest number of cancers would occur the abdomen and pelvis.

The FDA is not required to follow the recommendations of its advisory panels, but it usually does so.

NSF is a debilitating disease that leads to excessive formation of connective tissue in the skin and internal organs. It is characterized by high blood pressure, burning, itching, swelling and hardening of the skin. Other symptoms include red or dark patches on the skin; pain deep in the hip bones or ribs and muscle weakness. NSF can progress to the point of causing severe stiffness in joints, and it can lead to death.

Gadolinium contrast dyes are approved for use in MRI procedures, and are sometimes used off-label in MRA studies.  It appears that NSF only develops in people with pre-existing kidney disease. In 2007, the FDA asked the manufacturers of all gadolinium contrast dyes to add a black box warning to the product labels about their association with NSF.  Since the warning, the FDA and the makers of gadolinium contrast dyes have continued to collect data about their association with NSF.

According to documents released last month by the FDA in advance of today's meeting, the highest risk of NSF was associated with Omniscan, Magnevist and OptiMark. The lowest risk was associated with Prohance and Multihance, both marketed by Bracco Diagnotics.   However, the FDA was unable to rule out a risk for any of the agents.

FDA staff said it was too early to reach conclusions about Bayer's Eovist and Lantheus Medical Imaging's Ablavar, two recently approved gadolinium agents.

According to Dow Jones, at today's FDA advisory panel meeting, radiologists said that clinicians have essentially stopped using gadolinium agents  in  patients with severe kidney disease.  The panel was also told that reports of NSF have  dropped significantly since the black box warning was mandated.

Last month, Europe's health regulatory agency said Omniscan, Magnevist and OptiMark  shouldn't be used in patients with severe kidney problems.

As we previously reported, Covidien has already decided to modify the label of OptiMark to contraindicate its use in patients with severe kidney impairment because of its association with NSF.

Parker Waichman LLP is a leading personal injury law firm with experienced personal injury attorneys who have been investigating the links between disease and defective drugs and toxins for many years.

Many people with a particular disease or disorder may not realize there's often a link to their illness and either a defective drug or exposure to hazardous chemical substances. Some of these injury-related diseases and disorders can cause serious health issues and/or death.

Because these cases are often very complex, anyone who suspects they may be suffering negative health consequences as a result of a drug they were prescribed needs to make sure they're dealing with a law firm that’s qualified in this area. Our attorneys and other professionals have the experience and knowledge to properly investigate every disease-related case and properly determine any link that may exist between the disease and a drug, environmental condition or any other cause. We've handled cases on matters ranging from defective drugs to Benzyne and mercury exposure, lead poisoning and many other toxic substances that can cause serious or life-threatening illnesses.

When you choose Parker Waichman LLP to represent your personal injury, disease or defective drug claim, you can be sure your case will be handled by a staff of attorneys and professionals that is uniquely suited to get you the best possible outcome. If you think you may need an experienced toxic tort or defective drug lawyer, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified personal injury attorney.

One of the most common forms of environmentally-related diseases is mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer directly caused by inhaling fibres of asbestos. Mesothelioma cases are complicated by the fact that Mesothelioma symptoms sometimes go years before they’re detected.

If you or someone you love has been impacted by this disease, it’s important to remember that you may be entitled to compensation from companies that manufactured Asbestos and related products.

With many years of experience working on Asbestos and Mesothelioma cases, the attorneys of Parker Waichman LLP are uniquely experienced to handle these cases. We work with a large network of asbestos specialists including physicians and other experts, which gives us the ability to properly handle any case across the country. You can also rest assured that our attorneys are working with the most current information on asbestos and mesothelioma available to the public, which is vital to understanding your illness and assuring you or your loved ones get the best treatment available.

Finally, the members of our well-versed legal staff can advise you on which legal options are available to you in order to preserve the financial security of you and your family, even after you have passed on.

If any of the Diseases lawsuits you are looking for is not listed in the links below please Visit our Diseases Archives Page for additional diseases litigation that Parker Waichman LLP has defended for their clients.