One of the most devastating diagnoses that a person can get is cancer. If that cancer is also quite rare, it can be more upsetting because that could mean that it is not well understood and potentially very difficult or impossible to treat. That is typically the case when it comes to mesothelioma.
Be prepared when defendants deny asbestos claims
If you have lost a loved one due to an asbestos-related illness, you may want to strongly consider filing a wrongful death lawsuit. These claims can help compensate families for death stemming from negligent behaviors, and they can prove to be crucial sources of relief.
Asbestos removal class action allowed to move forward
North Carolina has many buildings that were built prior to 1960s and before awareness about the health hazards of airborne asbestos fibers. Renovation of these buildings often requires removal of asbestos-containing products that were used in the building's original construction. Sometimes, however, asbestos removal is either ignored or mishandled. A potentially gigantic class action involving the Jackson County courthouse in Kansas City, Mo. that now has been reinstated by the Missouri Court of Appeals makes these exact allegations.
Poor asbestos removal procedures can lead to death
People generally understand the dangers of asbestos. Unfortunately, too many parties fail to extend this knowledge to others who could get seriously ill if exposed. Employers fail to tell employees that they will be working with asbestos; product manufacturers fail to inform consumers that their products contain the hazardous fiber; property owners fail to tell tenants or visitors that asbestos is present on site.
Woman cites secondary exposure to asbestos in her lawsuit
In our last post, we discussed the fact that family members of people who work with asbestos are at risk of being exposed and suffering an asbestos-related illness. This is known as secondary or indirect exposure, and it is something that has put many lives in danger.
Shoulder pain may signal mesothelioma
Most people in North Carolina who have been exposed to airborne asbestos fibers understand that they are at risk for contracting mesothelioma, an aggressive lung cancer that is caused almost exclusively by this exposure. Yet diagnosing mesothelioma can be difficult because the disease can take more than 20 years to become symptomatic after the fibers are inhaled. A recent study by researchers in Poland may help these people obtain an earlier diagnosis and earlier treatment.
Workers' family members at risk of asbestos exposure
Too many people make the mistake of assuming that a person has to work directly with asbestos to be affected by the toxic material. They believe that as long as they don't touch asbestos, there is absolutely no way their health can be put in jeopardy.
Asbestos-covered pipes: know the risks
If you work for a construction company or own a home, you need to understand that the risk of being exposed to asbestos could be right underneath your own feet.
Sheet metal workers have high risk of mesothelioma
Another occupation - sheet metal worker - has been added to the list of occupations affected by exposure to asbestos-containing materials. Asbestos has long been recognized as the principal cause of a rare lung cancer known as mesothelioma. The disease commonly afflicts persons who have come in contact with airborne asbestos fibers in their workplace. In North Carolina, those occupations include shipyard workers, heating insulation installers, and textile workers. A recent study has now added sheet metal workers to this list.
Shipbuilding and asbestos regulations
Members of the U.S. Navy and people who work in the shipbuilding industry are often considered groups who are exposed to asbestos much more than people in other career fields. For several decades, asbestos was used on Navy vessels and the people who built the ships, lived on them and serviced them were often exposed to high concentrations of the toxic fiber.
Don't lose heart if your case is initially unsuccessful
The legal process of seeking damages for illnesses or deaths caused by asbestos can be very complicated. It often requires extensive research and gathering of medical and employment records, and that's all before a case even reaches the courtroom.
Does asbestos still pose a health hazard?
Most in people in North Carolina are aware that exposure to asbestos fibers can cause various kinds of serious lung diseases, but the risk seems to have disappeared. The use of asbestos in products such as pipe insulation, shingles, and brake linings regularly made headlines in the 1970s and 1980, but those headlines seem to have largely vanished. Does that mean that asbestos is no longer a hazard?
The real victims of fraud in regards to asbestos claims
People who have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness have a number of very complicated questions that need to be addressed, from what type of care they may need to how they will provide for their families during a time of illness and in the event of their death.
