Did you know?

It is estimated that 27.5 million Americans were exposed to asbestos between 1940 and 1979 and that Asbestos Exposure is Responsible for 90,000 Deaths Annually.

Mesothelioma Settlement

We connect you with experienced mesothelioma settlement lawyers in each state. We will actually walk you the process of getting connected with an experienced mesothelioma settlement lawyer. This site is dedicated to providing important information on asbestos & mesothelioma cancers.

We help mesothelioma patients and families make educated decisions about how to proceed with filing asbestos and mesothelioma settlement.

Those dealing with mesothelioma face a number of challenges, including the tremendous costs of treatment. If you were unknowingly exposed to harmful levels of asbestos, you have legal rights and there is help available for you.

No amount of money can fully compensate you or a family member who suffers from an asbestos disease. These diseases are painful and debilitating and may result in premature death. The loss of a loved one and the drain on family resources and emotions carry an immeasurable price.

Mesothelioma Settlement - 27.5 Million Americans Exposed

The effects of asbestos 20, 30 and even 40 or more years later have been devastating. Workers exposed to asbestos could potentially contract Mesothelioma, a terminal cancer or another condition called asbestosis.

Many of these victims or their families are filing lawsuits against companies that exposed them to asbestos to cover medical expenses and pain and suffering. Unfortunately, the large number of lawsuits may bankrupt the companies and deserving victims may be left without a way to collect the money damages to which they are entitled. Through 2002, more than 600,000 people have filed settlement against more than 6,000 companies.

Some previous Asbestos related Mesothelioma cases have settled for:

$250 Million in Settlements for 70-Year Old retired U.S. Steel worker, Gary, IN (3/2003)
$55 Million in Settlements for 47-Year Old Construction Worker.
$18 Million in Settlements for Copper Smelter Worker.
$10.1 Million in Settlements for 66 year old foundry worker Tyler, Texas.
$9.178 Million in Settlements for Aircraft Mechanic, Texas.
$8 Million in Settlements for 56 year old Aluminum Pot Room worker.
$5.70 Million in Settlements for 62 year old construction worker.
$19.3 Million in Settlements for 66 year old chemical plant operator
$8,000,000 for 63 year old Coast Guard - Bystander - IL
$6,800,000 for 44 year old Navy Custodian - CA
$4,600,000 for 50 year old Navy Mechanic - IL
$4,200,000 for 41 year old construction worker and laborer - TX
$3,000,000 for 42 year old Exposed in the navy and working in power plants -NY
$2,700,000 for 45 year old Bystander Exposure - Home renovation and machine and toolmaker exposures - GA
$2,700,000 for 67 year old Worked as a laborer around blast furnaces in a steel mill - KY
$2,400,000 for 78 year old Exposed inspecting construction work on Naval destroyers and at Johns Manville plant -FL
$2,400,000 for 50 year old Drywall Sprayer and Taper - ID
$2,300,000 for 74 year old plant worker - CT
$2,500,000 for 74 year old bystander exposure to plumber - CA
$2,000,000 for 50 year old Shipyard worker - RI
$2,100,000 for 52 year old worked as electrician - MS
$1,850,000 for 79 year old Exposure in the navy and in civilian shipyard - HI
$1,600,000 for 51 year old secondary exposure - LA
$900,000 for 82 year old Navy/Shipyard Worker - VT
$850,000 69 year old home renovator - AZ

MESOTHELIOMA SETTLEMENT - EXPERIENCE

Mesothelioma Law firms that we work with concentrate only on asbestos mesothelioma cases. We have experience with placing people with experienced mesothelioma law firms for six years. We walk you the process of connecting you with an experienced asbestos mesothelioma settlement lawyer in your state.

We help asbestos and mesothelioma patients and their families get in touch with legal and medical professionals. We help keep the public aware of new discoveries in treatments for Mesothelioma and Asbestos cancers. We also maintain a current online Mesothelioma Dictionary of Legal & Medical Terms and we keep you up to date on current legal settlements for asbestos cases.

MESOTHELIOMA SETTLEMENT - CHOICES

Deciding which mesothelioma law firm to represent you and your case is very important. Choosing the right law firm will also be important to your settlement. You are entitled to an experienced mesothelioma settlement lawyer who has a track record of success in mesothelioma lawsuits

MESOTHELIOMA SETTLEMENT - LOSS OF A LOVED ONE

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, or a family member has died as a result, you may be entitled to recover settlement from the companies that made these asbestos products.

MESOTHELIOMA SETTLEMENT - FILING A LAWSUIT

It is not uncommon for there to be 10-20 parties that are named in a mesothelioma lawsuit that are located across the United States. For example, a worker in California may have been exposed to asbestos from asbestos products shipped from Libby, Montana or from an iron ore plant in St. Paul Minnesota. This is why it is very important to obtain an experienced mesothelioma settlement lawyer that knows all of the companies in each state who have responsibility for your asbestos exposure.

This site is dedicated to providing important information on asbestos & mesothelioma settlement. We help mesothelioma patients and families make educated decisions about how to proceed with filing asbestos and mesothelioma settlement. Those dealing with asbestos cancers face a number of challenges, including the tremendous costs of treatment. If you were unknowingly exposed to harmful levels of asbestos, you have legal rights and there is settlement help available for you.

MESOTHELIOMA

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma cancer comes from inhaling or digesting asbestos dust particles. Mesothelioma cancer affects the abdominal cavity, chest cavity, and the region surrounding the heart.

Mesothelioma is a life-threatening disease and should not be left untreated. Most cases of mesothelioma begin in the pleura or peritoneum.

Mesothelioma cancer occurs in the mesothelium, a thin layer of tissue that covers your internal organs. The mesothelium is a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body. There are two layers of cells in the mesothelium; one layer surrounds the organs; the other layer forms a sac around the organs.

Mesothelioma is most common in the pleura (the outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (the sac that surrounds the heart).

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibers in other ways, such as by washing clothes of a family member who worked around asbestos.

MESOTHELIOMA SETTLEMENT - NEW MESOTHELIOMA CASES

It has been well documented for many years that asbestos exposure can result in the development of deadly cancers, particularly Mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma has a latency period of 20 to 50 years after the first exposure to asbestos. It is estimated that there will be about 250,000 cases of Mesothelioma before 2020.

There are currently about 3000 new cases of Mesothelioma diagnosed per year, mostly in men over the age of 40.

About 4,000 People die each year from Mesothelioma. During the 20th century, some 30 million tons of asbestos were used in industrial sites, homes, schools, shipyards and commercial buildings in the U. S.

More than 700,000 people have filed settlement against more than 6,000 Asbestos companies.

These same companies knew of the dangers for many years before ever warning the public of those risks. It is thought that around eight million people in the United States have been exposed to asbestos over the past half a century, and many more cases - are expected to be reported in the next 25 years.

MESOTHELIOMA SYMPTOMS

Mesothelioma symptoms include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss

Mesothelioma Symptoms:

abdominal pain
bowel function problems
chest wall pain
weight loss
pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung
shortness of breath
fatigue or anemia
wheezing, hoarseness, or cough
blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up (hemoptysis)

Mesothelioma Symptoms in Severe Cases:

blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis
disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disorder causing severe bleeding in many body organs
jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin
low blood sugar level
pleural effusion
pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs
severe ascites

MESOTHELIOMA SETTLEMENT - MESOTHELIOMA TYPES

Mesothelioma can attack the pleural lining around the lungs. It can also attack the peritoneum, a tissue that surrounds the GI tract. Mesothelioma can attack the stomach lining, other internal organs, or even the pericardium (the tissue sac covering the heart). Thus, mesothelioma can be generally classified into the following types:

Pleural — 75% of all mesothelioma cases
Peritoneal — 10%-20%
Pericardial — 5%

Mesothelioma Cell Types

Epithelioid — most common, best survival rate
Sarcomatoid — most severe, but more rare
Mixed/biphasic — a mixture of epithelioid and sarcomatoid cancer

MESOTHELIOMA SETTLEMENT - MESOTHELIOMA DIAGNOSIS

If you think that you may have been exposed to asbestos at any time, it is important to share your concern with a physician.

Mesothelioma is a very aggressive form of cancer, and one of the reasons that it has such a low survival rate is because it is not typically diagnosed until the disease is fairly advanced.

Diagnosis of Mesothelioma is based on a pathological exam, more commonly referred to as a biopsy. This exam will test a tissue sample for the presence of malignant and/or pleural mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma diagnosis begins with a review of the patient's medical history. A history of exposure to asbestos is a common theme in diagnosing mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma diagnosis is often difficult, because the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions.

Mesothelioma diagnosis includes a physical examination followed by chest X-rays and a CT scan, and confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination.

To diagnose mesothelioma a thoracoscopy (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) is used to do a biopsy.
Individuals with pleural mesothelioma may accumulate some fluid between the lung lining and chest cavity. This can be detected through a chest x-ray, as well as CT scans.

MESOTHELIOMA SETTLEMENT - MESOTHELIOMA TREATMENT

Treatment for mesothelioma using conventional therapies has not proved successful and patients have a median survival time of 6 - 18 months depending on which stage (1-4) the mesothelioma cancer has progressed.

Treatments for Mesothelioma

Research into new and more effective treatments for mesothelioma is ongoing. There is no cure as yet for mesothelioma. The standard treatments that attempt to hold back the progression of this cancer are:

Surgery — to remove part of all of the affected body tissues
Radiation therapy — to target and kill the mesothelioma cells
Chemotherapy — the use of drugs, injected or taken orally, to kill or stop the growth of the cancer cells

Mesothelioma treatment depends on the location of the cancer, the stage of the disease, and the patient’s age and general health. Standard treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Sometimes, these treatments are combined.

MESOTHELIOMA SETTLEMENT - MESOTHELIOMA DRUGS

In February 2004, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pemetrexed (brand name Alimta) for treatment of mesothelioma. Pemetrexed is given in combination with cisplatin. Folic acid is also used to reduce the side-effects of pemetrexed.

MESOTHELIOMA AND SMOKING

Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking.
Smoking does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma. However, the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person’s risk of developing cancer of the lungs.
The Kent brand of cigarettes used asbestos in its filters for the first few years of production in the 1950s and some cases of mesothelioma have resulted. Smoking modern cigarettes does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma.
The combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person's risk of developing cancer of the airways (lung cancer, bronchial carcinoma).
If you do smoke, stop. In addition to mesothelioma and asbestosis, there is research that indicates that those who suffer from asbestos exposure and smoke are at a greatly increased risk of developing mesothelioma lung cancer.

MESOTHELIOMA SETTLEMENT - Note of Urgency

The first lawsuits against asbestos manufacturers were in 1929. Since then, many lawsuits have been filed against asbestos manufacturers and employers, for neglecting to implement safety measures after the links between asbestos, asbestosis, and mesothelioma became known (some reports seem to place this as early as 1898).

A good Mesothelioma attorney understands the unique complexities involved in this kind of litigation lawsuit, including asbestos product identification, specific asbestos-related medical issues, and specific time constraints that narrow the window of opportunity to file a claim.

It is important to find the right Mesothelioma lawyer before your state’s statutes of limitations expires, leaving you and your family grieving and empty-handed. There's no time to wait - contact our mesothelioma lawyers today for a free case review.

We have helped people with mesothelioma cancer for more than six years on the Internet. The Mesothelioma Help Center is designed to give you quick & simple answers about mesothelioma treatments, asbestos exposure, mesothelioma diagnosis, mesothelioma symptoms, mesothelioma doctors, and we can refer you to an experienced mesothelioma lawyer in who has successfully settled mesothelioma cases.

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