Tacoma Mesothelioma Attorney

Many people in Washington are at risk for environmental asbestos exposure. These toxic minerals are in the land and water in many parts of the state. For residents in the Seattle-Tacoma area, industrial exposure is a much greater risk. Asbestos fibers were built into various products, as well as the facilities that produced these products.

As outlined below, mesothelioma is just one asbestos-exposure illness. All these illnesses have very long latency periods and are usually fatal. Many victims are sick for decades before they, or their doctors, know anything is wrong. At that point, their serious illnesses are often almost untreatable.

Fortunately, in the midst of all this difficulty, the tough-minded Tacoma mesothelioma attorneys at the Throneberry Law Group have a plan. This plan usually involves a civil claim against the responsible asbestos producer. These civil actions allow us to obtain compensation for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. Additional punitive damages are normally available as well.

This industrial use of this fibrous mineral prompted many companies in Washington to ignore its adverse health effects. Asbestos does not conduct sound, electricity, or heat. These qualities, along with its low cost, made asbestos an ideal building insulator for companies like:

• Alcoa Aluminum Plant,
• UNOCAL Chemical Plant,
• INTALCO Aluminum,
• Reynolds Metals Aluminum Plant,
• Chevron Cracking Plant,
• ARCO Oil Refinery,
• Crown Zellerbach Paper Mill,
• Kaiser Aluminum,
• Dow Chemical Plant,
• FFTF Nuclear Power Plant,
• Chevron Chemical Plant,
• Duwamish Shipyard, Inc.,
• Tacoma Dry Dock Shipyard,
• Columbia Aluminum,
• Fairchild Air Force Base,
• Intalco Aluminum,
• Centralia Washington Public Power Plant, and
• Hanford Nuclear Site.

The Hanford Nuclear Site was designated as a Superfund Site in 1988. Although radiation was the primary concern surrounding the Hanford-based plant, studies showed workers were also exposed to asbestos. A study from 2009 on former construction workers from the Hanford Site showed they were 11 times more likely than the general public to develop mesothelioma cancer.

Asbestos was also in the products these workers used and sold. Chemical plant workers often wore asbestos protective gear back in the day. Builders sold floor tiles, drywall, ceiling tiles, insulation, and other products that were laced with asbestos.

To reduce the risk of fire, shipbuilders also packed their products with asbestos. Two of the biggest Tacoma-area asbestos hotspots are the Bremerton Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction facility.

Mesothelioma usually begins when toxic asbestos fibers, which the victim usually inhales, settle between the heart and lungs. The toxins alter cell DNA, causing a tumor to form.

Pleural mesothelioma is very rare. Therefore, many doctors initially misdiagnose these tumors as NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer), a far more common kind of lung cancer. However, mesothelioma is much more aggressive than NSCLC. Many traditional treatments, such as chemotherapy drugs, hardly slow down the spread of mesothelioma.

The disease’s long latency period and the victim’s lack of genetic markers contribute to this issue. Many people simply do not remember they worked at a Tacoma chemical plant in the 1960s. Occupational history is usually the sole occupational exposure risk factor. If they are unaware of this risk factor, doctors simply do not know what they’re looking for.

Other asbestos-exposure illnesses include lung diseases like pleural thickening and asbestosis. Like pleural mesothelioma, these diseases cause extreme breathing difficulties, are difficult to diagnose and treat, and are often fatal.

Asbestos exposure victims need and deserve significant compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced Tacoma mesothelioma lawyer, contact the Throneberry Law Group. The sooner you reach out to us, the sooner we start fighting for you.