Did You Know?
The National Institute of Health in 1978 estimated that eight to eleven million U.S. workers had been exposed to asbestos by that date. In fact, by 1970, it is estimated that some 25 million tons of asbestos were used in the U.S.
Victims of Secondary Asbestos Exposure
- Asbestos causes cancer, including Mesothelioma, in Americans exposed to the hazardous material while working in steel mills, shipyards, power plants, construction sites, industrial plants.
- The symptoms of Mesothelioma or other asbestos-related cancers may not appear for 20, 30, or even 40 or more years after the exposure occurred.
- At least 90,000 American workers have slowly suffocated as a result of asbestos-related cancer. Additionally, asbestos is also causing cancer in those who were exposed secondarily through the worker or to the worker's clothing. This is termed "secondary exposure". Those most likely affected are the spouses and children of exposed workers.
- Very few Mesothelioma patients live longer than one year after symptoms occur.
- Secondary exposure to asbestos occurs among those who are exposed to dangerous asbestos fibers but not as a direct result of working with the asbestos related products themselves.
- Most secondary mesothelioma cases involve women or children who inhaled asbestos fibers that were brought home on the clothing of relatives who worked directly with some type of asbestos in the workplace.
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 Types
- Epithelioid — most common, best survival rate
- Sarcomatoid — most severe, but more rare
- Mixed/biphasic — a mixture of epithelioid and sarcomatoid cancer
Mesothelioma Secondary Exposure
People all over the world have been poisoned by toxic levels of asbestos, putting them at risk for mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other deadly diseases that are directly caused by the inhalation and digesting of asbestos fibers.
Asbestos was used in thousands of products that humans and animals encounter on a daily basis particularly in building components such as ceiling and floor tiles, walls, bricks and stucco, and in automotive parts such as brakes and clutches.
Workers who have mesothelioma have labored for years in jobs that required frequent contact with asbestos. When asbestos is mined, processed, woven, sprayed or otherwise manipulated, its microscopic fibers can be released into the air, where they may be inhaled, initiating the development of mesothelioma.
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 signs and 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 signs and 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
California Secondary Asbestos Exposure Lawsuit Sees $11.5 Million Verdict
A California jury recently awarded $11.5 million to a woman who developed a rare lung cancer from washing her husband's asbestos-riddled work clothing.
In October 2001, Genevieve Gunderson, 75, was diagnosed with mesothelioma, an incurable cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. From 1948 to 1963, Gunderson's ex-husband worked as a pipe fitter at numerous industrial sites throughout Southern California. Plaintiff attorneys argued that during that period, pipe fitters regularly worked near asbestos-laden insulation, which Gunderson would have been exposed to from handling her husband's work clothes. Asbestos-related diseases can remain latent for up to 40 years.
Gunderson, who has two months to live, filed suit against 40 defendants, all of which settled except for Unocal Corp. Unocal argued that the industry had no way of knowing people could get cancer from secondary exposure to asbestos on clothes during the 1950s. Plaintiff attorneys, however, presented documents citing state and federal hygiene regulations that required employers to provide changing rooms and separate laundry facilities for employees due to "hazardous dust."
Free Mesothelioma Legal Consultation
If you, or someone you care about, has been diagnosed with Mesothelioma, or any other asbestos-related cancer, you may be entitled to compensation from an asbestos company for your pain and suffering.
Mesothelioma Secondary Exposure - 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 many people get experienced legal and medical help for their mesothelioma cancer and asbestos cancer cases. We will actually walk you though the process of contacting an experienced mesothelioma lawyer that we have worked with to get you the best possible settlement for your mesothelioma case.
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 lawyer knows all of the companies in each state who have responsibility for your asbestos exposure.
Mesothelioma Causes - 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 claims 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.
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.
We help with you file Mesothelioma and Asbestos-related claims in each state
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