Pennsylvania’s Bethlehem Area School District directors reached a decision on Monday: the old Broughal Middle School will be demolished, despite the offer of a local developer to purchase the asbestos-laden property. Developer Abraham Atiyeh made a last minute offer to purchase the Broughal School, and many locals wanted to save the building, which despite having asbestos issues is considered to be a building of historic and aesthetic merit. However, the bid made for the property was called ”woefully inadequate”. Board Vice President Judith Dexter said Atiyeh offered about $800,000 for the property.

Some Bethlehem residents are happy to see the school go. It will be replaced by new athletic fields. ”It’s been going on for a long time,” said Emma Marrero, a former Broughal student. ”The field is invaluable –– it’s time for a decision.”

The asbestos problem at the school would be costly to remedy. According to officials, the asbestos abatement process would cost the school district $389,000. The process is expensive, as many safety measures must be taken to prevent the release of asbestos, which is linked to mesothelioma and lung cancer. The district could not afford to entertain Atiyeh’s offer. The school district would stand to lose nearly $1.8 million if the demolition project was canceled.

Two voices that spoke in favor of demolition were Mr. Stephen Antalics and 12-year old Raymond Pacheco. ”There’s no concern for preservation of anything of historic value,” said Antalics. ”You’re young, you want to play…but you will want to feel proud you’re a resident of South Side.”

”I’m talking from my heart,” said Pacheco. ”I express my feelings during sports. I need a field to do what I do.”

Asbestos victims in the United Kingdom are urging insurers to donate money to research asbestos-related diseases. The victims argue that many insurance giants have not been forced to pay out to asbestos sufferers because they received compensation from the government instead. The victims believe that insurance companies ought to donate the money they did not pay out to mesothelioma research. Legal experts estimate that the insurance industry may have saved as much as £14 million (nearly $23 million) over the years.

Protesters circled outside of the Association of British Insurers yesterday in order to raise awareness for their idea. The protesters hope that if the insurance industry does donate money for asbestos-related disease research, a cure could be found. At the very least, they hope to alleviate the suffering of future victims and their families. Tony Whitston, of the Asbestos Victims Support Group Forum, thinks that if the insurers refuse to donate funds to research, they are despicable. "It was within the rules but it was wrong. The insurance industry saved millions of pounds in compensation that was instead paid by taxpayers. They should do the decent thing and donate this money to researching ways to help future victims of the asbestos time bomb."

Deaths from asbestos-related diseases throughout the UK rise each year, and are soon expected to hit 6,000 deaths per year. The number of fatalities stemming from asbestos-related diseases in the UK is not expected to start decline until 2030, according to health reports.

The Vermont Health Department has released findings regarding the nature of asbestos deaths in the state.

5 people in the state of Vermont that died between 1996 and 2005 were a topic of controversy. At issue was where exactly the deceased had come into contact with asbestos. Some argued that the asbestos exposure occurred in the homes of the afflicted, while others believed that asbestos exposure in these cases had occurred in the workplace.

According to the Vermont Health Department, the five people who died of asbestosis were indeed exposed to asbestos at work, and not at home.

Today the state health department released a report, which finds that 3 of the 5 people who died of asbestosis between 1996 and 2005 had been employed at a now closed asbestos mine.

The state report states that the two other individuals who died moved to Vermont after developing asbestosis. It is believed that those individuals had been exposed to asbestos in a former workplace elsewhere.

The state of Vermont conducted the latest report after some people questioned another report released in November of 2008. That report showed people who lived near the mine had an elevated risk of contracting or dying from asbestosis.

Asbestosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the lungs of people exposed to asbestos. Sufferers experience extreme shortness of breath, and face an elevated risk of developing lung cancers. In severe cases, asbestosis can lead to respiratory failure. Most cases of asbestosis manifest themselves 5-10 years after the initial exposure to asbestos.