Asbestos & Mesothelioma Law Blog

Pleurectomy and Decortication Surgery may provide mesothelioma patients with a better quality of life. Aggressive cancers brought on by asbestos exposure like mesothelioma can be debilitating in more ways than one. Often times, patients may forgo surgery with the belief their quality of life may suffer after going under the knife. However, a recent study by Loyola University Health System revealed that some patients can benefit greatly from undergoing specialized surgery.

Known as pleurectomy and decortication (PD), the surgery helped increase the quality of life score for mesothelioma patients across the health spectrum. Utilizing the EORTC QLQ-C30 (performance status score) questionnaire, physicians graded the health of the 114 patients prior to undergoing treatment for mesothelioma.

31% of patients were classified as fully functional (score 0), 65% were in good enough health to perform light housework or office duties (score 1), and 4% were able to take care of themselves but could not work at all (score 2). The average age of the patient involved in the study was 70-years old but ranged in age from 50 to 88-years old.

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.

Mesothelioma Lawsuit and the Big Picture: The prospect of filing and preparing for a mesothelioma lawsuit can seem daunting, especially given the fact that you or the loved one you represent are in poor health. There is the gathering of health records and other evidence, determining the whereabouts and status of former employers, and proceedings in and out of court. Fortunately, you are not alone. A skilled and experienced mesothelioma attorney can handle every legal detail, fight for the compensation you are entitled to, and make sure you get the medical treatment and therapies you need for your health.

Your Mesothelioma Was Likely Caused By Work-Related Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos, a group of mineral fibers with properties of heat-resistance, durability, and flexibility, were used widely in the construction, automotive, shipbuilding, and other industries from the 1800s to the 1980s. In fact, the array of products and processes asbestos were utilized in is staggering. In the late 1970s, scientific evidence linked asbestos to severe respiratory problems, including mesothelioma. The symptoms of these illnesses, fatal in their malignant cancerous forms, are intense pain and shortness of breath. If you worked in one of the industries in which asbestos was widely-utilized, you may have inhaled or swallowed “friable” asbestos – fibers that were present in dust or other substances instead of being solidly mixed into or fixed into another substance. Because the lung cannot expel asbestos from the body, the fibers linger there, and sometimes in the abdomen.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be entitled to compensation for the damages you have suffered. The range of compensation is wide, from thousands of dollars to tens of millions of dollars. There is no one set amount and mesothelioma compensation will be dependent on each unique set of facts.

Still, certain factors are considered in every case. First and foremost is the seriousness of the injury you have suffered. This factor is actually highly complex because of the symptoms and characteristics of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma will arise and conclude within a relatively fixed, identifiable period of time. The window of time in which you might be exposed to asbestos and then become ill with mesothelioma can span from 20 to 50 years. The reason for this is the latency time between asbestos exposure and the presence of cancer in the body. If you are now in your later years, for example, you may have been exposed to asbestos from the 1940s to 1980s, but not become ill until recently. During the time between your exposure and succumbing to illness, you may have been in good health.

Alternatively, you may have experienced respiratory problems from the point of exposure. If your mesothelioma is present in malignant cancerous form, the illness will almost always prove fatal. As hard as this is to contemplate, it bears heavily on the amount of compensation you may be entitled to. How much you are suffering, how long you have and will suffer, the cost of your medical treatment, and impact on your loved ones – all these considerations are relevant to the issue of mesothelioma compensation.

Asbestos Exposure and Product Liability: A reason you may be entitled to financial compensation for becoming ill with mesothelioma or asbestos-related, lung cancer is products liability law. This vast area of law encompasses strict liability, breach of warranty, and negligence. When bringing a products liability lawsuit, your mesothelioma attorney will argue that the manufacturer, distributer, and/or retailer of the asbestos you were exposed to should be held liable for your illness and the pain and suffering it has caused you.

Establishing a timeline is a key component in bringing a products liability-based mesothelioma case. One reason for this is because the construction, automotive, and other industries stopped widely utilizing asbestos in the early 1980s. At this time, scientific evidence of the health risks of asbestos exposure was strong. These health risks were determined to outweigh the cheap, durable, flexible, and heat-resistant properties offered by the group of mineral fibers that comprise asbestos. Because the 1970s brought widespread knowledge of the dangers posed by asbestos, they also bear heavily on responsibility for the effects of exposure. For many years since, agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have imposed standards on employers in the construction, automotive, and shipbuilding industries to protect workers from asbestos exposure in the workplace. So, depending on when and in what industry you were exposed to asbestos, your employer and property owners where you worked, in addition to parties in the retail chain of asbestos, may be liable for your mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma Cases are Often “Fast-Tracked” by Courts

Mesothelioma Statute of Limitations: Mesothelioma is caused by asbestos exposure and is almost always fatal but takes years – even decades – to emerge. Even after the illness has been contracted and produces symptoms, it may take a long time for it to be accurately diagnosed. The reason for this is the close similarity of the symptoms of mesothelioma to those of lung cancer and asbestosis.

Mesothelioma Statute of Limitations

Once mesothelioma has taken effect and been accurately diagnosed, time takes on two new meanings. On the one hand, it is imperative that mesothelioma sufferers receive the medical treatment and therapy they need to increase both the quantity and quality of life. On the other hand, it is important that mesothelioma sufferers take legal action quickly to fight for any compensation they are entitled to for the cost of medical treatment, as well as pain and suffering, and other losses. This legal aspect of time speaks to what is known as the “statute of limitations.” Because mesothelioma can take 20 to 50 years to occur after exposure to asbestos, every state in the U.S. has extended the window of time in which individuals suffering from mesothelioma as a result of work-related exposure to asbestos may file a lawsuit to seek financial damages from the parties responsible.

Understanding Mesothelioma Symptoms: If you were exposed to asbestos and are now sick with aching chest pain, a persistent cough, fever and other pneumonia or flu-like symptoms, consult with a medical expert as soon as possible. Because of the similarity of the symptoms to lung cancer, and the delayed onset of the illnesses with regard to asbestos exposure, diagnosis of mesothelioma can be difficult. Consultation with a medical expert is a must. In addition, skilled and experienced mesothelioma attorney will fight to obtain any compensation you are entitled to for your medical treatment, pain and suffering, and other losses.

Asbestosis Involves Scarring in the Tissues of the Lung

Asbestosis is a scar formation the lung tissue that results from the exposure to and presence of asbestos fibers. Asbestos is a group of mineral fibers. These fibers, until the 1980s, were commonly used in a variety of industries because of its durability, flexibility, and resistance to heat. The ways that these fibers enter the lungs are through inhalation or swallowing. Because the body is unable to expel the tiny fibers from the lungs, the fibers remain there. Scarring occurs, and this interferes with lung function by blocking the uptake of oxygen from the air in the lungs into the bloodstream. This reduces that amount of oxygenated blood that returns to the heart and other tissues in the body. In addition, the presence of scar tissue in the lung causes stiffening of the lung – a condition that makes it difficult for the lung to expand with a deep breath. Unfortunately, asbestos scarring in the lung is irreversible, and as a general rule, the more exposure, the more scarring.

Asbestos in the Construction Industry

The construction industry was among those that turned to asbestos for fireproofing and insulating in the manufacturing process of a wide array of parts, products, and materials. The material – fibrous mineral – was cheap and heat resistant, and was used widely as early as the 19th century. While asbestos offered utility and cost-savings, however, it has since been linked to serious health problems in the workers that built the industries that so often implemented the mineral’s thin fibers.

The problem: when asbestos is not completely contained, its fine fibers can be inhaled or swallowed. When this happens, the fibers become embedded in a layer of tissue in the chest and abdominal regions known as the mesothelium. Unable to expel the tiny asbestos fibers from the body, the mesothelium becomes compromised. The resulting illnesses, mesothelioma and or asbestosis, take a truly terrible toll on the body. The symptoms are like those of lung cancer, intense pain and difficult breathing, and typically surface between 20 and 50 years after exposure to asbestos.

Mesothelioma and the Automotive Industry: Asbestos-related illness, including mesothelioma and asbestosis, have caused serious health problems for individuals who worked in the automotive industry in the 20th century. If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness or are experiencing symptoms and work or worked in the auto industry, contact an experienced mesothelioma and asbestos attorney. The suffering you and your loved ones are being forced to endure may be connected to your work in the automotive industry.

Asbestos Once Commonly Used in Automobile Parts

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestos or are experiencing symptoms consistent with those illnesses and worked in the auto industry, you have surely asked three questions:

Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure: Mesothelioma is a somewhat rare type of cancer that is difficult to diagnose, shares symptoms with lung cancer and asbestosis, and inflicts terrible pain on those afflicted by it. The purpose of this article is to explain what mesothelioma is, how it is linked to asbestos exposure, and what the medical and legal options are for the afflicted and their loved ones. If you or a loved one are suffering with mesothelioma or asbestosis, contact an experienced mesothelioma attorney today.

Mesothelioma is the Signature Disease of Asbestos Exposure

Mesothelioma is the signature disease of asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a collection of minerals possessing fine microscopic fibers. These fibers are unique because they are resistant to heat, fire, and chemicals, and do not conduct electric current. Because of these unique, flame-resistant characteristics, asbestos has been mined and used extensively in the construction, automotive, shipyards and ship building, steel mills, chemical plants, oil refineries, HVAC, and other industries. While these special fibers possess a certain utility in these industries, they pose serious risks to the workers and other individuals who come into contact with them. Specifically, if asbestos fibers are released into the air that workers breath during the manufacturing or construction processes, they can be breathed in or swallowed by the workers.