Tulsa Mesothelioma Attorney

Even though companies knew about the adverse health effects of asbestos exposure, like mesothelioma, as early as the 1920s, construction, shipbuilding, and manufacturing companies continued using this dangerous substance, mostly because it was cheap. Mesothelioma and other asbestos-exposure illnesses have very long latency periods. Therefore, many people who handled asbestos products in the 1960s and 1970s may soon receive devastating news from their doctors.

The experienced Tulsa mesothelioma attorneys at the Throneberry Law Group routinely handle asbestos exposure cases on a nationwide basis. However, we focus on individual families, just like yours. We take the time to build a strong, evidence-based claim. Then, we lay out all your legal options, including the pros and cons of each one. Then, once we get started, we do not stop until we obtain maximum compensation.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, tighter government regulations, including an asbestos mining ban, largely halted new asbestos use. But these regulations were too little and too late for Tulsa-area residents exposed to asbestos at places like:

• University of Oklahoma: In 2004, renovation workers stumbled upon asbestos in Gittinger Hall and Kaufman Hall. Asbestos removal workers basically wear hazmat suits. Asbestos installation workers wore little or no PPE (personal protective equipment).
• Home Construction: Tulsa experienced a major home construction boom in the 1950s and 1960s. All these homes were packed with asbestos, literally from the attic to the basement.
• Ultramar Diamond: This petroleum processing company, which later became Diamond Shamrock, frequently used asbestos in its buildings and processes. As a result, many workers were exposed to and risk developing mesothelioma. These risks spread to people who lived with Ultramar Diamond workers.

Other petroleum processing facilities that used asbestos include Conco, Sunoco, and Sinclair Oil. Some of these processing plants are EPA Superfund sites today.

Environmental regulations stop the spread of toxic materials, but they do nothing to compensate victims. Only a Tulsa mesothelioma lawyer can do that.

Mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer that usually forms in the lungs, may be the most devastating asbestos exposure illness.

Tiny asbestos fibers alter cellular DNA, causing tumors to form. 200,000 toxic asbestos fibers can fit on a penny. This cancer is very difficult to diagnose and treat. The aforementioned latency period is one reason why. Cancer misdiagnosis is another reason.

Most doctors believe lung cancer is a lifestyle or genetic disease. In their view, only heavy smokers or people with a family history of lung cancer are at risk for this disease.

Usually, mesothelioma victims do not have these lifestyle or genetic red flags. Additionally, as mentioned, many mesothelioma victims are in their 70s or 80s when they complain to their doctors about chest tightness, shortness of breath, and other early lung cancer symptoms.

Some doctors dismiss these symptoms as “getting older.” Others run tests and find tumors, but they misdiagnose these tumors as NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer). NSCLC is the most common kind of lung cancer. Doctors only correctly diagnose mesothelioma after they take a closer look.

So, the mesothelioma diagnosis process often takes several months. Quite frankly, that’s time these victims do not have. Mesothelioma’s five-year survival rate is less than 10 percent.

Our Tulsa mesothelioma lawyers connect victims with oncologists who focus on mesothelioma and other asbestos-exposure illnesses. These doctors also understand the urgency of the situation. So, the diagnosis process only takes a few days.

Many hard-working Oklahomans didn’t know the risks they took simply by showing up on the job. For a free consultation with an experienced Tulsa mesothelioma lawyer, contact the Throneberry Law Group. We do not charge upfront legal fees in these matters.