Two sites, added to the Superfund National Priorities list in 1983, have been cleared of asbestos and declared safe by the government. The sites were officially removed from the list on July 12, reports NJ.com.

The sites include 11 acres alongside the Passaic River in Millington, New Jersey and a seven-acre site within the Great Swamp Wildlife Refuge in Harding Township, New Jersey. Asbestos waste was disposed of and dumped at both locations.

The EPA has monitored the effectiveness of caps on the two sites for the past five years, and have declared that the asbestos, “has been successfully contained and no longer poses a significant threat to public health or the environment.”

Asbestos is a highly toxic material, known to cause diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is the most aggressive asbestos-related disease, which affects the internal linings of the lung, heart and abdominal cavities.

Due to an extended latency period, even the best mesothelioma doctorsfind difficulty in diagnosing patients with the disease, early on. Because of this, many patients are faced with late treatment, and short life expectancy periods.

Property owners are now free to use the land as they see fit, as long as the cap on the material isn’t disturbed. The Millington site may be redeveloped, and used as a mixed residential and retail complex.

33 miles north of Salt Lake City, Utah, the Riverdale Cinedome movie theater is under threat of demolition. The building is beloved by many locals, and has even inspired a Facebook petition to save the aging structure. Still, serious problems like asbestos plague the building.

The building doesn’t meet city codes, contains asbestos, and was labeled "blighted" by third-party consultants five years ago, said Riverdale’s community development administrator Randy Daily. Inhaling asbestos fibers may lead to mesothelioma, a rare cancer which affects less than 3,000 Americans each year. The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms, and the majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years following diagnosis.

Despite all this, local Allen Glines still wants to save the Cinedome. "I wanted to make sure the Cinedome didn’t go out quietly, if it went out at all," said Allen Glines, age 23. This Ogden resident started an online campaign, "Save Cinedome 70," which had attracted over 5,000 supporters. Glines would like to see the building cleaned up and turned into a community center, but others have plans to use the site as a commercial property. One company has even expressed an interest in using the property as a lot for a car dealership.

"If we do purchase the property, there are some things that we are looking at doing that would allow the memories of the Cinedome to remain," local Ray Francis said about his company’s plans to possible build a car dealership at the site. "But that’s hard for me to comment on because that’s still not our property."

In Leonia, New Jersey, officials are hard at work to dispel the fears of local parents concerned by asbestos abatement work at the elementary school. The project was scheduled to be completed over the weekend of May 15 at the Anna C. Scott School, but will now be postponed until the summer. Dozens of angry parents moved to halt the project, fearing that it might endanger the respiratory health of their children. Exposure to asbestos has been known to cause mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive type of cancer with no known cure.

“The truth is, asbestos abatement is a common occurrence in New Jersey, and of several schools we called, some did send a letter, some did not,” Superintendent Bernard Josefsberg explained to a group of concerned parents.

Scott Higgins, of ABS Environmental, a consulting group monitoring the abatement work, added that this sort of asbestos removal often takes place while students are still in the building. “New Jersey has some of the most stringent asbestos regulations in the country. … We reviewed all the air testing results, and did the same tests we would have done if it was over the summer,” Higgins said.

But postponing the work until this summer could increase the cost of the project by as much as $200,000. “We can live with that. We can’t live with this week’s rancor and division. I offer the postponement not to concede, appease or atone. After consulting with members of the Board and after listening to the advice and concerns of many of you, I am postponing the work so that we can begin again as a whole school community — one that stands apart from any other divisions or interests that may exist in the wider community,” Josefsberg stated.

In Millville, New Jersey, workers are gearing up to start major construction and renovations at the Levoy Theatre. The theater will undergo months of improvements, and is scheduled to open sometime during the second quarter of 2011.

“We’ve all waiting a long time for this groundbreaking, some more than others,” said Levoy Theatre Preservation Society Chair Lauren Van Embden Monday during a ceremony for the theater near High Street. “We move forward with the knowledge that all the hard work that got us to where we are has paid off. We’re now witnessing history.”

Arthur J. Ogren Inc. is the general contractor overseeing the project. “It’s been a long process; many times paper work can be harder than the actual construction, though I don’t know if that’s the case here,” said Arthur Ogren. “We have quite a job in front of us now, and it’s our job to take care of it from here.”

The company had been ready to start work months ago, but was forced to wait until asbestos abatement was completed at the theater. Asbestos exposure is conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year, and while there are palliative treatment methods available, including chemo, there is no known cure. The majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years following diagnosis.

Once completed, the theater will be modernized, but still reflect the charm of a bygone era. “The goal for us and the architects is to create something that remains true to the past, but that is built for the future,” said Ogren.

The Marco Island, Florida City Council has voted to fire City Manager Steve Thompson. Previously placed under a probationary period with fellow city officials considered his fate, Thompson will now receive his full annual salary of over $100,000, as per his contract.

“Obviously, I wish I had been more successful here, but this is a very difficult community by anyone’s standards,” said Thompson. “Council plays to that negativity and it’s difficult to overcome that, [but] If I was afraid of being fired, I wouldn’t have become a city manager.”

Former City Council Chairman Rob Popoff was surprised by the decision. “I’m stunned. I really, really, really didn’t want to be in politics anymore, but this is the kind of thing … I would have run for (council) again because it’s just unjust,” Popoff said. “I have to question the motives,” he said. “This is not an emergency. This is not open government.”

One of the primary reasons Thompson was under fire was due to the mishandling of information related to asbestos present at parcel of land recently purchased by the city. Asbestos exposure is conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer which typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms. Sadly, the disease kills many patients within months of being diagnosed.

“This is financially irresponsible. Now we’ll have to pay for his golden parachute. He hasn’t done anything grievous enough [to justify his firing],” Popoff said.

In East Orange, New Jersey, officials say that a library that was shuttered in January due to asbestos will likely not reopen until sometime this summer. The East Orange Public Library building was the site of an asbestos scare earlier this year, according to library director Carolyn Ryan Reed. An employee at the library noted that asbestos may be present in a century-old portion of the library, and reported their findings to the state.

According to a report from the state Department of Health and Senior Services, “the administration failed to properly inform employees about the presence of asbestos throughout the building, putting them in harm’s way”.

Asbestos exposure is linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that most often starts in the lining of the lungs, but may also affect other organs and tissues in the chest and abdominal cavity. Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year, but sadly the majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years following diagnosis.

The state initially gave the city until March 31 to address the asbestos problems, but Reed says she was able to negotiate an extension until the end of June. “We’re doing this as fast as we can,” Reed said. “We just want to make sure this is done correctly.”

The library hired a company called Enviro Visions to look into the asbestos problem. According to company owner Frederick Larson, asbestos abatements start at about $2,000 in smaller buildings. “It does not seem like that big of an issue,” Larson said. “Going forward, it depends on the budget of the library.”

The death of an elderly man from Caversham, England has been attributed to mesothelioma. The man, Harold Jelliman of Richard Neville Court, passed away on May 9, 2009 at the Sue Ryder Care Hospice in Nettlebed, South Oxfordshire. He was 78 years old at the time of his death. A recent coroner’s inquest into the death released their findings last week.

Exposure to asbestos can have serious health effects which may not develop until decades after a person has been exposed to the carcinogenic substance. Three of the most serious health problems caused by exposure to asbestos are asbestosis (a serious non-cancerous disease of the lungs that causes scarring), lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma affects the thin lining (membrane) of the lung, chest, abdomen, and heart. The disease is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma affects thousands of new patients each year, and while there are treatment methods available, including chemo, there is no known cure. The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms, and the majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years following diagnosis.

Oxfordshire coroner Nicholas Gardiner headed the inquest into Mr. Jelliman’s death, and has recorded that the official cause of death as death by industrial disease. It was ruled that Jelliman developed mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos during his working life.

In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, an airport terminal in need of asbestos removal is delaying the grand opening of the new General Aviation Terminal. According to airport officials, the old terminal is in need of asbestos removal before it can be torn down.

When the old terminal is finally torn down, there will be room made available to make some finishing touches on the new terminal. According to General Aviation Manager Mike Marlowe, the asbestos removal process will take about a month. More asbestos than was previously expected was found at the site, which dates back to 1956.

The removal of asbestos takes a long time, and it can be very expensive. This is due to the many federal and state regulations in place which govern the handling, removal, and proper disposal methods for asbestos. The material, once prized for its natural resistance to heat and chemical damage, is now known to cause health problems if inhaled or ingested, even in minute amounts.

Asbestos exposure is linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that often affects the lungs. Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year, and while there are palliative treatment methods available, including chemo, there is no known cure. The cancer often kills patients within months of being diagnosed.

”We’re waiting to get the building down, parking lot completed and all the landscaping so that it looks like all the drawings that we’ve done," said Marlowe.

A UK man’s death, caused by mesothelioma, has been linked exposure to asbestos that occurred over 30 years ago. Eric Jones was 71 at the time of his death in March of 2009. Jones had worked at a Warrington cotton mill for Armitage and Rigby, a company that has since gone out of business. He was exposed to asbestos while repairing pipes attached to boilers that were covered with asbestos-containing insulation, according to officials from the Warrington Coroner’s Court.

Jones would use a hammer to loosen the pipes, forcing clouds of asbestos fibers into the air. Inhaling or ingesting these fibers can lead to a variety of illnesses, such as lung cancer, pleural plaques, and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma affects thousands of people all over the world each year, and while there are palliative treatment methods available, including chemo, there is no known cure.

The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms, and the majority of patients succumb to the cancer within 24 months of being diagnosed. Mesothelioma can affect the lungs, lining of the heart, and other areas of the abdominal cavity, before it spreads throughout the body.

Deputy Coroner for Cheshire Janet Napier has officially recorded the cause of death for Mr. Jones as industrial disease. She said: “Eric kept his dignity until the very end. This was a particularly bad form of a terrible disease and there is no doubt it in my mind it was caused by asbestos.”