Asbestos & Mesothelioma Law Blog
Linking the History of Asbestos to Mesothelioma: Work-related exposure to asbestos has been linked to the rare cancer mesothelioma as well to lung cancer, colorectal, esophageal, pharyngeal and stomach cancer. Despite its toxicity, the history of the use of asbestos is a long one. If you are suffering from mesothelioma, lung cancer or other cancer as a result of your exposure to asbestos, contact an experienced mesothelioma attorney. You may be entitled to financial compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, and other losses.
Asbestos is group of fibrous minerals possessing properties of heat resistance, durability, and flexibility. In times of increasing industrialization, asbestos began to be used widely in the shipbuilding, construction, and automobile industries. While mesothelioma can tragically result from exposure to asbestos, the mineral itself is anything but rare. On the contrary, it occurs naturally all over the world. Surprisingly, there is evidence dating back all the way to Greek and Roman empires that links exposure to the minerals to respiratory illnesses.
So, why then, did asbestos continue to be used into the Industrial Age and beyond? In addition to the above-detailed desirable properties, asbestos is very cheap. With increasing industrialization, the minerals began to be more extensively mined – and in myriad locations. In every time and place from Greek and Roman days to the Middle Ages to nineteenth century mines around the globe, asbestos was linked to severe health ailments, yet its use and popularity persisted.
Over time, the evidence of crippling effects of asbestos inhalation and/or swallowing in industrial settings grew stronger. It was not until the early 1980s, however, that use of the toxic minerals began to cease in the U.S. and elsewhere. At that time, public sentiment began to mirror that of the scientific evidence that spoke the intensely harmful effects of asbestos exposure. This sentiment, along with lawsuits and regulation efforts by agencies like led to a precipitous decline in the industrial use of asbestos. Unfortunately, untold numbers of workers had been exposed to the toxic substance by this point, and it remained in the endless number of products it had been manufactured in. To this day, if you repair a classic car, you may find asbestos – and the attendant health risks – in it.
What to Do if You are Suffering From Mesothelioma
Now that you know the history of asbestos, you have a better idea of how may have been exposed to the minerals that comprise it and to their toxic effects. If you or a loved one are suffering from mesothelioma or asbestosis due to work-related exposure to asbestos, contact a experienced mesothelioma attorney. Attorney Michael Throneberry lost his own father-in-law to mesothelioma, and witnessing the crippling effects of the cancer has motivated him to advocate on behalf of other sufferers and to fight for the financial compensation to which they are entitled. Time is of the essence in filing a legal claim upon diagnosis, so do not delay in contacting a skilled attorney.