THE ROLE OF ASBESTOS

It’s estimated that more than 25 million people have been exposed to asbestos during the last half century.

The Link Between Asbestos and Mesothelioma
Asbestos Manufacturers: A History of Putting Profits Over Safety
How Asbestos Causes Harm
Asbestos Exposure is Still A Danger

The Link Between Asbestos and Mesothelioma
Asbestos is a mineral that was used for decades in countless industries. Asbestos has been commercially produced for almost 125 years, and the first cases of asbestos related disease turned up around 1900. It wasn’t until the 1930’s that the link between asbestos and various diseases was firmly established. Remarkably, it still took another 50 years to completely stop the commercial use of asbestos. Originally, asbestos was discovered to be an inexpensive material that could be used for insulating or fireproofing. Most insulation materials before the mid 1970s contained asbestos, as did thousands of other construction materials. Around the turn of the century, however, people began to notice an unusually large number of deaths and lung problems arising in asbestos mining towns. In the 1930s, major medical journals began featuring articles that linked asbestos to cancer. Even though proof that asbestos was carcinogenic was overwhelming, many companies ignored the scientific evidence and continued to use asbestos to manufacture their products. Some companies blatantly disregarded the warnings, claiming that asbestos was more helpful than harmful; other companies took lofty measures to cover up their continued use of asbestos, thereby risking the lives of their workers and anyone who would come in contact with their products.

Asbestos Manufacturers: A History of Putting Profits Over Safety
It has been clearly established that many of the corporations that manufactured asbestos products in the 1940's, 50's, 60's and early 70's knew it was hazardous but kept this information secret, choosing profits over safety. Unfortunately, many corporations thought they would be able to cut corners and make a large profit at the expense of endangering workers. Despite the warnings, the industry made billions of dollars manufacturing asbestos insulation for almost every building, industrial site, home, school, ship, car, plane, pipe, etc. in America. Many construction workers and industrial tradesmen prior to the mid-1970's were exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos, which they inhaled, as asbestos insulation was being cut, sawed, mixed or sprayed. These workers were never warned about the dangers of asbestos and considered it harmless. They were never given masks or ventilation, nor were dust counts ever taken. Now years later, mesothelioma is ruining lives and families because some companies chose to ignore the dangers of asbestos.

How Asbestos Causes Harm
When asbestos is disturbed or damaged, minute fibers are released into the air.
Because it is so small and light, it becomes airborne easily and we inhale it into our lungs where it can cause irreversible damage. After asbestos fibers are breathed in, they travel to the ends of small air passages and reach the pleura where they cause physical damage to mesothelial cells that may result in cancer. Asbestos inhalation can cause anything from mild inflammation to deadly cancer. If swallowed, these fibers can reach the abdominal cavity where they have a role in causing peritoneal mesothelioma. About three-fourths of mesothelioma occurrences start in the chest cavity (this type is known as pleural mesothelioma). Another 10% to 20% begin in the abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma). Pericardial mesothelioma, starting in the cavity around the heart, is very rare.

Most cases of mesothelioma can be traced back to exposure to asbestos on a job site. The frightening thing about mesothelioma is that it doesn’t appear to require a lot of asbestos exposure to develop. Believe it or not, there are cases where wives of asbestos workers developed mesothelioma when their only exposure was handling their husband’s asbestos dust laden work clothes. Where Asbestos Is Found

Asbestos exposure has been directly linked to four specific diseases:
Mesothelioma- a cancer of the membranes lining the chest, abdominal cavities and surrounding organs.
Lung cancer- the most common form of cancer. Many people think that cigarette smokers who are exposed to asbestos cannot prove their case because of the high incidence of lung cancer among smokers. This is wrong. Our attorneys believe that a cigarette smoker who has lung cancer and can prove asbestos exposure may still have a viable case.
Asbestosis- a serious, chronic, non-cancerous fibrous hardening and scarring of the lungs. Asbestosis is a slow progressive disease that can take up to 30 years to develop.
Pleural plaque/thickening- a non-cancerous scarring of the lung lining that can cause loss of lung function.

Asbestos Exposure is Still a Danger
Estimates are, that about 7% of asbestos workers are at risk to develop the disease sometime during their lifetime. Asbestos is still a problem because a great deal of this material has been used in the United States and elsewhere, and many asbestos-containing products remain in buildings, ships, industrial facilities and other environments. When we talk to an exposed worker about their mesothelioma, the story usually started a long time ago. This is because mesothelioma can take from 15to 50 years to develop after the initial exposure. Because it takes so long to develop the disease is usually detected in later life. Experts predict, for the foreseeable future, every year we will see thousands of Americans newly diagnosed with this terrible disease.
A common question posed by victims of mesothelioma is, "Why did this disease develop in me?” When diagnosed in the United States, its onset is typically linked to a history of exposure to asbestos fiber. Some of the occupations which are typically associated with the onset of mesothelioma later in life are as follows:

If you’ve been exposed to asbestos, you are at risk for developing mesothelioma. Brown & Crouppen can help you find out who’s responsible for failing to protect you. We’re helping to make sure that negligent companies pay for their wrongdoing.

At Brown and Crouppen we help people injured by asbestos exposure. If you have any questions about asbestos and the law please fill out this online form, or call us at Toll Free: 866-991-4700.

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