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While the disease is rare, many are familiar with mesothelioma and its causal relationship to exposure to asbestos, a once common additive to many industrial and commercial products during the mid-20th century. However, many do not realize that mesothelioma is not the only debilitating condition associated with exposure to toxic asbestos.

According to research analyzed by reporters, the case study of one small Montana town highlights just how high the risks of asbestos exposure can be, even if it does not result in developing mesothelioma. The study analyzed the health of the 7,300 residents of Libby, Montana in the years following the closure of a nearby vermiculite mine.

The mine operated for decades until its closure in 1990. The vermiculite mined contained asbestos and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared it a an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site in 2002. It became one of the largest environmental cleanups in U.S. history.

Asbestos-related conditions like mesothelioma do not usually manifest themselves right away. Most of the time, it can take years before the signs and symptoms of serious illnesses alert asbestos exposure victims to the harm they have suffered. With such a long passage of time between asbestos exposure and developing mesothelioma, victims may be unsure of the legal timeframes they have to file claims and seek compensation.

One recent case highlights exactly why victims and their families need to take immediate action when someone they love is diagnosed with mesothelioma or another serious asbestos-related condition. While times can be trying after a mesothelioma diagnosis, victims are strongly advised to contact an experienced, nationwide mesothelioma lawyer about their case as soon as possible.

The victim in this case was an 84-year-old Washington man who worked at a paper pulp factory for many years after his discharge from the Navy. The victim passed away in 2010 due to complications from the mesothelioma he developed from asbestos exposure while at the pulp and paper mill.

An Arizona Appeals Court ruled that parties are not liable for the harm their asbestos products cause to others in secondhand or “take-home” asbestos exposure. The case centered around a decedent whose surviving heirs claim the victim passed away due to secondhand exposure of asbestos brought home by the victim’s father. The mesothelioma victim’s father worked for Arizona-based Reynolds Metals Co. in Maricopa County during the 1950’s and was frequently exposed to asbestos fibers on work clothes, inside automobiles, and general surroundings.

Attorneys for the plaintiff argued that defendant owed a duty to refrain from creating dangerous or otherwise hazardous conditions on its property, which could cause harm to others off site. Courts in other states have found that plaintiffs were harmed because their parent worked in proximity to asbestos and the defendants owed them a duty not to place them at risk.

The plaintiff argued citing other state courts that property owners owe “a general duty to refrain from engaging in affirmative acts that a reasonable person should recognize as involving an unreasonable risk of causing an invasion of an interest of another, or acts which involve an unreasonable risk of harm to another.”

A group of plaintiffs recently filed a federal lawsuit against an asbestos litigation trust set up by their former employer to recover millions in unpaid claims they allege the administrators are squandering. In addition to this suit, the asbestos litigation trust set up to disperse compensation to victims also faces hundreds of other claims over allegations that workers at a Texas-based plant were exposed to asbestos for decades.

The case began in 2000 when the defendants, Tyler Pipe and Swan Transportation, lost a pair of multimillion dollar asbestos exposure lawsuits which ultimately bankrupted the companies. As is common with these types of cases, bankruptcy courts required the defendants to set up a trust fund for these and other victims exposed to dangerous industrial conditions while working at the plant.

Victims Still Waiting for Asbestos Exposure Compensation

September 26 recently marked National Mesothelioma Awareness Day. The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation created the occasion to bring nationwide awareness of the issues facing mesothelioma patients and their families. Additionally, the event is a terrific way for mesothelioma cancer charities across the country to fundraise for important research that one day may find a cure for the disease.

National Mesothelioma Awareness day is recognized by the House of Representatives and the Senate as well as many state and local governments. Furthermore, events related to the day have raised over one million dollars to benefit various causes related to research and support for victims.

The day is extremely important for the 2,000 to 3,000 victims diagnosed every year with mesothelioma and their families. While the aggressive disease is relatively unknown by most people throughout the country, those who struggle with mesothelioma know all too well the toll it takes on ordinary folks.

Asbestos has been used in industrial and commercial applications since the middle of the 19th Century up until around the 1970s. While it took many years, asbestos products manufacturers finally came to terms with the dangers their products posed to the public and ceased production, but not until many innocent people were hurt.

Fortunately, many victims were able to file mesothelioma cancer lawsuits against various asbestos companies for their debilitating medical conditions and the compensation they needed for medical treatment. However, it is not always necessary to file a formal lawsuit against an asbestos company to recover for damages. Instead, some companies created asbestos bankruptcy trust funds to dispense compensation.

Often times, companies reorganize through bankruptcy proceedings, which can also absolve them of liability for the harm their products have done. However, before courts allow companies to reorganize they sometimes require them to set aside large sums of money to pay out claims to victims, and the asbestos industry was no exception.

The events of September 11, 2001 shook our country to its very core and tested the resiliency of the nation as a whole. In addition to the 3,000 lives lost in the terrorist attacks which downed airplanes in Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and New York, many more passed away from the clean-up effort in downtown Manhattan because they were exposed to toxic particles in the debris.

What many people do not realize is that the World Trade Centers were built with 20 stories of asbestos which spread through the air as the Twin Towers came crashing down. To date, over 200 people were killed and half a million made sick by inhaling some of the 2,000 tons of asbestos that went airborne.

The amount of asbestos released in the collapse was enough to fill the equivalent of 182 school buses and made the air 112,000 times more contaminated with asbestos than the federal legal limit for buildings. Sources further estimate there has been an almost 20% increase in first responders who developed cancer as a result of the rescue and cleanup efforts.

If you or a loved one developed mesothelioma, you will undoubtedly have numerous questions about the disease including how it was caused. Most folks understand it to be almost common knowledge that mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos but what many may not realize is just how prevalent asbestos was in so many common and everyday products people were exposed to.

Furthermore, mesothelioma victims should understand just how many different companies or other parties may have had a hand in exposing them to the asbestos that led to their serious medical condition. Often times, many of these parties can be held responsible if they played a role in the victim developing mesothelioma or another serious asbestos-related health condition.

Types of Asbestos Products

Receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis or another asbestos-related medical condition can be devastating news for patients and their families. While mesothelioma is a rare type of lung cancer, it is well-known for being incurable and connected to exposure to asbestos.

Mesothelioma victims often look back on their careers and lifestyles to try and determine where the exposure came from and why the condition formed in the first place. Often times, asbestos exposure occurs because the victim worked in an environment contaminated by asbestos, handled products made with asbestos, and was not told about the dangers of coming in contact with the material.

Courts in the U.S. have handed down thousands of significant awards to mesothelioma victims and their families to compensate them for the harm suffered due to asbestos exposure. In asbestos mesothelioma lawsuits there may be several parties that can be held responsible for their roles in the victims suffering injuries.

Individuals who were exposed to asbestos either at work or by second-hand exposure often have many questions about whether they may be at risk for developing mesothelioma, a deadly and incurable lung disease linked to asbestos. While the dangers of asbestos have been known for many decades, the signs and symptoms of mesothelioma can take an equally long time to manifest themselves, which can make the disease difficult to understand.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive and deadly form of cancer that affects a thin line of tissue surrounding the body’s internal organs, most often the lungs and abdomen. Although the overwhelming majority of people exposed to asbestos will not develop mesothelioma, about 2,000 to 3,000 are diagnosed every year with the aggressive cancer.

While each case is different, most individuals exposed to asbestos that eventually develop mesothelioma will not do so for anywhere from 20 to 50 years. During that time, other health conditions with similar symptoms can mask the signs of mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos and delay diagnosis and treatment.