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Mesothelioma: A Killer
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Lilly cancer drug Alimta gets OK for sale in EU
September 23, 2004
Indianapolis (Star report) -- The Eli Lilly and Co. cancer drug Alimta has been approved for sale in the European Union.
The drug, in combination with cisplatin, becomes the first approved treatment for a rare cancer of the lung lining linked to asbestos exposure. It also was approved as a second-line treatment for a common form of lung cancer.
Alimta recently was approved for sale in the United States.
Asbestos scare sparks site walk-off
23sep04
REFURBISHMENT work has ground to a halt on a government building in central Sydney after 60 construction workers walked off the job fearing exposure to asbestos dust.
Workers at the Department of Commerce building in Philip Lane drilled into fire doors containing asbestos on the site yesterday before downing tools about 11 am (AEST).
Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) organiser Joe McGahan said work would not recommence on the job until at least tomorrow and would depend on the results of a safety audit.
All employees of the construction company Hansen and Yuncken, as well as subcontractors, had been registered with the NSW Dust Diseases Board, according to Mr McGahan.
The union said it met with Hansen and Yuncken representatives yesterday, who agreed to continue paying workers' wages during the safety audit.
An on site asbestos register also would be established, the CFMEU said.
"They (Hansen and Yuncken) have put their hands up all round and acknowledged that their management is inexperienced and need further training," Mr McGahan said.
CFMEU NSW secretary Andrew Ferguson acknowledged that the construction company failed to pass on information to workers about asbestos risks on site, but said government was also at fault.
"We're very concerned by the lack of effort by government, in particular, in setting standards for work on refurbishment jobs where there's asbestos," Mr Ferguson said.
"The government's got to ensure there are systems where the client can make sure there are proper safety procedures on jobs rather than simply give out contracts and hope for the best."
When the Commerce Department briefed the construction company on the refurbishment work, it provided documents showing there was asbestos in the fire doors which did not pose a threat unless disturbed, a spokesman for Commerce Minister John Della Bosca said.
"But my understanding is that workers have drilled into a fire door," he said.
"So, there's no work going on there at the moment and the situation is being assessed and it's basically an error by the contractor."
Comment was being sought from Hansen and Yuncken.
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