What is the Main Cause of Mesothelioma?

In some way, shape, or form, asbestos exposure is the main cause of mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive form of lung cancer. Victims could be exposed to asbestos in several ways, which are outlined below.

The circumstances of exposure vary, but the results are often the same. Mesothelioma is a particularly nasty form of a particularly nasty disease. It is practically incurable, physically painful, and perhaps worst of all, emotionally painful. Many asbestos exposure victims are in their 70s or 80s when a diagnosis of terminal lung cancer completely blindsided them.

The response is the same as well, at least it should be. These victims, and their families, are entitled to significant compensation. This money helps them deal with the consequences of mesothelioma and move on with their lives. Only a determined asbestos exposure lawyer can obtain this compensation.

Until around 1980, asbestos was a widely-used insulation ingredient. For example, when the World Trade Center Towers were constructed in the 1970s, builders laced the structures with some 400 tons of asbestos.

Asbestos, a fireproof mineral, was also widely used by shipbuilders and auto parts manufacturers. In the 1960s, several fires on Navy ships killed several hundred people. So, the DoD ordered shipbuilders to line vessels with asbestos from bow to stern. Many auto parts, such as brake pads and hood liners, must withstand extreme friction and/or temperature, so asbestos was the go-to choice.

These workers often wore inadequate PPE (personal protective equipment), mostly because asbestos providers needed to sustain the myth that asbestos was harmless. Even if a medical diagnosis occurs decades after exposure, a nationwide mesothelioma lawyer can still obtain compensation.

As a footnote, modern renovation and demolition workers often run similar risks. Additionally, many imported auto parts, especially Chinese parts, still contain high levels of asbestos.

Workers who handle asbestos often develop mesothelioma or another serious lung disease. People who worked close to asbestos run similar risks.

Microscopic asbestos fibers are only slightly heavier than air. Therefore, once released, they easily float to parking lots and other workplace common areas. Frequently, indirect occupational exposure victims worked at open-pit asbestos mines. Once again to perpetuate the “asbestos is safe” myth, mining companies often took few safety precautions during the extraction process.

Asbestos mining was legal in the United States until 2002. The practice is still legal in many other countries, such as Russia and China.

These victims are similar to indirect occupational victims in many ways. Asbestos workers often unintentionally carried microscopic asbestos fibers home, usually inside their cars or on their clothes. These tiny fibers have spikes that allow them to easily cling to such surfaces.

Most observers believe the number of direct ambient victims, most of whom were housewives, was significantly undercounted for many years. If you lived with an asbestos worker and you developed mesothelioma, or any other kind of cancer or lung disease, you may have a case.

We mentioned the Twin Towers above. When the towers fell on 9/11, the asbestos was inside the dust cloud that blanketed much of Manhattan. People who were exposed to this cloud could develop mesothelioma.

Talc-asbestos victims are another good example. Mostly due to poor quality control practices and outright denial, Johnson & Johnson sold asbestos-laced talcum powder to a generation of women, many of whom were nonwhite. Many years later, these women are developing cervical cancer, mesothelioma, and other serious toxic exposure diseases at an alarming rate.

Mesothelioma victims need and deserve significant compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced nationwide mesothelioma lawyer, contact the Throneberry Law Group. We routinely handle these matters on a nationwide basis.