For decades, American workers and consumers have been victims of asbestos exposure, both on the job and through the products that they bought. As a result, thousands of people have gotten sick with fatal diseases such as mesothelioma. Globally, over 250,000 people die from asbestos-related illnesses each year. Even though asbestos is no longer in use in most places in the world, scores of people develop illnesses each year because the substance remains latent in the body for decades.
Tiny Fibers Make Up Asbestos That People Can Inhale
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral in the ground that can separate into tiny fibers. For years, manufacturers used asbestos because it was tough, flexible, and heat-resistant. They used asbestos in building and roofing materials and consumer products like brake parts. Even though the United States has not widely used asbestos in decades, the federal government only recently banned its use.
The danger of asbestos is that one may inhale tiny fibers into their lungs. Once inhaled, the small fibers can inflame the lungs and cause scarring, which can be a precursor to cancer. If a person breathes asbestos into the body, it remains there permanently. Asbestos fibers are tiny and can get trapped in different parts of the body. Over time, they will cause more inflammation since asbestos fibers retain their qualities even after the body ingests them.
Asbestos Build in the Body Over Time
Asbestos exposure is cumulative over time since the fibers build up in the body. One-time or short-term exposure to asbestos may not result in any illness or physical difficulties. However, exposure to asbestos for extended periods can lead to a serious disease, and one may have millions of asbestos fibers in the body lining the lungs or coating other organs.
One can also face asbestos exposure after a natural disaster has dislodged the fibers from a building. For example, rescue workers who spent a prolonged amount of time at Ground Zero after 9/11 breathed in a considerable amount of asbestos dust, and many of them developed an illness.
Asbestos Can Cause Mesothelioma and Other Diseases
Asbestos is the primary cause of mesothelioma. This disease is a rare and deadly type of cancer that is in the lining of particular body parts. Since mesothelioma is so rare, it is difficult for a doctor to diagnose it immediately. Even when exercising reasonable care, they may not think to run tests for mesothelioma when the patient presents themselves. By the time a doctor diagnoses a patient with this cancer, it has reached an advanced stage, and it is challenging to treat. Even early detection of mesothelioma only lengthens the patient’s life span since the disease has an extremely high fatality rate. The five-year survival rate for mesothelioma is only 12 percent.
Asbestos is also dangerous because it can cause several other diseases. Asbestosis is also a common disease that results from exposure to this mineral. In this case, the patient develops a lung disease that results in scarring and difficulty breathing. Asbestosis is a chronic condition for which there is no cure, and in some cases, the patient may need a lung transplant to survive. It will take away a patient’s quality of life, and it can even be fatal in some circumstances.
Asbestos can also cause other types of cancers when the fibers come into contact with different parts of the body. For example, some samples of talc powder contain asbestos fibers since talc and asbestos are located close to each other on the ground. Thousands of consumers who have used talc powder for an extended period have developed cancer. Numerous women have sued companies that manufacture talc power because they developed ovarian cancer from its prolonged use. Johnson & Johnson had to pay billions of dollars when it lost these lawsuits, and the company even tried to spin off a unit and declare bankruptcy to avoid liability.
People Did Not Know of the Dangers of Asbestos Until It Was Too Late
The problem is that no one informed people of the dangers of asbestos before exposure to it, even though many companies knew that the substance was a carcinogen. Companies that made talc powder and other talc products knew for decades that what they were selling was hazardeous, yet they continued to sell them on the market. Consumers did not learn of the dangers until they already developed an illness. Similarly, workers did not know how toxic asbestos was until it was too late to do anything about it.
You May Have the Legal Right to Compensation for an Asbestos-Related Illness
If you or a loved one has developed an asbestos-related illness, you may have the legal right to financial compensation. First, you must prove your asbestos exposure and where it occurred. You can sue the product maker that contained asbestos in a product-liability lawsuit. Many companies that made asbestos or products containing the fibers have already gone bankrupt, but they have established trust funds as part of the bankruptcy process. You can file a claim against these trust funds to recover compensation for your illness.
A mesothelioma attorney can help you file a claim or lawsuit, and they can fight for you to receive full and fair compensation. Even if it is difficult for you to participate in the legal process, your mesothelioma attorney can make it easy for you by handling all the details of your case.
They have access to resources and databases to help identify the responsible parties and establish a connection between your asbestos exposure and illness. This evidence is crucial in proving negligence and liability, essential elements in a mesothelioma lawsuit.
Having a mesothelioma attorney on your side can significantly affect your case’s outcome. They will fight tirelessly to protect your rights and secure the compensation you need for medical expenses, lost earnings, and pain and suffering. By entrusting your case to a mesothelioma attorney, you can focus on your health and well-being while they handle the legal aspects of your claim.
