Medical Tourism For Stem Cell Treatments

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Admin

Turn Page on Next Chapter in Regenerative Medicine at World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress Panel discussion and workshop examines “Innovations in Stem Cell Treatments and Regenerative Medicine,” Sunday, Sept. 20, in Washington, D.C. Palm Beach Gardens, FL –  August 15 — Getting out of a car, taking a deep breath or smiling back into a mirror might often be taken for granted, but not by patients who have had these daily trivialities restored due to advances in regenerative medicine, an emerging field in stem cell treatments and the topic of a panel discussion and workshop at the 7th World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress, Sept. 20-24, 2014, in Washington, D.C., the Medical Tourism Association® announced today. New international developments are happening so quickly in regenerative medicine, making collaboration imperative among clinicians and researchers like panelists Dr. Elliot Lander, M.D. FACS, and Dr. Mark Berman, co-medical directors of Cell Surgical Network; Cristy Kessler, Ed.D., NBCT; and John Arnone, chairman and CEO of American CryoStem Corporation. Body mass has the ability to regenerate, unlike other tissue after an injury. Considering that muscle makes up more than 40 percent of a human being, scientist now propose that injecting patients with their own stem cells can heal their injuries and reduce scarring in areas where tissue has been torn away and deprived of blood. “At the end of the day, the ability to use various tissues to treat human disease is within the realm of a surgeon who wants to bring safe and effective therapies to patients,” said Dr. Lander, referring to “Innovations in Stem Cell Treatment and Regenerative Medicine,” Sunday, Sept. 20, 2014, 3 p.m., in the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, outside Washington, D.C. “The future has so much potential as we learn to define which cell types, deployment methods, and combination of growth factors work best for specific diseases enabling us to distinguish optimal treatments.” The World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress attracts some 3,000 key stakeholders – hospital administrators, doctors and clinicians, employers, government policy makers, insurance executives, facilitators, and hospitality and tourism interests – from across the globe to share their experiences and identify and solve issues that bear significantly on the industry. For a preliminary list of speakers, go to: http://www.medicaltourismcongress.com/speakers_year/2014-speakers/ The Congress agenda features the 5th Ministerial Summit, Global, the 3rd Medical Directors Summit, the 2nd Global Women’s Leadership Summit, regional and industry forums, and educational workshops included among more than 1,000 networking meetings for up to 200 qualified buyers of healthcare. Participants, sponsors and invited speakers can keep abreast of Congress updates at www.MedicalTourismCongress.com or make an impact today on the Congress networking platform at http://www2.mtcongress.com/wmtc-networking/ About the Medical Tourism Association ® The Medical Tourism Association ® is the first membership-based international nonprofit trade organization for the medical tourism and healthcare industry made up of top international hospitals, healthcare providers, medical travel facilitators, insurance companies, and other affiliates committed to promoting the highest level of quality healthcare to patients in a global environment. www.MedicalTourismAssociation.com Contact Information Medical Tourism Association Joseph Harkins 1.561.791.2000, ext. 803 www.MedicalTourismAssociation.com

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Contractor Cited for Asbestos Abatement Safety Violations

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Admin

A hazardous substance removal firm in Boynton Beach working on Palm Beach Outlet (West Palm Beach) project was cited for causing a deadly asbestos accident last summer and issued a fine of $10,780. The OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) started investigation following the death of Juan Arias on job in August. The safety agency ultimately said that the employees of Best-Tec Asbestos Abatement were exposed to the hazard of electrocution while removing energized electrical conduits, according to a January 17 citation. The citation carries gravity factor of ten – the highest. The federal agency also cited the asbestos abatement company for failing to train employees properly on electrocution hazard that has a gravity factor 5. Juan Arias was electrocuted, the Office of the county Medical Examiner says. Arias fell approximately 15 ft from scaffold inside the Sears building at Palm Beach Mall located at 1801 Lakes Blvd, according to a spokesman representing the city of W. Palm Beach. Greg Kleinrichert, the president of Best-Tec, said that it is challenging the citations. Kleinrichert was unwilling to comment further. However, he said the employees of the company were trained. He said the company has hired a lawyer. Best-Tec is needless to pay the fines while the citations are being challenged. There will be a hearing with the United States Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The mall that is being demolished was constructed 45 years ago when asbestos was an extensively used construction material. Therefore, asbestos abatement is unavoidable prior to the demolition because otherwise the material could be disturbed or broken. Disturbed asbestos is extremely dangerous. It can release deadly fibers into the air, which could be inhaled easily by people in the surroundings. The demolished mall will give way for a new outlet centre. JCPenney had told that it would remain open at the time of tearing down and construction of outlet centre. However, the company has now confirmed that it is shutting that store as well. According to Kleinrichert says work in the Sears was stopped for approximately a month following the accident. However, Best-Tec has now completed most of its work in the building. New England Development’s Tom Carabine says the owner knows about the citation. He said the issue won’t affect Best-Tec’s ability to remove the asbestos which remains in the site still, which is on the mall’s roof section.

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Asbestos Ceiling Tiles Finally Removed from Schools

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Admin

Special crews in hazmat wears came a few days back and removed the ceiling tiles which contained asbestos material from the Asbury Middle School, central office of the Marshall County Schools, and Marshall Tech. School maintenance workers will come to replace those tiles soon, says Mark Rains, the President of the Marshall County Education Board. The tiles which were taken from the central office as well as next door in Marshall Tech were from the hallways only, says Ken Barnhorst with the AL Environmental, a Tuscaloosa-based asbestos abatement contractor. He said ceiling tiles had been removed also at Asbury Middle, but at that time, he was not immediately aware whether it was just from hallways. Nathan Pee of the Birmingham-based Safety Environmental Laboratories & Consulting was there in the central office on Wednesday morning for carrying out air testing following the removal of asbestos. He conducted similar air quality tests in the Asbury Middle and the Marshall Technical School as well. The tests were carried out with pumps which suck the air through their filters, gathering the particles which were examined for ensuring that the buildings were absolutely safe for tenancy after the ceiling tiles containing asbestos were disturbed at the time of removal. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral which occurs in soil and rock. It was once mined extensively because of many of its useful properties. Due to such properties and its low cost, asbestos was widely used as a construction material in the United States, especially until the 1980s. Strength, flexibility, ductility, durability, resistance to heat, electricity and fire etc. are some of the good features of asbestos. Despite all these features, asbestos is a very dangerous material which can cause respiratory problems and deadly diseases including cancer. For this reason, asbestos became a highly regulated material in the United States after the 1980s. Many countries have already banned asbestos. However, it is still not compl etely banned in the United States. One main area of worry for the U.S. parents is the presence of asbestos material in the school buildings. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) says asbestos-containing materials are there in a number of schools in the nation. According to the agency the material is present in more than 132000 schools that serve 55 million or more children. These schools are worksites for 7 million or more teachers, managers and supporting staff. If the school buildings are not relatively new, almost certainly it contains several asbestos products. But majority of the school buildings are old and the average age of a school building is 42 years in the United States.

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Bush to Reopen Closed Dorm after Asbestos Removal

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Admin

Bush Hall will be undergoing renovation this year. The renovation works are underway at its closed dorm, situated on East Green. Christine Sheets, the asst. vice president of Capital & Facilities Planning, says the upcoming changes are going to benefit both the staff and students. The hall was constructed in year 1954 when asbestos was a very popular building material. It was compelled to close in year 2010 for asbestos removal and because of required finishes and upgrades of building system. The complete renovation, including asbestos removal and furniture buyings, is expected to cost the Residential Housing $8.8M that will be covered through collected money reserves from housing rentals on the campus, says Peter Trentacoste, the Housing director. The asbestos abatement, which the crew had to complete before going ahead with renovations, cost approximately $120000, according to Harry Wyatt, the associate vice president of Capital & Facilities Planning. “Asbestos abatement is actually a routine thing and we do that whenever we do renovations. The project’s size doesn’t matter,” he said. Asbestos is a common substance in old buildings because it was extensively used as a construction material before the 1980s. Removal of asbestos is a very expensive and time consuming process. As the other renovation works within the housing plan starts, OH University has to begin to take on debt in addition to the cash reserves, said Trentacoste. “We are quite aggressive with our plans, but I believe students will be really happy with the outcome,” Trentacoste said. The renovation project will add some new features to the presently closed dorm, for instance, new furnishings, sinks, thermostats, staff offices, elevator and multipurpose room on the 2nd floor, said Sheets. The room, which is a multipurpose one, could serve such as a classroom or a common room for students, according to Trentacoste. “We are allowing it to become a space which could be transformed out with simplicity,” he said. Dorm renovation works in the future will feature equally adaptable spaces, Trentacoste added. “That is the aim, to ensure that this is really a lively place which could be changed accordingly with the requirements of users,” said Trentacoste. The dorm is expected to reopen in 2014 January after renovations. This is actually an issue for the Residential Housing as most of the renovated dorms normally open at the start of school year, said Sheets.

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Even Extremely Low Levels of Asbestos Fibers Dangerous

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Admin

Libby, Montana – Federal officials expect they can finish the risk study for guiding the asbestos-tainted Libby cleanup by the end of year 2014. A scientists’ panel recently said that even a miniature amount of asbestos fibers can create lung problems in human beings. The long-anticipated document will decide when the cleanup of asbestos-containing dust from the vermiculite mine of W.R. Grace outside the northwestern Montana can end. Numerous people in and close to Libby have either sickened or died because of their exposure to asbestos fibers. So far, the cleanup has cost at least $447M since it began in year 1999. Deborah McKean, a toxicologist with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says, if possible, they will complete the risk study much earlier – perhaps by this year end. However, before that the EPA should do extra work recommended recently by the Science Advisory Board (SAB), a team of scientists from outside. The SAB has spent approximately one year deliberating the preliminary findings of the agency. In the meantime, the cleanup is grinding on. Between 80 and 100 properties in Libby are lined up for the work this year, according to Rebecca Thomas, the project manager of the EPA. Many properties in the area still require to be addressed. The list could expand substantially based on the risk study’s outcome. Work on the vermiculite mine site, located outside the town, hasn’t started. The mine was closed in year 1990 and it remains W.R. Grace’s responsibility. In spite of many deaths in Libby, the SAB said that the Environmental Protection Agency was right in using lung scarring for determining the amount of asbestos that poses a health risk. This could have implications even beyond Libby. A number of sites all through the United States got or processed the vermiculite from Grace’s Libby mine. Millions of houses in the country used it as insulation. According to the SAB, the EPA should collect more information for backing up its position. The industry groups and Grace itself have sharply criticized the proposal of the EPA for more stringent standards. The companies say the new standards are totally unjustified and almost impossible to achieve. The agency hasn’t yet responded formally to these comments. However, McKean says she doesn’t expect any significant change to the EPA’s newly proposed standards. She says the final standards will be established only after the additional work. After that, the study will take another 6 months to complete, she said.

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Library Asbestos Abatement Expense Rises

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Admin

Farmington, CT – Cleaning up the asbestos material in the old Farmington library (main branch) will cost the Davis County approximately $24000 over the lowest received bid. The apparent lowest bidder for this project left out certain vital information in the bid they submitted, leaving the county with no option other than accepting the second-lowest bid. A notice of award was issued to Smithfield-based Abatex Environmental Services by the county commission on Tuesday. The company had submitted a $63897 bid to the county for the required work. The county had received a total of 5 bids and this was the second-lowest bid. The lowest bidder was not responsive having excluded from the bid vital info regarding the project, says Barry Burton, the planning director of Davis County. Burton is now serving as the project manager of the county. “Still this particular one is under the county’s budget, and so we are in good shape,” said Burton. He was explaining the commission about accepting the 2nd-lowest bid. Davis County Auditor/Clerk Steve Rawlings says $100000 has been budgeted by the county for the project. The asbestos material in the library has to be cleaned up prior to the demolition of the building and the construction of a parking lot. The library was constructed in 1964, when asbestos was an extensively-used construction material. It is situated Memorial County Courthouse’ east at 28 East State Street in Farmington, CT. According to the county officials, the bids received by the county for the project ranged from $104000 to $39878 – the lowest bid. Burton says the asbestos abatement should be done next month. He says the building will be torn down in March. The county officials want to eliminate the old library building from the county campus. On its place, they want to construct a new parking lot by May last or June, according to the officials. It is not unusual for buildings constructed before the 1980s to have asbestos in them. The reason is that the hazards of the substance were not fully known then. Its low cost and excellent features such as durability, strength, insulating properties etc. made asbestos a very popular substance among the construction and other industries. Now everyone knows that asbestos can cause cancer and it is a highly regulated substance now. Asbestos removal is an expensive process and it requires the service of a licensed contractor.

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OH Demolition Projects to Lag due to Asbestos Removal Costs

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Admin

Zanesville, OH – Aging houses constructed prior to the 1980s usually contain carcinogenic asbestos material that were used in certain insulation, plasters, tiles, piping, joint compounds and paints. Apart from this health risk, these houses are also giving a headache to the local officials when thinking about paying for removing the dangerous material from them as they have been slated for demolition. The expense of the demolition process, especially the task of asbestos removal, may probably derail the plans to tear down up to 40 homes in the area this year under the grant program of the state known as “Moving Ohio Forward Demolition.” Officials said this on Tuesday. Muskingum County got a grant commitment of $445,425 from the office of the Ohio AG (Attorney General) in year 2012. The county is sharing this money with the city. So far eight city houses have been torn down. According to Sheila Samson, the County Community Development Coordinator, she has submitted documents for reimbursement of grant for the initial 6 projects. Samson is supervising the local tasks. Tim Smith, the Chief Code Enforcement Officer of Zanesville, also has filed documentations for 2 more projects. “However, what we understand is that removal of asbestos is very expensive. We are afraid we won’t be able to hit our target of 40 house demolitions,” Samson said. She noted that the average asbestos abatement & demolition price for the initial batch of houses was $9454 each. Smith says even though the initial estimates called for up to 40 home demolitions, now it may possibly be reduced to as less as 15. The average expense for removing asbestos material from aging buildings that Smith usually deals with prior to their demolition is approximately $15000, he said. A project among these cost US$21400 as it contains far more asbestos material than anticipated earlier. Smith has 4 more houses slated for tearing down. Their demolitions are on hold due to above-average costs. “Because of high expense, 3 or 4 homes won’t be demolished as we had planned earlier,” Smith said. He has also been looking into the option that a number of proposed demolition projects could be qualified for housing exemptions from Ohio EPA that requires minimum 500 ft buffer between residences and the nearby asbestos abatement site. According to Smith, it won’t be an issue for certain targeted houses in the Muskingum County due to more clearance between the structures.

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Contractor Sentenced to Confinement in Asbestos Home

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Admin

Camden, NJ – A man from Bergen County (NJ) was sentenced recently to 3 years of probation, which includes home confinement for 6 months, after he was charged with conspiring to breach the federal CAA (Clean Air Act) in connection with the asbestos removal from a structure, according to United States Attorney General Paul Fishman. Vele Bozinoski, of Elmwood Park, had pleaded guilty earlier before United States District Judge Noel Hillman to the charges of CAA violations. He agreed that he failed to follow safe work practices for dealing with asbestos and that he conspired with others for committing this offense. The sentence was imposed by Judge Hillman on 11th January in Camden County Circuit Court. According to the papers filed relating to this case and the statements made in federal court, Bozinoski hired some workers in 2007 February for removing insulation at Garden State Paper, a former newsprint mill. The facility contained 160 or more linear ft of materials containing asbestos. The court papers indicate that Bozinoski conspired with some others for not thoroughly inspecting the facility to know the presence of dangerous asbestos or to inform the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) regarding the asbestos presence before commencing removal of insulation. Per regulations, any work that involves asbestos has to be carried out only after informing the EPA. Additionally, Bozinoski conspired with some other people for failing to make sure that asbestos-containing substances were wet before being stripped off. The materials containing asbestos were not sealed in proper leak-tight containers till it was taken for disposal. United States AG Fishman credited special FBI agents, under the guidance of David Velazquez, the Acting Special Agent; and the special agents of criminal investigation department of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, under the guidance of William Lometti, the Acting Special Agent, with the probe that lead to the sentence. As asbestos is a material which can cause diseases such as lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis, it became a highly regulated substance in the United States. Anyone who carries out building renovation or demolition work on an asbestos-containing structure must inform the EPA prior to the commencement of the work. Asbestos removal is a must before demolition or renovation work and only a licensed contractor is supposed to handle asbestos abatement. The reason is that asbestos can be very dangerous if it is broken or disturbed.

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Governors Take over High School after Asbestos Discovery

Posted on January 22, 2017 by Admin

A school was closed after dangerous asbestos material was discovered. Its governors have taken over the 900-pupil High School. The Cwmcarn School, situated in Caerphilly County, shut immediately in last October following a structural report recognized asbestos material in main block. Parents have raised concern at the long-term closure of the school. However, the foundation status of the school means the governors are able to assume complete control of school premises. Caerphilly council has expressed concern as well as frustration. The governors were asked to comment on the issue. According to the council, an independent, individual investigation into the management of asbestos at school building was being performed by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), and it would continue. The council said now the governing body would take complete liability and responsibility for that site. It said the council’s plans to commission a thorough and complete asbestos survey have been thwarted now by the school governors’ actions. Harry Andrews, the Council leader, said that their major all-time priority has been the wellbeing and health of staff and students in the school. “We have taken decisive and swift action when the problem of asbestos was found. We also planned to find out the full degree of the trouble prior to favoring a way forward. “Unluckily, the governors have now disappointed with the process by compelling that they take complete responsibility of that site. However, we wished to cooperate with them for trying and resolving the issue as fast as possible,” Andrews said. “We will write to the staff and parents detailing this decision’s implications,” Andrews added. “Our major task remains the education and welfare of students. We will closely watching the actions of the governors in the school,” he said. “Parents will be assured that council won’t allow any students to come back to a building, which poses health risk,” Andrews added. The report says heating system might have blown asbestos present in the building’s roof and airborne asbestos fibers were almost 10 times greater than the permitted levels. According to the union Unison, demolition of the building was the only safe option for pupils as well as staff. The survey found that the structure poses potentially serious health risk and must be torn down, as suggested by a former inspection. The Welsh government has asked all the schools to submit a report on levels of asbestos.

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Wilton Recycling Fined $7,500.00 for Asbestos Violations

Posted on January 21, 2017 by Admin

Wilton, Maine – Wilton Recycling has been ordered to pay a penalty of $7500 for its role in a hazard involving asbestos at a former mill site, the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection), says. Adam Mack, the owner of the company, said the Depot Street site’s active demolition could start any time, whether he is imprisoned for unconnected charges or not. Mack is 38 years old. Mack is an earlier Republican state Rep for Standish. He admitted guilty in United States District Court at Portland in last October to mishandling federal money. Yet he hasn’t been sentenced. However, he could receive up to 5 years in federal prison for that crime. “The other case is ongoing still. I am not sure whether I am available to coordinate directly or not. But I do have other people who are responsible and will go ahead with the project,” said Mack. In Wilton, Mack’s long enforcement process is ending with a consent agreement entered by him with the DEP. “This case’s conclusion is a win-win, which proves that the enforcement process of the DEP works,” said department spokeswoman MS. Samantha Depoy-Warren, after declaring the agreement 2 days ago. “The responsible entity was held answerable in a rigid but reasonable way. More significantly, the ultimate asbestos removal from the site now permits for the renovation of this particular community cornerstone,” she said. The mill’s demolition was stopped in 2011 July, when workers shifted federal government officials to hazardous working atmospheres resulted by inappropriate removal of asbestos-containing insulation from pipes. As per the consent agreement, nobody inspected the site to know if asbestos is present there prior to the demolition, which is a clear violation of DEP rules. While removing the pending mess, an expert in asbestos removal said it was the worst asbestos-containing site he has ever seen in the state of Maine in for past three decades. The asbestos material was cleaned up safely in last September, after a year of negotiating talks between the DEP and Mack. According to Depoy-Warren, this resolution is definitely an accomplishment for the DEP, the cleanup contractor, the Wilton town and also to Mack, as he stepped up for making the site safe, which is a constructive action that is reflected in the minimized monetary fines. According to Mack, the initial part of the structure will be demolished this winter and the main part will be torn down in the spring.

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