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Mesothelioma/Lung Cancer Litigation

These lawsuits cover two types of cancer caused by asbestos, a highly toxic mineral fiber that resulted in groundbreaking mass tort litigation. Asbestos was used in a wide range of products for decades and is still used in a limited number of products. Mesothelioma is a very aggressive and fatal disease. Lung cancer may be cured if caught early.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring minerals that resist heat and corrosion. It was used in various products, including steam pipe insulation, floor tiles, building materials, vehicle brakes, and clutches. There are many different types of asbestos fibers. Crocidolite asbestos or “blue asbestos” has amphibole fibers that cause mesothelioma.

What are Asbestos’ Uses?

Asbestos fibers were part of a wide range of products. They were used in large buildings, power plants, ships, homes, trains, and vehicles. They include:

• Adhesives
• Automotive parts
• Cement
• Construction mastics
• Electrical components
• Fireproofing
• Gaskets
• Insulation
• Plastics
• Textiles
• Tiles
• Vinyl products
• Appliances
• Cigarette filters
• Hairdryers
• Makeup
• Talcum powder

For decades asbestos and asbestos-containing products surrounded Americans without them understanding the dangers they posed.

How Are People Exposed to Asbestos?

Asbestos fibers are dangerous when they’re airborne. This usually happens when an asbestos product is installed, when it deteriorates over time, and when removed. Asbestos-containing pipe insulation or tiles, for example, may not be dangerous unless they’re improperly removed. Asbestos fibers are released if they’re torn or ripped up during removal. Airborne asbestos could settle on workers’ clothes, and the fibers would spread in their homes.

What Injuries Can You Suffer from Asbestos Exposure?

Asbestos fibers can cause many injuries. They include asbestosis (scarring of the lung that impairs breathing), mesothelioma, and cancers of the lung, stomach, colon, ovaries, and pharynx.

When people inhale asbestos, microscopic fibers can become lodged in their lungs. The body cannot break down or remove asbestos fibers. Over many years, the fibers can cause enough genetic and cellular damage to cause lung and pleura (a thin membrane that lines the chest walls and covers the lungs) cells to turn cancerous.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a molecule in cells containing biological instructions telling them how to develop and what to do. Asbestos fibers damage DNA, and defective instructions result in malignant cells.

Pleural mesothelioma is a rare cancer in the pleura. There are two known causes, asbestos, and high radiation levels. The condition can cause pleural effusion, a fluid build-up between the lungs and chest wall, making breathing difficult.

There’s no known cure for pleural mesothelioma. Treatments may prolong life and relieve symptoms for a time. On average, someone with mesothelioma lives from four to 18 months after diagnosis. It takes years to decades from asbestos exposure to develop mesothelioma.

It’s estimated asbestos exposure causes six times as many lung cancer cases as mesothelioma cases. No asbestos-related disease kills more people than lung cancer, and asbestos is the top occupational cause of the disease. Like mesothelioma, it can take decades from exposure to diagnosis.

Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy treat lung cancer. About 18% of patients survive more than five years after diagnosis. More than half of lung cancer patients die within a year of their diagnosis.

What Were the Warnings of Asbestos’ Dangers?

Lung fibrosis was first reported in the 1920s. A British study published in 1947 found lung cancer was ten times more common in asbestos miners than the general public. In the 1950s, research questioned if asbestos might be a danger to the public. The first study linking mesothelioma to asbestos was published in 1960. Studies showing widespread asbestos fibers in people’s lungs were published in the 1960s.

In 1968 a study was published based on 370 men in the insulation industry. For those who smoked, their risk of dying of lung cancer was 90 times higher than the general public. Later studies of thousands of insulators found their risk of lung cancer was four times that of the general public.

Asbestos use is banned in about fifty countries, but it’s still allowed in the US if it’s less than one percent of the product. Limits on asbestos products in the US started in the early 1970s and increased over time.

Unlike some pharmaceuticals or chemicals involved in mass tort litigation, the connection between asbestos and illness and death is accepted and well documented. It’s not disputed that asbestos causes lung cancer and mesothelioma.

What’s the Status of Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer Lawsuits?

Asbestos litigation and limits on asbestos use drove most of the asbestos industry into bankruptcy. The first known lawsuit concerning asbestos-related injuries was filed in Britain in 1924. The first in the US was filed five years later. The first wave of asbestos lawsuits in the US started in the late 1960s and continued into the 1970s. Asbestos-related claims are still filed today.

Johns-Manville, the country’s biggest maker of asbestos-containing products, filed for bankruptcy protection in 1982 due to its liability. It created a trust fund for claims in 1988, and the company re-organized. Other companies followed, and trusts were created to pay for settling legal claims against them. A federal asbestos trust fund was created in 1986. It’s estimated these trust funds have about $30 billion in assets to satisfy potential claims.

What is Asbestos?

• Asbestos is a mineral fiber known to be heat resistant and strong
• It was incorporated into many products over the years, but its use has largely stopped
• Asbestos fibers cause mesothelioma and lung cancer

What is Mesothelioma?

• Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive, fatal cancer of the lining of the lungs
• It’s known to be caused by asbestos
• About 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year, with about 9,000 deaths annually. Most of them are men from their 50’s to their 70’s

What is Lung Cancer?

• It’s a disease where parts of the lung turn malignant
• It’s difficult to treat, and most patients aren’t cured
• Asbestos causes lung cancer, and the risk of developing it is much higher if the person smokes

What’s the Status of Lawsuits?

• The first asbestos lawsuits were filed in the 1920s
• They were filed in large numbers starting in the 1960s
• In the 1980s, many companies involved in asbestos went into bankruptcy because of their liability
• They formed trusts to pay claims. A federal asbestos trust was established in 1986
• Plaintiffs now filing claims against these trust funds can receive compensation for the harm they suffered

How Can ZeroRisk Cases^® Help Your Firm Sign Up Meso Litigation Clients?

ZeroRisk Cases^® is dedicated to helping those injured by defective drugs, medical devices, consumer products, and harmful chemicals.

ZeroRisk Cases^® offers mass tort marking and lead generation services to law firms searching for claimants who’ve suffered severe or life-threatening injuries or side effects due to prescription medications, medical devices, consumer products, or harmful toxins.

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Ed Lott, Ph.D., M.B.A.
President and Managing Partner
ZeroRisk Cases^®
Call 833-ZERORISK (833-937-6747) ext 5

Summary

Article Name

What Injuries Can You Suffer from Asbestos Exposure?

Description

Asbestos fibers can cause many injuries. They include asbestosis (scarring of the lung that impairs breathing), mesothelioma, and cancers of the lung, stomach, colon, ovaries, and pharynx.

Author

Ed Lott, Ph.D., M.B.A.

Publisher Name

ZeroRisk Cases, LLC

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