| James Hardie settles Banton claim
JAMES Hardie has agreed a settlement of terminally ill asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton's claim for damages. Mr Banton, 61, who is suffering an asbestos-related cancer, sued James Hardie subsidiary Amaca in the Dust Diseases Tribunal. His lawyer, Jack Rush QC, told the tribunal today the parties had settled and the terms would be announced this afternoon. Mr Banton worked for James Hardie subsidiary Amaca as a lathe operator in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2000 he received a payout of $800,000 for an asbestos-related lung disease, but his lawyers have claimed a second damages payment for the mesothelioma. Mr Banton has said he lived in fear of contracting mesothelioma for years after watching his older brother, Edward, die a long and painful death from the disease.
Homes in a mining center in Quebec are severely contaminated with ...
U.S. and Canadian researchers took soil, air and dust samples in Thetford Mines in 2004. They found asbestos levels that would not be permitted in the United States under current regulations, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
Residents of Thetford Mines have a high risk of developing diseases like lung cancer, mesothelioma -- a cancer of the lining of the lung that is only caused by asbestos exposure -- and asbestosis. These diseases can develop years after exposure, and many experts say there is no safe level of asbestos.
Diane Lapointe said her mother died last year of mesothelioma even though she moved away from the town at age 23. But she said people who still live there don't like to talk about the problem because the asbestos mine means jobs.
"They say it's keeping the town alive," Lapointe said.
Banton gives evidence from hospital bed
GRAVELY ill asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton gave evidence today from his hospital bed in a bid for exemplary damages from a James Hardie company. Judge John O'Meally convened the Dust Diseases Tribunal hearing in the palliative care unit of Concord Hospital where Mr Banton is being treated for terminal cancer. Mr Banton has suffering from peritoneal mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer. He gave evidence today to support his contention that he did not receive exemplary damages in his first settlement from former employer Amaca, a James Hardie subsidiary company. Mr Banton received $800,000 in compensation in July 2000 for asbestosis, an asbestos-related lung disease. He filed a further claim in August this year after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma.
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