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Asbestos Stopped the Clock

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Asbestos in LSU clock tower
LSU Clock Tower

After almost a hundred years of service, the Louisiana State University (LSU) Memorial Tower in Baton Rouge was ready for restoration, but asbestos stopped the clock tower project when the potentially deadly mineral was found in the interior.

History

The tower was built in the early 1920s in memory of 1,447 Louisiana soldiers who died in World War I. The interior of the tower houses a military museum.

The Memorial Tower clock holds a special place in the heart of students and the community for its chimes. The bells ring every quarter hour until 10 pm and at noon they ring the tune of the university’s alma mater song. On Valentine’s Day, tradition states that receiving a kiss under the tower at the ringing of the chimes at midnight – the only night they ring past 10 pm – confirms a student is now an “official” LSU student.

The 175’ tall building was designed in the Italian Renaissance style and is a landmark in the city.

From its history, it is evident the tower is an important part of Louisiana’s past – from its construction in 1923, to today, and into the future. The restoration will ensure the building and its traditions carry on for future generations of students.

The restoration

Finding asbestos was not completely unexpected, as many buildings in the United States were built using the mineral from the 1920s until the late 1970s. Until renovations began, the asbestos was undisturbed and therefore not a danger. But once substances containing asbestos are handled, fibers can become airborne and inhaled by workers or others who are in the affected area.

When found in the tower, work on the interior was stopped and tests are currently underway. Most other buildings on the LSU campus were also constructed during this time period, meaning that as they are restored, they may also need testing and possibly abatement.

Because the asbestos was discovered at the beginning of the restoration, the university states there is no threat to students or faculty members. As a precaution, remodeling or renovations performed on any commercial buildings, schools, or residences during the time period asbestos was commonly used in construction, may require testing on possible asbestos-laden products before initiating a project.

Exposure to asbestos is a known cause of cancers, such as lung cancer and mesothelioma. At this time, mesothelioma remains a fatal disease. Mesothelioma can go undetected for decades – even 50 years – which makes it a silent killer. Early detection is critical.

Asbestos stopped the clock, but it will chime again

Exterior renovations continue and the entire $6.8 million project should be completed by the 2020 Fall semester. Baton Rouge, especially LSU students and alumni, look forward to enjoying their celebrated clock tower once again.

Photo by: Kkmurray – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2666826

 

Concerns Over Asbestos Abatement Continue at Lafayette Academy

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We recently posted a blog about substandard asbestos abatement work at the Lafayette Academy Charter School and, at a meeting with school officials and representatives from the Recovery School District (RSD) and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) on July 27th, it was evident that parents’ concerns over asbestos abatement continue due to the possible exposure to their children.

The first abatement was conducted from March through the summer of 2017. The LDEQ inspected the work and found many faults, including children walking the halls around the work area and “sticking their heads in” to see what was happening behind the improperly installed plastic sheeting. This work was supposed to be started in May after school was dismissed for the summer.

The second abatement began in May of this year. Again, LDEQ inspectors found issues with the removal process, including workers walking about the campus wearing the clothes and shoes they wore in contamination areas, thus spreading fibers wherever they walked. The plastic sheeting material was found with holes allowing asbestos to spread.

Concerns over asbestos abatement continue

The Choice Foundation, overseer of the academy, was informed on July 16th by the RSD that the abatement did not follow protocol once again. At that time, the school was closed until it is proven safe for students and faculty.

Meanwhile, school officials, as well as representatives from LDEQ and RSD, continue to claim there was no risk to children during the abatements of 2017 or 2018. They stress air quality tests were far below any dangerous levels.

Next steps

The current abatement should be completed by mid-August, but students will not return until all buildings, contents, and grounds are declared safe which means they will be located at alternate locations throughout much or all of this coming school year.

Students from pre-K – 4th are expected to attend Paul Dunbar school this coming year.

The 5th – 8th grades are targeted to attend the historic McDonogh 35 building on Kerlerec Street. Parents see this as a possible extension of the problem as the McDonogh building is much older that the original uptown Lafayette Academy building and it also contains asbestos. This building is now also undergoing renovation and abatement to prepare for the new students. Though all areas are monitored each day for any sign of mishandling of asbestos-containing materials, confidence is low among parents. Construction on this building should be complete by August 13.

Parents were told the probability classes would resume in alternate locations by August 27 was “extremely high.”

Brett Powers Leads DuBose Law Firm NOLA Office

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In early 2015, DuBose Law Firm opened an office near the central business district in New Orleans to better serve our Louisiana clients.

Brett-Powers - - Mesothelioma Attorney, New Orleans, Louisiana
Brett Powers

Brett Powers, a native of the Crescent City and an attorney experienced in complex tort litigation, including helping clients diagnosed with mesothelioma, was a natural choice to lead the New Orleans office. “I tried a case with Brett in the past and saw his skill, not only in the courtroom, but how great he is with clients,” says firm founder, Ben DuBose. “When we decided to open a New Orleans office, we knew we wanted Brett to head it up.”

Though a native of New Orleans, Brett also lived and practiced law for many years in Lake Charles. “Practicing in Lake Charles taught me many things but the lesson that stands out the most is how important client interaction is to a law practice. When your clients stop into your office on a daily basis, you have to be available to listen and answer their questions.”

In addition to toxic exposures,  he has years of experience involving product liability, pharmaceutical injuries, environmental cleanup, mass torts, hurricane litigation, and personal injury claims.

Brett received his B.A. from Louisiana State University in 1994 and graduated from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1998 with a Juris Doctorate. With 18 years of trial experience, Brett is a trial attorney who is rated AV Preeminent® (4.5-5.0) by the Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™.

He is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, State Bar of Texas, American Bar Association, New Orleans Bar Association, Southwest Louisiana Bar Association, American Association for Justice, Louisiana Association for Justice, and Phi Delta Phi.

With our office in Louisiana, and with Brett’s help, we are positioned to make a difference in the lives of those Louisianans victimized by the conduct of others.

DuBose Law Firm, PLLC

Principal Office:
4310 N. Central Expressway
Dallas, Texas 75206
Phone: 214.389.8199

New Orleans Office:
829 Baronne
New Orleans, Louisiana 70113
Phone: 504.581.9322

Sponsored by Attorney Brett M. Powers, licensed in TX & LA

Shipyard with a History of Asbestos Disease

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Westwego, Louisiana is the site of the Avondale Shipyard, once the largest private employer in Louisiana with 6,000 employees. Three men founded it in 1938, just up river from New Orleans on the west bank of the Mississippi river. The shipyard began its journey through various other owners starting in 1959. These included Ogden Corporation, Litton Industries, Northrop Grumman, and finally Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) in 2011. In August of 2015, HII announced the Avondale Shipyard would be placed for sale.

Over the years, the Avondale facility built barges, cargo ships, even an icebreaker and research vessel for the US Coast Guard. They modernized the USS Iowa and also repaired ships for the US Navy. Shipyard workers and other trades employed at the Avondale Shipyard in the 1950s through the 1970s have brought asbestos personal injury lawsuits against the shipyard for the development of asbestos-related diseases. Older ships were notorious for their use of asbestos and often workers – even US Navy sailors – were unaware of the dangers including lung cancer and mesothelioma, a fatal asbestos disease.

At this time, the shipyard is deserted except for a very small maintenance crew and has not found a new owner.

Marrero Plant Left Deadly Legacy

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When Johns-Manville (J-M) built their Marrero, Louisiana plant to manufacture asbestos-based products in the 1930s, the company already knew that asbestos posed a health risk.  Through ads and other marketing, however, it was touted as a significant asset to the community.

That asset turned into significant health issues as, over the decades, workers from the J-M plant have experienced asbestos-related diseases such as malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer from dust they inhaled while working. These life-threatening diseases often take multiple decades before symptoms are seen and a diagnosis is made.

In addition to the workers, local citizens and family members of workers have developed these serious, and often deadly, diseases. Of the many asbestos-laden products manufactured at the Marerro plant, one of the earliest was asbestos pipes. In the process of manufacture, both crocidolite and amosite asbestos were used. Tragically, workers carried fibers home through wearing contaminated clothing while in their cars, hugging and playing with children when they arrived home and laundering these work clothes at home, usually by the wife. The minuscule asbestos fibers became airborne when touched or disturbed and were inhaled by family members.

This person-to-person spread of fibers was not the only manner large portions of Marrero citizens were exposed. Over a period of years, Johns-Manville also populated the environment with deadly fibers through the distribution of scrap containing high levels of asbestos waste to homes and schools for paving driveways and playgrounds. As vehicles and children playing stirred up the asbestos, countless people, many of whom are only now showing signs of disease, breathed in fibers. Brett Powers, attorney at DuBose Law Firm, New Orleans, stated, “The reckless endangerment of employees, their families, and the overall environment of Marerro was caused by the incomprehensible and irresponsible action of the asbestos industry.”

Many of those who developed malignant mesothelioma sued J-M for negligence and liability in multiple areas, including the manufacture, distribution, and use of products known to have a high potential for serious injury. They also accuse J-M of failure to provide safety instructions and equipment, of neglecting to truthfully report results of product testing and medical studies, and of continuing the use of asbestos when alternative materials were available.  J-M eventually filed for bankruptcy protection in the 1980s.

However, the consequences of the asbestos contamination of Marrero will live on indefinitely for families of past victims and for the victims who are not yet diagnosed.