Knoxville Mesothelioma Attorney

Eastern Tennessee is well-known for its mining and manufacturing activities. These workers are fully aware of many occupational hazards that could cause serious injury. However, many of these workers were unaware of the hazards of asbestos fibers. Until about the 1980s, manufacturers produced asbestos-laced buildings and other products almost as fast as miners could pull this substance out of the ground. A single fiber could cause mesothelioma or another serious illness. More on that below.

As many companies put profits before people and laced products with dangerous asbestos, government regulators looked the other way. When victims feel like they have no place else to turn, they can count on the experienced Knoxville mesothelioma attorneys at the Throneberry Law Group. Over the years, our proven methods have helped us obtain life-altering results for families just like yours. We are confident these methods will produce the same results in your injury claim.

Before 2002, when the government finally banned the practice, close to two dozen asbestos mines operated in the Smoky Mountains and Roan Mountains near Knoxville. These workers artery wore complete PPE (personal protective equipment). Workers at nearby vermiculite, talc, and other mines usually wore no PPE, despite the risk of cross-contamination.

Back in the day, these mines often shipped asbestos to nearby manufacturing facilities, such as:

• Erachem Comilog: This chemical company focuses on magnesium production. Since this chemical generates so much heat, EC facilities often contain asbestos, which doesn’t conduct heat, in the walls, floors, and almost everywhere else.
• Thyssen-Dover: This elevator company ceased operations in 2001 and merged with TK Elevator. In 2000, investigators measured asbestos at nearly twice the acceptable legal limit at the company’s Middleton facility. Investigators also found dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide, ozone, and other toxic substances at the facility.
• American Smelting and Refining Company: In the 1950s, to increase profits, ASARCO and its subsidiaries added asbestos to the production process. As a result, ASARCO has been named in thousands of lawsuits connected with its past asbestos use. It filed for bankruptcy in 2005. The company has since set up an asbestos trust fund.

Other Knoxville area asbestos exposure hotspots include the Franklin paper mill, the Mueller Company Plant, and Combustion Engineering. A Knoxville mesothelioma lawyer can obtain compensation for workers at these facilities who were exposed to asbestos, as well as indirect exposure victims related to these facilities.

Mesothelioma, asbestosis, and pleural thickening, most of which are lung diseases, are the most common asbestos-exposure illnesses.

Asbestos fibers cause pleural mesothelioma (lung cancer) tumors to form between the heart and lungs. These tumors draw nutrients away from two of the most vital organs in the body, so the tumors are normally fatal. Pleural mesotheliomas extended latency period, which usually exceeds fifty years, contributes to the high fatality rate.

Asbestos fibers sometimes form tumors and sometimes burn tissue. Asbestosis is the buildup of scar tissue in the lung’s airways. This disease is difficult to diagnose, mostly because the symptoms, such as chest tightness, are rather vague. As a result, by the time doctors identify the problem, a risky and radical lung transplant may be the only available option.

Pleural thickening is a non-malignant form of pleural mesothelioma. But non-malignant does not mean non-serious. This lung disease basically crushes the lungs, making everyday life almost impossible for victims. Pleural thickening, like pleural mesothelioma and asbestosis, has a very low five-year survival rate.

People who went to work every day at many places had no idea they were exposed to a toxic substance. For a free consultation with an experienced Knoxville mesothelioma lawyer, contact the Throneberry Law Group. We handle these matters on a nationwide basis.