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The New Jersey Superior Appellate Court moved to reinstate a case against Scotts, the manufacturer of “Turf Builder” lawn fertilizer. Scotts had previously used vermiculite supplied from mines in Libby Montana. Libby mining operations were producing ores heavily contaminated with highly friable tremolite asbestos, a specific form of highly dangerous asbestos that became known as “Libby asbestos”.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified 31 Superfund sites for redevelopment. The site list includes locations such as Libby Montana, home to vermiculite mines contaminated with dangerous amphibole asbestos. Superfund sites are places the EPA has deemed particularly dangerous due to environmental contamination.

Retail giant Justice at last recalls its “Just Shine” make-up products after undisputed testing showed the presence of amphibole asbestos fibers in the products marketed to tween girls. Asbestos is a known carcinogen that causes an always-fatal form of cancer called mesothelioma. There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos, particularly to the amphibole class of fibers found in the Just Shine products.

For more information on Sonoma County wildfire events, workshops and news, head to the website sonomacountyrecovers.org. For all wildfire news and events head to our wildfire news page.

Following reports by CurbedSF, The San Francisco naval shipyard is once again in the news regarding the asbestos, radiation, and other hazardous substances present on the property. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found the site to pose a hazard to the health of the public and was designated a Superfund site necessitating extensive clean-up and remediation. It now appears that much of the $1 billion spent to clean up the contamination may need to be redone. The testing of the air and soil for asbestos and radiation were found to be incomplete, falsified, or not able to be verified.

Napa County Board of Supervisors voted in a closed session on December 19, 2017 to file suit and start litigation against an unnamed party. The County has now identified Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) as the defendant to be named in its suit. Napa County joins Sonoma, Lake, and Mendocino counties in announcing a lawsuit against PG&E for its role in the deadly wildfires.

A woman was driving down the street when her e-cip vape exploded in her lap. The exploding battery caught her clothes on fire, continued to explode and spark as the battery continued to burn, and she leaped from her moving truck to escape.

The first public reports from Santa Rosa city fire investigators have been released and the evidence points to PG&E equipment. The two fires in question began on October 8th and October 9th, 2017. The fires destroyed several buildings including multiple homes, and the Santa Rosa Fire Department determined the cause was arcing PG&E power lines setting off sparks into nearby vegetation. Wind speed played a factor in the equipment starting wildfires.

The California State Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communication held a Wildfire Safety Hearing on January 26th 2018. The hearing focused on the 1.2 million acres and thousands of buildings damaged in the 2017 California wildfires. The Thomas fire of Southern California was the largest in acres at 280,000, but in Northern California the Tubbs fire was California’s most destructive with 5,600 structures burned. The Tubbs, Redwood Valley, Atlas and Cascade fires combined to claim 41 lives.

Insurance companies have responded to a formal notice issued by California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones requesting they remove itemization requirements for those that lost their home. The notice requested insurance companies pay the full amount of the personal property coverage, without making those who lost everything itemize and submit documents on every possession. Insurers covering 97% of those who lost their home have agreed to the rule.