Mesothelioma/Asbestos Cancer/ Asbestos Disease
Did you handle asbestos or come into direct contact with asbestos on your job?
Did you work in an area where asbestos was handled by others?
Are you a family member of someone who worked with asbestos?
Did you live within one mile of an asbestos plant, shipyard or other source of asbestos?
If so, you may be at risk for developing mesothelioma, a deadly lung cancer caused by inhaling microscopic asbestos fibers. Every year 2,500 men and women in the United States are diagnosed with mesothelioma. Thousands more are diagnosed with other asbestos-caused cancers. The risk of mesothelioma and other asbestos-caused cancers actually increases with age, because the tiny asbestos fibers lie hidden in your lungs for decades before it is diagnosed.
The Mukerji Law Firm handles asbestos claims involving mesothelioma and other injuries and cancers caused by exposure to asbestos. If you need to speak to an attorney today, please do not hesitate to contact an asbestos lawyer at our office toll-free: 888-890-7290. You will have the opportunity to speak directly to an attorney about your case.
Millions of People Have Been Exposed to Asbestos
Asbestos is a mineral that comes from the ground just like coal. Beginning in the early 1900's and up through the late 1980's, asbestos was used in hundreds of different products, including pipe insulation, cements, joint compounds, gaskets, floor tile, brake linings, packing, wallboard, boilers, furnaces, and many other industrial, construction, and household products.
It is estimated that over 25 million people have been exposed to asbestos during their lifetime.
What is Mesothelioma?
"Mesothelioma" is the term used to describe a cancerous tumor which involves the mesothelioma cells of an organ, usually the lungs, heart or abdominal organs. The most common type of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma. The pleura is a thin membrane found between the lungs and the chest cavity. It provides a lubricated surface so that the lungs do not chafe against the chest walls. Thus, a pleural mesothelioma is often referred to as a "lung" cancer. Another form of mesothelioma is peritoneal mesotheliomas. The peritoneum is the membrane that encloses the organs of the abdomen. While peritoneal mesothelioma are less common than pleural mesotheliomas, they tend to be more invasive, and thus result in a shorter life expectancy for the patient. Mesotheliomas have also been found in the stomach and other abdominal organs.
Mesotheliomas, like other types of cancer (e.g., adenocarcinoma), typically consist of two general types-benign and malignant. By far the most common mesothelioma is the diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma. This type of tumor is invasive and very aggressive. It spreads quickly over the surface of the lungs, abdominal organs or heart. Life expectancy for victims of this disease typically ranges between four and twenty-four months, depending on the stage at which the disease is detected, the relative health and strength of the patient, and a variety of other factors. The average patient with diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma survives for between four and twelve months from the onset of symptoms. With proper care, some victims have survived for several years.
Exposure to asbestos is known to cause other types of cancer, not just mesothelioma. If you were exposed to asbestos and have been diagnosed with lung cancer, laryngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, you may have a claim against the companies that manufactured the asbestos or product containing asbestos that caused your illness.
For legal advice regarding mesothelioma or other asbestos-related cancers, contact the lawyers at The Mukerji Law Firm by phone at 713-581-8177 or by completing our online form.
Asbestos-Related Cancers and Diseases
Exposure to asbestos is known to cause the following types of cancers:
- Mesothelioma
- Lung Cancer
- Larynx Cancer
- Esophageal Cancer
- Colon Cancer
Exposure to asbestos can also cause serious non-cancerous diseases such as:
- Pulmonary Asbestosis
- Asbestos-Related Pleural Disease
How People Were Exposed to Asbestos
Millions of workers have been exposed to asbestos working in various job settings. Some of those work places include:
- Steel Mills
- Chemical Companies
- Power Plants
- Heavy Industries
- U.S. Navy
- Shipyards
- Oil Refineries
- Construction (Industrial, Commercial, Residential)
- Motor Vehicle Repair
Some of the occupations which are typically associated with the onset of mesothelioma later in life are as follows:
- Insulators
- Pipefitters
- Plumbers
- Bricklayers
- Carpenters
- Welders
- Painters
- Construction Laborers
- Auto Mechanics
- Electricians
- Boilermakers
- Carpenters
- Welders
- Painters
- Construction Laborers
- Auto Mechanics
- Machinists
- Engineers
- Foundry Workers
- Helpers
- Plasterers
Asbestos has been used in a number of occupations in addition to those above. Furthermore, a number of former military personnel, particularly those who served in the navy, coast guard, or merchant marines, came into contact with asbestos during their service. Massive amounts of asbestos were used in shipbuilding and commercial construction prior to the mid-1970's. Anyone involved with those industries is at a high risk for developing an asbestos-related disease such as asbestosis or mesothelioma. Exposure may have been direct or indirect, lengthy or brief. The typical exposure period is lengthy, but some persons with short but intense exposures develop mesothelioma. Mesothelioma can also occur from non-occupational exposure, as evidenced by manifestation of the disease in women whose exposure came from washing the clothing of men (father, husband, and son) who worked with asbestos.
Other individuals experienced exposure to asbestos while performing home improvement work or changing brakes on their cars.
Tragically, wives and children have also contracted asbestos diseases and cancers as a result of asbestos being brought into the home by their husbands and fathers.
A unique feature of asbestos-related injuries is the long latency period between exposure to asbestos and the onset of the injury or disease. For mesotheliomas, the latency period is between 15 and 50 years, or more. That means that a person could have been exposed to asbestos 50 years ago, and develop mesothelioma today. The average mesothelioma latency period is approximately 35 - 40 years.
What are the Clinical Signs of Mesothelioma?
In general, the clinical presentation of this disease may include the following:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing
- Difficulty sleeping
- Pain in the chest and abdominal regions, which is generally unresponsive to analgesics
- Progressive loss of appetite and weight loss
- Pleural effusions (fluid in the chest cavity)
Management of mesothelioma depends largely on the staging of the tumor. Early diagnosis and surgical intervention may lengthen life expectancy. Depending on the age and physical condition of the patient, however, surgery may not be a viable option. In addition to surgical options, radiation treatment and chemotherapy may be helpful in the overall therapeutic program. Pain management and home care are typical alternatives in the later stages of the disease.
Where Do I Go From Here?
After diagnosis, it is important to understand your treatment options. Your physician or oncologist will provide you with information on the treatments that are available to you.
It is also important to know about your legal rights. If you have mesothelioma, or any other asbestos-related disease, you were most likely exposed to asbestos. Many of the manufacturers of asbestos insulation products knew for decades that asbestos was hazardous, yet made a business decision not to warn people of those hazards. As a result, you may have a right of recovery against those manufacturers, which can help defray the costs of treatment and provide compensation for your pain and suffering.
According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 3,000 cases per year of malignant mesothelioma are being reported in the United States, and the incidence appears to be increasing. The disease is three times more common in men than in women. In men, the occurrence of mesothelioma is ten times higher in men between the ages of 60-70 as compared to men between the ages of 30 to 40. Occupational exposure to asbestos over the past fifty years in the United States is calculated to have occurred in approximately eight million people, and up to 300,000 new cases are expected to occur by the year 2030.
Asbestos Companies Conspired to Cover-up the Dangers of Asbestos
The dangers of asbestos have been known for over 100 years. The first study about the dangers of asbestos was published in 1906. Asbestos companies did everything they could throughout the 1900's to cover-up the dangers of asbestos. Millions of workers were exposed to asbestos without knowing about its deadly effects.
Our Firm
The lawyers at The Mukerji Law Firm vigorously and successfully fight for the rights of asbestos workers and their families. Our firm, based in Houston, Texas, represents clients in every state, either directly or through our nationwide network of attorneys. We consult the leading medical experts and scientists worldwide to help us build your case. Our dedicated staff, ensures that each of our clients receives the special care and attention his or her case deserves.
We represent individuals who have been stricken with malignant mesothelioma and asbestos-related cancers nationwide. We accept asbestos cases throughout Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Vermont and Connecticut.
Contact Our Asbestos Attorneys Today
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, any of the asbestos cancers or asbestos diseases due to exposure to asbestos, please call The Mukerji Law Firm, P.C. today at 713-581-8177 or by completing our online form, and we will put our asbestos legal team to work for you immediately.
