asbestos attorney

The word Asbestos comes from Greek, meaning “not flammable”. It refers to the fibrous form of several minerals and hydrous silicates of magnesium. Like other fibers, asbestos can be molded or woven into fabrics to make fireproof products such as safety clothing for fire fighters and insulation products such as hot-water piping.
California, Vermont, and Arizona are the leading asbestos-producers in the United States, most commonly through open-pit mining. About 6 percent of the mined ore contains usable fibers, which are separated from the ore by crushing, air suction, and vibrating screens. These fibers are sorted into different lengths, or grades to be used in fabrics, building-construction materials, textiles, missile and jet parts, asphalt and caulking compounds and paints, brake linings or molded goods, such as pipes and gaskets.
Today, it seems sadly ironic that the Romans made cremation cloths from it. Due to the nation's need for the special qualities that asbestos possesses, the roster of those at risk for asbestos exposure reads like a Who's Who of American Trades and Unions:
Auto and Truck Brake & Clutch Mechanics
Boilermakers
Carpenters & Joiners
Electricians
Heat & Frost Insulators & Asbestos Workers
Insulators
Ironworkers
Laborers
Masons & Bricklayers
Metal Refining Operations
Millwrights
Operating Engineers
Painters & Plasterers
Plumbing & Heating Contractors
Roofers
Sheetmetal Workers
Shipfitters
Steamfitters
Tilesetters
Workers in Foundries, and Steel Mills
Besides the construction workers involved in new construction or working near new construction prior to the 1970's, workers today are at risk in the renovation of older buildings. Mechanical systems, piping, duct work and equipment, were assembled and sealed with asbestos products. Asbestos sprays were used for fireproofing and sound proofing of decking and structural steel. Walls, roofing, electrical wiring and flooring contained asbestos components through the 1970's and, in some cases, even later.
"Asbestos related diseases" is the phrase used in medicine for the damage, pain and suffering caused by inhaling these deadly, generally microscopic fibrous slivers of mineral. Exposure can cause two different types of illnesses: malignant diseases (cancers in organs which have come into contact with ingested asbestos); and non-malignant diseases (scarring processes of organs which have come into contact with ingested asbestos). Scar tissue is a protective mechanism of the body. Cells collect around these tiny foreign bodies and try to seal them off. Unfortunately, scar tissue cells do not have all the properties of normal healthy cells. As they increase, body function decreases. Lung scar tissue has no elasticity and becomes unable to exchange oxygen cells. It becomes increasingly difficult to take a breath. Pleural plaques usually begin as very small areas of scarring but can grow and harden over time.
Asbestosis: Sometimes called pleural asbestosis, asbestos-related pleural disease, pleural plaques, pleural thickening, or pulmonary asbestosis, this is one of the most common of the asbestos related diseases. Actually scarring of the lining of the lung caused by asbestos exposure. It is untreatable and incurable. It may progress to a more severe condition, depending on other health factors of the victim.
Atelectasis: Pleural scarring causing a portion of the lung to fold onto itself. Inhalation can become extremely painful.
Cancer of the respiratory or gastro-intestinal tract: Asbestos may come in contact with the esophagus, larynx, stomach, colon and rectum. Airborne asbestos particles may be inhaled through the nose and mouth.
Lung Cancer: The Risk of death from lung cancer (also known as bronchogenic carcinoma) caused by asbestos exposure is 50 to 90 times higher for smokers who were exposed to asbestos. Non-smoking victims of exposure to asbestos died at a rate of 5 times greater than the general population. All lung cancer cell types such as adenocarcinoma, bronchoalveolar, small cell, large cell, oat cell and squamous cell carcinoma, can be caused by asbestos. Malignant mesothelioma: Even low exposures to asbestos can lead to the development of malignant mesothelioma, an inoperable cancer of the chest and abdominal lining. Carcinogens (cancer causing agents) are normally shown to be more dangerous as length or dosage of exposure increases.
Lung cancer or cancers of the respiratory or gastro-intestinal tract may be asbestos-related regardless of whether a person is also diagnosed with asbestosis or asbestos-related pleural disease.
In the past, the standard diagnostic procedures for asbestos related disease was through x-rays. Today, we are fortunate to have two newer procedures: low-dose spiral computed tomography and high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) - both of which are based on computer tomography (CT). that provide earlier detection. Earlier detection has increased not only survival rates, but also cure rates.
There are two things that you can do if exposed to asbestos.
Contact a physician to evaluate your risk of developing an asbestos-related disease, and to document your exposure to asbestos. Examination is painless. Delay in diagnosis and treatment can be fatal.
Contact a personal injury attorney who can counsel you in this complex legal situation. Your situation must be evaluated carefully in order to protect your rights fully. The law has established deadlines for filing claims or lawsuits for an asbestos-related disease. They are strict, and the clock begins ticking as soon as you are aware of the exposure. Several areas of personal injury law may apply to your case, such as:
Product Liability: Your exposure to asbestos may have been due to a faulty or defective product such as brake linings or asbestos lined gloves. Your asbestos attorney can evaluate your legal rights and advise you of possible compensation.
Professional Malpractice: Medical malpractice or negligence, leading to delay in treatment, incorrect treatment or missed diagnosis can be especially lethal in an asbestos related disease. Your lawyer can protect your rights and represent your interests.
Workers Compensation: Your asbestos exposure may have been job-related or happened on the job. Even though the company that you worked with when exposed to asbestos has filed for bankruptcy or has been bought by another company, you may still be entitled to compensation. Many of these laws are special federal laws relating to asbestos.
Wrongful death: Your family member may have died from an asbestos-related disease. Seek legal counsel before the statute of limitations becomes an issue.
Special Note: Prior to accepting an insurance settlement in a case of asbestos exposure or disease, it is wise to speak with a personal injury lawyer to evaluate your situation and to ensure that your interests are protected. Most personal injury attorneys provide free initial consultations and most will only be paid if you win your case and receive a judgment. Most often, personal injury attorneys will receive a percentage of the settlement awarded to you. Legal advice can save you time, trouble and money and can insure that you are treated fairly.

CHEMOTHERAPY; malignant mesothlioma

Detailed Guide: Malignant Mesothelioma
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs for treating cancer. The drugs can be swallowed in pill form or they can be injected by needle into a vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is systemic therapy. This means that the drug enters the bloodstream and circulates throughout the body (through the whole system) to reach and destroy the cancer cells.
To treat mesothelioma, these drugs may also be given intrapleurally (directly into the chest cavity) or intraperitoneally (into the abdominal cavity). Based on the type and stage of mesothelioma, chemotherapy may be given as the primary (main) treatment or as an adjuvant treatment (treatment given in addition to the primary treatment) to surgery. Chemotherapy for this disease is palliative and not curative.
Several chemotherapy drugs have been used to treat mesothelioma. The preferred combination of drugs for now is pemetrexed (Alimta), which is combined with cisplatin. Because pemetrexed interferes with normal metabolism of folic acid and vitamin B12, these must also be given to avoid side effects. Another combination that has a good response rate is cisplatin and gemcitabine. Another option substitutes cisplatin with carboplatin, which causes much less nausea and vomiting.
Other combinations of drugs used to treat mesothelioma include:
methotrexate and vincristine
cisplatin, vinblastine and mitomycin
cisplatin and doxorubicin
doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide (or ifosfamide), and cisplatin
All the drugs above can be given alone in people who may not be able to tolerate two drugs. Other drugs such as paclitaxel and irinotecan are being studied to determine their effectiveness in treating mesothelioma.
A new, related drug called raltitrexed has also been shown to help patients with mesothelioma when given with cisplatin. Patients who received these drugs lived longer than those who received cisplatin alone.
Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells but also damage some normal cells. Therefore, your doctor will pay careful attention to avoiding or minimizing side effects, which depend on the specific drugs, the amount taken, and the length of treatment. Temporary side effects might include nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, loss of hair, and mouth sores.
Because chemotherapy can damage the blood-producing cells of the bone marrow, patients may have low blood cell counts. This can result in an increased risk of infection (due to a shortage of white blood cells); bleeding or bruising after minor cuts or injuries (due to a shortage of blood; platelets); or fatigue or shortness of breath (due to low red blood cell counts).
Most side effects disappear once treatment is stopped. There are remedies for many of the temporary side effects of chemotherapy. For example, you can be given drugs to prevent or reduce nausea and vomiting. If you experience any side effects, be sure to talk with your doctor

HOW IS MALIGNANT MESOTHELIOMA DIANOSED

If there is a reason to suspect you may have mesothelioma, your doctor will use one or more methods to find out if the disease is present. The first step in diagnosing mesothelioma is recognizing your symptoms.
Signs and Symptoms of Mesothelioma
Early symptoms of mesotheliomas are not specific to the disease. People often ignore them or mistake them for common, minor ailments. Most people with mesothelioma have symptoms for only 2 to 3 months before they are diagnosed. About one-fourth of people have symptoms for at least 6 months before they are diagnosed.
Over half of patients with pleural mesothelioma have pain in the lower back or at the side of the chest. Many report shortness of breath. A smaller percentage have trouble swallowing, cough, fever, sweating, fatigue, and weight loss. Other symptoms include hoarseness, coughing up blood, swelling of the face and arms, muscle weakness, and sensory loss.
Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include abdominal (belly) pain, weight loss, nausea, and vomiting. There may also be fluid or a mass in the abdomen.
If you have any of these symptoms and have been exposed to asbestos you should see a doctor right away.
Medical History and Physical Exam
A complete medical history (interview) is taken to check for risk factors and symptoms. This will include questions to determine if you have been exposed to asbestos.
A physical exam will provide information about signs of mesothelioma and other health problems. Patients with pleural mesotheliomas (mesotheliomas of the chest) often have fluid in their chest cavity (pleural effusion) caused by the cancer. Some will have fluid in the abdominal cavity (ascites) in cases of peritoneal mesothelioma, or fluid in the pericardium (pericardial effusion) in cases of pericardial mesothelioma. All these might be detected during a physical exam. Otherwise they will be found by imaging studies.
Rarely, mesothelioma can develop in the groin and look like a hernia.
Imaging Tests
Imaging studies such as x-rays, computed tomography (CT) scans, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans will help determine the location, size, and extent of the cancer.
Chest x-ray: This may show irregular thickening of the pleura, calcium deposits on the pleura, or fluid in the pleural space. These findings suggest asbestos exposure leading to the development of a mesothelioma.
Computed tomography (CT) scan: The CT scan is an x-ray procedure that produces detailed cross-sectional images of your body. Instead of taking one picture, like a conventional x-ray, a CT scanner takes many pictures as it rotates around you. A computer then combines these pictures into an image of a slice of your body. The machine will take pictures of multiple slices of the part of your body that is being studied.
CT scans are often used to make the initial diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma, and are helpful in staging the cancer (determining the extent of its spread).
Often after the first set of pictures is taken you will receive an intravenous injection of a "dye" or radiocontrast agent that helps better outline structures in your body. A second set of pictures is then taken.
CT scans are more tiring than regular x-rays because they take longer and you need to lie still on a table while they are being done. But just like other computerized devices, they are getting faster and your stay might be pleasantly short. Also, you might feel a bit confined by the ring you lie within when the pictures are being taken.
You will have an IV (intravenous) line through which the contrast "dye" is injected. The injection can also cause some flushing (redness and warm feeling). Some people are allergic and get hives or rarely more serious reactions like trouble breathing and low blood pressure. Be sure to tell the doctor if you have ever had a reaction to any contrast material used for x-rays. You may be asked to drink 1 to 2 pints of a solution of contrast material. This helps outline the intestine.
Positron emission tomography (PET) scan: In this test, radioactive glucose (sugar) is injected into your vein. Because cancers use sugar much faster than normal tissues, the cancerous tissue takes up the radioactive material. A scanner can spot the radioactive deposits. This test, which is still being studied, is useful for telling whether a thickening of the tissues is cancer or merely scar tissue. It can also spot spread of the cancer.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)scan: MRI scans use radio waves and strong magnets instead of x-rays. The energy from the radio waves is absorbed and then released in a pattern formed by the type of tissue and by certain diseases. A computer translates the pattern of radio waves given off by the tissues into a very detailed image of parts of the body. Not only does this produce cross sectional slices of the body like a CT scanner, it can also produce slices that are parallel with the length of your body. A contrast material might be injected just as with CT scans, but is used less often. Sometimes MRI scans are useful in looking at the diaphragm (the thin muscle at the bottom of the lung cage that is responsible for breathing) where the mesothelioma may spread.
MRI scans are particularly helpful in examining the brain and spinal cord. MRI scans are a little more uncomfortable than CT scans. First, they take longer — often up to 1 hour. Also, you have to be placed inside a tube, which is confining and can upset people with claustrophobia (fear of enclosed places). The machine also makes a thumping noise that you may find disturbing. Some places will provide headphones with music to block this out.
Blood Tests
As mentioned above, blood levels of a protein called osteopontin are elevated in people with mesothelioma. But this blood test is probably more useful for following a patient’s progress during and after treatment. It is not used to diagnose the disease, although an elevated level may raise suspicions.
Tests of Fluid and Tissue Samples
If you have a pleural effusion (a build up of fluid) a sample of this fluid can be removed by inserting a needle into the chest cavity. A similar technique can be used to obtain abdominal fluid and pericardial fluid. The fluid is then tested to see its chemical make up and viewed under a microscope by an expert in diagnosing cancer (pathologist) to determine whether cancer cells are present. If cancer cells are present, special tests are needed to diagnose whether the cancer is a mesothelioma, a lung cancer, or another type of cancer.
A tissue sample of a pleural or pericardial tumor can be obtained using a relatively new technique called thoracoscopy. A thoracoscope (telescope-like instrument connected to a video camera) is inserted through a small incision into the chest. Your doctor can see the tumor through the thoracoscope, and can use special forceps to take a tissue biopsy. Similarly, laparoscopy can be used to see and obtain a biopsy of a peritoneal tumor. In this procedure, a flexible tube attached to a video camera is inserted into the abdominal cavity through small incisions on the front of the abdomen. Fluid can also be collected during thoracoscopy or laparoscopy. The biopsy specimen will be sent to the pathology laboratory where the pathologist will examine it to determine if it is cancer.
Surgery, either a thoracotomy (which opens the chest cavity) or a laparotomy (which opens the abdominal cavity), allows the surgeon to remove a larger sample of tumor or, sometimes, to remove the entire tumor.
If you might have pleural mesothelioma, the doctor may also do a bronchoscopy. In this procedure a flexible lighted tube is inserted through your mouth, down the trachea, and into the bronchi to see if there are other masses in the airway. Small samples of abnormal-appearing tissue can be removed for testing.
You may also have a mediastinoscopy. A lighted tube is inserted under the sternum (chest bone) at the level of the neck and moved down into the chest. Mediastinoscopy allows the surgeon to view the lymph nodes in this area and remove samples to check for cancer. Lymph nodes are bean-sized collections of immune system cells that help the body fight infections and cancers. Cancers in the lung often spread to lymph nodes, but mesotheliomas do this less often. Tests on lymph nodes can give the doctor information on whether a cancer is still localized or if it has started to spread, and can help distinguish lung cancer from mesothelioma.
It is often hard to diagnose mesothelioma by looking at the cells from the fluid around the lungs, abdomen, or heart. It is even hard to diagnose mesothelioma with tissue from small needle biopsies. Under the microscope, mesothelioma can look like several other types of cancer. For example, pleural mesothelioma may resemble some types of lung cancer and peritoneal mesothelioma may resemble some cancers of the ovaries. For this reason, special laboratory tests are often done to help distinguish mesothelioma from some other cancers.
These tests often use special techniques to recognize certain markers (types of chemicals) contained in mesotheliomas. One test called immunohistochemistry looks for different proteins on the surface of the cells. It can be used to tell if the cancer is a mesothelioma or a lung cancer, which can appear to start in the lining of the chest cavity. A newer test is called DNA Microarray analysis. This test actually looks at genes in the cancers. Mesotheliomas have different gene patterns than other cancers.
The electron microscope can sometimes help diagnose mesothelioma. This microscope can magnify samples more than 100 times greater than the light microscope that is generally used in cancer diagnosis. This more powerful microscope makes it possible to see the small parts of the cancer cells that distinguish mesothelioma from other types of cancer.

mesothelioma treatment

Mesothelioma treatments have thus far been unable to limit the spread of the deadly cancer. Treatments for mesothelioma are divided into two categories: traditional mesothelioma treatments and new mesothelioma treatments.Traditional mesothelioma treatments are the same as those used to treat most other cancers, and include:
Surgery
Chemotherapy
Radiation therapy (radiotherapy) Traditional mesothelioma treatments are often used in conjunction with one another in an effort to provide the most thorough and effective care. For example, trimodality therapy combines all three traditional methods of treatment. First, chemotherapy is administered with the aim of slowing the growth of malignant mesothelioma.
Next, surgery designed to physically remove a mesothelioma tumor mass is performed (extrapleural pneumonectomy is often performed as part of trimodality therapy). In the final step, postoperative radiation therapy is used to target any lingering mesothelioma cells. Although trimodality therapy has been unable to eradicate malignant mesothelioma, it has proven to be effective in prolonging patients' survival time by as much as five years (the average post-diagnosis survival time is one to two years).
New mesothelioma treatments have been researched and developed with the hope of succeeding where traditional methods have not. Mesothelioma researchers are optimistic that new mesothelioma treatment modalities will eventually prove to be successful, though they have yet to yield results that are any better than traditional methods.
New treatments for mesothelioma include:
Development of new chemotherapy agents
Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
Photodynamic therapy (PDT)
Immunotherapy
Gene therapy
As with other cancerous diseases, the progression of mesothelioma is typically broken into stages, with the treatment options based on the stage of the disease.
Stages of Mesothelioma
The staging commonly used for mesothelioma is the Brigham staging system, and it can be described as follows: Stage 1 occurs when the tumor lies completely within the capsule of the
pleura, without swollen lymph nodes (adenopathy).
Stage 2 has the characteristics of Stage 1, except that the tumor has spread and there is presence of adenopathy. The boundaries of the tumor still allow for a resection (removal of the tumor) without cutting into other organs.
Stage 3 includes extension of the disease into the chest wall or into the heart, through the diaphragm or peritoneum, or outside the pleura to involve the lymph nodes.
Stage 4 occurs when the cancer has formed in distant organs through metastases.
Unfortunately, none of the treatment strategies have been shown to be particularly effective against the disease.
See Also:» Radiation Therapy, Surgical Treatment, Trimodal Therapy» Thoracentesis» Extrapleural Pneumonectomy» Chemotherapy» Diet and Nutrition» Nutrition Before and During Mesothelioma Treatment
[Page updated April 2008]

What causes mesothelioma

Asbestos exposure is the main cause of mesothelioma. After these 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. In addition, they also cause injury to lung cells that can result in lung cancer and/or asbestosis (replacement of lung tissue by scar tissue). If swallowed, these fibers can reach the abdominal cavity where they have a role in causing peritoneal mesothelioma.
Exposure to asbestos, though mostly occupational, can also be environmental, or familial by household contamination, through the work clothes of an asbestos worker for instance.
Beginning 15 years after the onset of exposure, about 6% of asbestos workers die of mesothelioma. In one study of asbestos insulation workers, the death rate from mesothelioma was 344 times higher than in the general population. (Selifoff IJ et al. Relation between exposure to asbestos and mesothelioma. NEJM)
What is mesothelioma?Mesothelioma is cancer of the mesothelium – the membrane that lines the interior of the chest and abdomen and surrounds the internal organs. Mesothelioma is very rare: the only known cause is asbestos exposure. It occurs when asbestos fibers – particularly those of crocidolite asbestos, which are thin and straight – penetrate the mesothelial tissue and cause inflammation; this causes a tumor to form. Most cases of mesothelioma infect the pleura, which is the mesothelial layer that surrounds the lungs and lines the chest cavity. Pleural mesothelioma usually occurs from asbestos inhalation.Mesothelioma can also occur in the peritoneum – the mesothelium of the abdominal cavity – or the pericardium – the mesothelial lining around the heart. Peritoneal or pericardial mesothelioma may occur as a result of either pleural mesothelioma that has migrated or from ingestion of asbestos.
What is malignant mesothelioma?
Malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the sac lining the chest (the pleura) or abdomen (the peritoneum). Most people with malignant mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they breathed asbestos.
A doctor should be seen if a person has shortness of breath, pain in the chest, or pain or swelling in the abdomen. If there are symptoms, the doctor may order an x-ray of the chest or abdomen.
The doctor may look inside the chest cavity with a special instrument called a thoracoscope. A cut will be made through the chest wall and the thoracoscope will be put into the chest between two ribs. This test, called thoracoscopy, is usually done in the hospital. Before the test, the patient will be given a local anesthetic (a drug that causes a loss of feeling for a short period of time). Some pressure may be felt, but usually there is no pain.
The doctor may also look inside the abdomen (peritoneoscopy) with a special tool called a peritoneoscope. The peritoneoscope is put into an opening made in the abdomen. This test is also usually done in the hospital. Before the test is done, a local anesthetic will be given.
If tissue that is not normal is found, the doctor will need to cut out a small piece and have it looked at under a microscope to see if there are any cancer cells. This is called a biopsy. Biopsies are usually done during the thoracoscopy or peritoneoscopy.
The chance of recovery (prognosis) depends on the size of the cancer, where the cancer is, how far the cancer has spread, how the cancer cells look under the microscope, how the cancer responds to treatment, and the patient's age.

TREATMENT OF MESOTHELIOMA

Mesothelioma treatments have thus far been unable to limit the spread of the deadly cancer. Treatments for mesothelioma are divided into two categories: traditional mesothelioma treatments and new mesothelioma treatments.Traditional mesothelioma treatments are the same as those used to treat most other cancers, and include:
Surgery
Chemotherapy
Radiation therapy (radiotherapy) Traditional mesothelioma treatments are often used in conjunction with one another in an effort to provide the most thorough and effective care. For example, trimodality therapy combines all three traditional methods of treatment. First, chemotherapy is administered with the aim of slowing the growth of malignant mesothelioma.
Next, surgery designed to physically remove a mesothelioma tumor mass is performed (extrapleural pneumonectomy is often performed as part of trimodality therapy). In the final step, postoperative radiation therapy is used to target any lingering mesothelioma cells. Although trimodality therapy has been unable to eradicate malignant mesothelioma, it has proven to be effective in prolonging patients' survival time by as much as five years (the average post-diagnosis survival time is one to two years).
New mesothelioma treatments have been researched and developed with the hope of succeeding where traditional methods have not. Mesothelioma researchers are optimistic that new mesothelioma treatment modalities will eventually prove to be successful, though they have yet to yield results that are any better than traditional methods.
New treatments for mesothelioma include:
Development of new chemotherapy agents
Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
Photodynamic therapy (PDT)
Immunotherapy
Gene therapy
As with other cancerous diseases, the progression of mesothelioma is typically broken into stages, with the treatment options based on the stage of the disease.
Stages of Mesothelioma
The staging commonly used for mesothelioma is the Brigham staging system, and it can be described as follows: Stage 1 occurs when the tumor lies completely within the capsule of the
pleura, without swollen lymph nodes (adenopathy).
Stage 2 has the characteristics of Stage 1, except that the tumor has spread and there is presence of adenopathy. The boundaries of the tumor still allow for a resection (removal of the tumor) without cutting into other organs.
Stage 3 includes extension of the disease into the chest wall or into the heart, through the diaphragm or peritoneum, or outside the pleura to involve the lymph nodes.
Stage 4 occurs when the cancer has formed in distant organs through metastases.
Unfortunately, none of the treatment strategies have been shown to be particularly effective against the disease.
See Also:» Radiation Therapy, Surgical Treatment, Trimodal Therapy» Thoracentesis» Extrapleural Pneumonectomy» Chemotherapy» Diet and Nutrition» Nutrition Before and During Mesothelioma Treatment
[Page updated April 2008]

TREATMENT,STAGES OF MESOTHELIOMA CANCER

Mesothelioma cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells are found in the pleura which is a thin layer of tissue that lines the chest cavity and covers the lungs or the peritoneum which is a thin layer of tissue that lines the abdomen and covers most of the organs in the abdomen.
Mesothelioma cancer is a rare cancer that occurs in the thin layer of tissue that covers the majority of the internal organs (mesothelium).
Mesothelioma is divided into different categories based on what part of the mesothelium is affected by cancer. Mesothelioma that occurs in the tissue that surrounds the lung (pleura) is called pleural mesothelioma and is the most common form. Mesothelioma that occurs in the tissue in the abdomen (peritoneum) is called peritoneal mesothelioma and accounts for 10 percent to 20 percent of all mesotheliomas. In rare cases, mesothelioma can also occur in the lining around the heart (pericardium) and in the lining around the testicles (tunica vaginalis).
Men are more likely to develop mesothelioma than are women. It's more common in older adults. Most people with mesothelioma cancer are 65 and older. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer in the United States each year.
Mesothelioma cancer is closely linked to exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a natural fiber that was once used in manufacturing a wide variety of industrial and household products. Mesothelioma cancer rates have increased during the past 20 years in response to the widespread use of asbestos in the past. Many industrialized countries now limit asbestos use and enforce laws to protect workers who may be exposed. Researchers predict these efforts will lead to fewer cases of mesothelioma cancer in the future.
Being exposed to asbestos can affect the risk of developing malignant mesothelioma. Many people with malignant mesothelioma cancer have worked or lived in places where they inhaled or swallowed asbestos. After being exposed to asbestos, it usually takes a long time for malignant mesothelioma cancer to occur. Other risk factors for malignant mesothelioma cancer include the following:
Living with a person who works near asbestos.
Being exposed to a certain virus.
Causes of Mesothelioma Cancer
Generally cancer begins with a genetic mutation that turns normal, healthy cells into abnormal cells. Healthy cells grow and multiply at a set rate, eventually dying at a set time. Abnormal cells grow and multiply out of control, though not required and they don't die. The accumulating abnormal cells form a mass (tumor).
Cancer cells invade nearby tissues and can break off from an initial tumor to spread elsewhere in the body (metastasize).
It isn't clear what are the causes of mesothelioma cancer. The initial genetic mutation that leads to mesothelioma, though researchers have identified factors that may increase the risk may be one of the cause. It's likely that cancers form because of an interaction between many factors, such as inherited conditions, environment, person’s health conditions and lifestyle choices.
Stages of Mesothelioma
After malignant mesothelioma cancer has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body. The process used to find out if cancer has spread outside the pleura or peritoneum is called staging.
The information gathered from the staging process determines the stage of the disease. It is important to know the spread of the cancer in order to plan treatment. The stages of mesothelioma cancer are divided into two groups.
Stages of mesothelioma cancer are grouped into localized and advanced.
Localized malignant mesothelioma (stage I): Cancer is found in the lining of the chest wall and may also be found in the lining of the lung, the lining of the diaphragm, or the lining of the sac that covers the heart on the same side of the chest.
Advanced malignant mesothelioma: includes stage II, stage III, and stage IV.
In stage II, cancer is found in the lining of the chest wall and the lymph nodes on the same side of the chest. Cancer may also be found in the lining of the lung, the lining of the diaphragm, or the lining of the sac that covers the heart on the same side of the chest.
In stage III, cancer has spread to any of the following areas:
The chest wall.
The mediastinum.
The heart.
Beyond the diaphragm.
The peritoneum.
Cancer may have also spread to lymph nodes on the other side of the chest or outside the chest.
In stage IV, cancer has spread to distant organs or tissues.
Recurrent Malignant Mesothelioma Recurrent malignant mesothelioma cancer is cancer that has recurred (come back) after it has been treated. The cancer may come back in the chest or abdomen or in other parts of the body.
Mesothelioma Symptoms or Sign of Mesothelioma Cancer
Mesothelioma symptoms or Sign of Mesothelioma Cancer vary depending on where the cancer occurs.
Pleural mesothelioma cancer signs and symptoms may include:
Painful breathing
Shortness of breath
Chest pain under the rib cage
Unusual lumps of tissue under the skin on the chest
Dry (nonproductive) cough
Unexplained weight loss
A change in the bowel habits, such as more frequent diarrhea or constipation
Abdominal swelling
Abdominal pain
Unexplained weight loss
Lumps of tissue in the abdomen
Mesothelioma cancer of the tunica vaginalis may be first detected as a mass on a testicle. Pericardial mesothelioma cancer signs and symptoms may include difficulty breathing and fever. These forms are so rare that the signs and symptoms are not much clear.
Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma cancer that has spread to other parts of the body include:
Pain in the area where cancer has spread
Difficulty swallowing
Swelling in the neck and face
Mesothelioma Treatment

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Mesothelioma treatment is of different types for patients with the disease. Different types of treatments are available for patients with malignant mesothelioma. Some mesothelioma cancer treatments are standard which are the currently used, and some are being tested in clinical trials. Before starting treatment, patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment.
Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site. Choosing the most appropriate cancer treatment is a decision that ideally involves the patient, family, and health care team.Three types of standard treatment are used:
Surgery
The following surgical treatments may be used for malignant mesothelioma:
Wide local excision: This type of surgery is used to remove the cancer and some of the healthy tissue around it.
Pleurectomy and decortication: This type of surgery is used to remove part of the covering of the lungs and lining of the chest and part of the outside surface of the lungs.
Extrapleural pneumonectomy: This type of surgery is used to remove one whole lung and part of the lining of the chest, the diaphragm, and the lining of the sac around the heart.
Pleurodesis: is a surgical procedure that uses chemicals or drugs to make a scar in the space between the layers of the pleura. Fluid is first drained from the space using a catheter or chest tube and the chemical or drug is put into the space. The scarring stops the build-up of fluid in the pleural cavity.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells. There are two types of radiation therapy. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the cancer. Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer. The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping the cells from dividing. Chemotherapy uses chemicals to kill cancer cells. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body which is why it is called systemic chemotherapy.Thus killing rapidly growing cells.
When chemotherapy is placed directly into the spinal column, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). Combination chemotherapy is the use of more than one anticancer drug.
The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated. This works against cancer cells, but also affects other rapidly growing cells in the body, such as those in the hair follicles and those in the gastrointestinal system.
Chemotherapy may slow the growth of pleural mesothelioma. Chemotherapy can be used before surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy) or after surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy) to reduce the signs and symptoms one may experience from mesothelioma.
People with peritoneal mesothelioma cancer may receive adjuvant chemotherapy drugs that have been heated (hyperthermic chemotherapy). Rather than being distributed throughout the body, chemotherapy drugs are often injected directly into the abdominal cavity (intraperitoneal chemotherapy), where they can reach the peritoneal mesothelioma cancer directly without injuring healthy cells in other parts of the body. This allows doctors to administer higher doses of chemotherapy drugs.
Intraperitoneal chemotherapy may also be used to reduce the signs and symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma cancer that can't be removed through surgery.
Biologic therapy
Biologic therapy is a treatment that uses the patient’s immune system to fight cancer. Substances made by the body or made in a laboratory are used to boost, direct, or restore the body’s natural defenses against cancer. This type of cancer treatment is also called biotherapy or immunotherapy.
Mesothelioma Cancer Prognosis
Like most cancers, the prognosis for malignant mesothelioma cancer often depends on how early it is diagnosed and how aggressively it is treated. Malignant mesothelioma cancer usually is advanced by the time it is diagnosed so the outlook usually is poor.
On an average, the survival time after diagnosis is about one year. However, several factors affect the mesothelioma cancer prognosis including:
the extent of the tumor
the age and
health of the patient.
In some cases, survival time can be increased to two to five years or more with early detection and aggressive treatment. Improved treatments should be available in the near future.
A mesothelioma cancer diagnosis is serious, but treatments are available for this often-fatal cancer. The chance of recovery, or prognosis, depends on the size of the cancer, where the cancer is, how far the cancer has spread, how the cancer cells look under the microscope, how the cancer responds to treatment, and the patient's age.
As with most types of cancer, early detection is an excellent first step in fighting the disease. The potential for any treatment to be successful depends on a variety of factors including overall health and age of the patient, type of tumor, size of tumor, and location of tumor and lymph system involvement.
Mesothelioma Cancer Survival Rate
Generally speaking, with cancer the outcome depends on how advanced the cancer is when it is diagnosed. Usually with cancer, the statistics are given for each stage. Stage is just as important for mesothelioma cancer as it is for other cancers. But finding the statistics for mesothelioma cancer survival rate is more difficult to do. This is because Mesothelioma cancer is not all that common, (although incidence is increasing).
It is usually diagnosed when it is advanced as people may not have symptoms early. Even though there are two types of mesothelioma cancer the prognosis for each type is poor. By the time someone has symptoms and goes to their doctor, the disease is very often advanced. Because few people are diagnosed early, there are no reliable statistics for 5 year early stages of mesothelioma cancer survival rate.
For both types of mesothelioma cancer, patients are often told that they may have less than a year to live. Generally, of all those people diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer only about 1 in 10 (10%) will be alive 3 years later and 1 in 20 (5%) will be alive 5 years later. For those people who have been diagnosed and treated in the earlier stages of the disease, there is little information to draw on. But we have seen reports that quote survival rates of up to 1 in 2 (50%) after 2 years. So the range of survival times is very wide. Survival depends on other factors, as well as stage.

MESOTHELIOMA LAWYER

Today, we can find all types of lawyers to answer whatever legal need we come across with. If you are looking for a specific kind of lawyer or if you are considering a carer in law, here are some of the types of lawyers that we have today to help you out. 1. Asbestos Lawyer Asbestos lawyers or Mesothelioma lawyers, are those lawyers who represent clients experiencing health problems which resulted from the inhalation of minute asbestos particles. Such clients would include any individual who has been under some level of exposure to small asbestos particles, like those people who have worked or have lived around asbestos. A few examples would be construction and office workers, school children who go to schools that have been constructed with the use of asbestos-containing building materials, as well as those who live in apartment that are considered as toxic buildings. 2. Assault Lawyer Assault lawyers would be those lawyers who handle various criminal as well as civil assault cases. Criminal assault lawyers or criminal defense lawyers would be those who defend individuals who have been charged with some kind of criminal assault. Civil assault lawyers or personal injury lawyers represent victims of assault and battery so that they would be able to recover the damage for the physical injuries that resulted from the crime. 3. Car Accident Lawyer If you are the victim of some kind of hit-and-run accident, or have been involved in a vehicle collision, a pedestrian accident or an alcohol or a drug-related incident, a car accident lawyer would be just what you need. This particular type of lawyer would be able to ensure that you would be receiving a fair treatment and compensation from insurance companies and assisting you in the recovery of everything that you are entitles to such as lost wages, pain, sufferring, medical bills, as well as property damages. 4. Bankruptcy Lawyer If you are in a stage in your life where you are considering filing bankruptcy, a competent bankruptcy lawyer would be able to help you out. He or she would be helping you to evaluate your situation, the available options as well as the best course of action to take before actually filing for it. 5. Criminal Lawyer Criminal defense lawyers would probably one of the most popular types of lawyers today. This type of lawyer actually has a rather difficult job as he or she represents those individuals who have been accused of a crime, as they make sure that there would be a just trial given to the defendant or to their client. Some other types of lawyers would be divorce lawyers, employment lawyers, fraud lawyers, medical malpractice lawyers, litigation lawyers, tax lawyers, traffic lawyers, software lawyers and many more. The above are a few of the common lawyers that people hire on an everyday basis. I would say these are the lawyers that make a major portion of the legal market. There are a few others, which I will cover in a later article.

MESOTHELIOMA

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asbestos and mesothelioma legal information

Asbestos and Mesothelioma Legal Information
Thank you for visiting mesothelioma--lawyer.com. Our goal is to ensure that you get the most up to date information on asbestos as it relates to the development of mesothelioma and lung cancer. You deserve a mesothelioma lawyer that has extensive experience helping mesothelioma victims recover from asbestos manufacturers. Over the years, we have taken pride in handling each asbestos mesothelioma case with care and careful attention to detail. Our individual client approach has helped hundreds of clients recover the compensation they deserve.
This site is run by lawyers and is dedicated to helping victims of mesothelioma cancer understand the settlement value of their mesothelioma cancer case. At Mesothelioma--Lawyer.com, our lawyers do not enter into the topic of the value of mesothelioma cancer cases lightly. We put time, effort and our significant resources into determining the mesothelioma settlement value for your case. To understand fully your mesothelioma settlement value please read our famous settlements site or view the following text on mesothelioma cancer, mesothelioma lawsuits, mesothelioma treatment or the choosing of your mesothelioma lawyer.
A mesothelioma settlement can range from hundreds of thousands of dollars to many millions. For more information on mesothelioma settlements or how to choose a good mesothelioma lawyer visit our Mesothelioma settlements site.
A settlement for asbestos exposure leading to mesothelioma often depends on several factors including product identification by the injured and the lawyer. An experienced mesothelioma attorney or lawyer will know what is likely to have been the cause of the asbestos exposure which led to the mesothelioma diagnosis.
When products and manufacturers are identified the attorney or lawyer will need to ascertain the solvency of the companies. Once solvent sources are located, the attorney will need to enter into settlement negotiations with the various entities.
Our Mesothelioma site was set up so victims of mesothelioma cancer would have a qualified lawyer and a friendly attorney with whom they could discuss the value of their mesothelioma case. When there is a lack of identification of specific asbestos producing products, the value of the ultimate settlement can be affected. An experienced mesothelioma attorney, lawyer or law firm may be able to help in this situation by reviewing a list of past cases to see if there was a previous mesothelioma case at a particular facility. This often aides the injured's family, as well as the lawyer, in finding out the cause of the asbestos exposure which ultimately led to the diagnosis of mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma Lawsuit
An individual, who has been affected by mesothelioma cancer, should be careful to choose an attorney, lawyer or law firm who has proven experience in the mesothelioma arena. One way to check on the competency of a mesothelioma attorney, lawyer or law firm is to view the attorney's mesothelioma settlement record.
A mesothelioma settlement can range from hundreds of thousands of dollars to many millions. For more information on mesothelioma settlements or how to choose a good mesothelioma lawyer visit our Mesothelioma settlements site.
A settlement for asbestos exposure leading to mesothelioma often depends on several factors including product identification by the injured and the lawyer. An experienced mesothelioma attorney or lawyer will know what is likely to have been the cause of the asbestos exposure which led to the mesothelioma diagnosis.
When products and manufacturers are identified the attorney or lawyer will need to ascertain the solvency of the companies. Once solvent sources are located, the attorney will need to enter into settlement negotiations with the various entities.
Our Mesothelioma site was set up so victims of mesothelioma cancer would have a qualified lawyer and a friendly attorney with whom they could discuss the value of their mesothelioma case. When there is a lack of identification of specific asbestos producing products, the value of the ultimate settlement can be affected. An experienced mesothelioma attorney, lawyer or law firm may be able to help in this situation by reviewing a list of past cases to see if there was a previous mesothelioma case at a particular facility. This often aides the injured's family, as well as the lawyer, in finding out the cause of the asbestos exposure which ultimately led to the diagnosis of mesothelioma.

mesothelioma lawyer and your legal right

Mesothelioma Lawyers & Your Legal Rights

In response to numerous requests, Asbestos.com now recommends top law firms nationwide. Due to high medical bills, choosing the proper mesothelioma lawyer will be one of the most important decisions that your family makes post diagnosis. The sad truth is that finding a good lawyer to represent you in your mesothelioma case can be a daunting task due to the fact that you are unfamiliar with what distinguishes a good firm from a bad firm. Unfortunately, repercussions of choosing the wrong firm can have a tremendous impact on your family's future economic well being. The good news is that at Asbestos.com we have done the research for you.
Through years of experience and case analysis we are able to determine which firms can best help clients based on their individual asbestos exposure. The truth about mesothelioma claims is that each case is different in that every case rises and falls on its own set of facts. Specifically, most cases depend on whether the injured is able to identify where he or she was exposed to asbestos during their lifetime. Often times a person with mesothelioma has been exposed to multiple asbestos products, all of which contributed, whether in a small or large way, to the development of the mesothelioma cancer.
Please keep in mind that mesothelioma cases are not class actions and each case is unique and should be filed separately. You need to determine which law firm concentrates on the specific type of asbestos exposure that applies to your individual case. For example, if a person was exposed to asbestos via industrial exposure at a chemical plant in Michigan, their case would be distinctly different from someone who was primarily exposed to asbestos while serving on a California-based naval ship. While Firm X may be terrific at the industrial case, they may be ill-equipped to represent someone on a naval exposure case.
If you are choosing among a group of law firms or have yet to undertake the task of finding representation, please take the time to fill out a form or speak to a representative at 1-800- ASBESTOS about your potential claim. We would be happy to do an individual analysis of your case and recommend the firm we feel is best suited to help you.
Why Seek Legal Action?
Every year, thousands of people die or become ill due to the negligence of asbestos manufacturers. If this has happened to you or a loved one, you should contact a mesothelioma lawyer as soon as possible. You may have been powerless to prevent current medical problems, but you do have legal options. Hiring a lawyer with extensive experience and knowledge of asbestos claims can help you receive compensation from those responsible.
Mesothelioma, which is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure, and other asbestos-related illnesses are attributed to negligence because asbestos companies knew about the associated health risks and decided not to tell employees or leak this information to the general public. As early as the 1920s asbestos companies were completely aware that their product not only caused harm to human health, but that it held the potential to claim the lives of those exposed to the substance.
By the 1930s and '40s, medical evidence had clearly linked asbestos exposure to lung disease and deadly asbestos cancers. Asbestos companies had been extensively warned of these dangers, but instead of choosing to use alternative substances (and many were available at the time), the industry chose soaring profits over the preservation of human health. It is because of these unethical actions that asbestos manufacturers are held liable for the undue suffering of those dealing with asbestos-related disease. To read more about this illustrious scandal, please see The Asbestos Cover-Up.
As a result, those with mesothelioma have legal options and are allowed to seek compensation through the court system because of these criminal actions. Filing a claim against the entity responsible for your asbestos exposure will not only bring justice to the corrupt asbestos industry, it will also afford the opportunity to be compensated for the costs, as well as pain and suffering, associated with asbestos-induced illness. The following include some of the expenses for which you can pursue compensation:
Lost wages
Medical bills
Group support for you and your loved ones
Funeral expenses
Travel expenses relating to medical treatments
Expenses not covered by health insurance
A mesothelioma lawyer can review even more expenses that could be covered under your lawsuit, as each case varies. Make sure to save all medical and financial records relating to your asbestos-induced illness for this purpose. Aside from providing these sorts of documents and answering questions about your condition and how you may have been exposed to asbestos, you will not have to be involved with other stages of the case. Mesothelioma lawyers understand that their clients are far too ill and concerned with spending time with their families to deal with the details of filing a lawsuit or attending trial. For this reason, mesothelioma lawyers handle every aspect and detail of the case.
There are two types of lawsuits you may rightfully file in asbestos injury cases. If a family member has passed away from an asbestos-induced disease, you can file a wrongful death suit. In a personal injury claim, the individual suffering with an asbestos-related illness must be the one to file suit. Specific rights in these lawsuits depend on the county and state where the case is filed.
Employees of companies who used asbestos are not the only individuals who have rights against asbestos companies. Although the vast majority of cases are between employers and employees, other groups have rights as well. For example, if you have developed an asbestos-related disease because a spouse or family member worked for a company using asbestos, you may also have a case. Asbestos readily attaches to and travels well on clothing and hair, making it easy to track home after working around the material.
Having a mesothelioma lawyer is essential to successfully file suit against a corporation in an asbestos-related case. Although you have the legal right to pursue compensation, the entity being sued also has the legal right to try to disprove your case, and this is why it is so important to hire an experience mesothelioma attorney who has the knowledge and experience to bring justice to those responsible for your illness.
The resources at Asbestos.com offer exceptional referrals for some of the most experienced asbestos and mesothelioma lawyers in the nation. For more information on your legal rights and other issues surrounding asbestos litigation, please fill out the form on the right or call us at 1-800-ASBESTOS (1-800-272-3786) to receive a comprehensive and informative packet.
Mesothelioma News
Australian Resident Wins Asbestos-Related Lawsuit Against Ford2008-12-30 17:23:50The Ford Motor Company announced last week that they intend to drop their appeal against an $840,000 asbestos compensation battle involving Antonino Lo Presti. Lo Presti learned the news while he was ...Read More
Washington State Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Asbestos Manufacturers2008-12-22 17:23:28The Washington State Supreme Court has ruled in favor of manufacturers who have failed to warn about the dangers of asbestos used to insulate their products. Involving more than a dozen companies, ...Read More
Ohio Asbestos Bill Could Hurt Mesothelioma Victims2008-12-18 15:56:21A new bill introduced to the Ohio state legislature could potentially limit the rights of asbestos exposure victims in pursuing compensation for their illness. The Associated Press reports that Rep ...Read More
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asbestos attorney

Did you know?
It is estimated that 27.5 million Americans were exposed to asbestos between 1940 and 1979. Welcome to the leading source on
Connecting you with Asbestos lawyers nationwide!
WELCOME
This site is dedicated to providing important information on asbestos & mesothelioma cancers. We help mesothelioma patients and families make educated decisions about how to proceed with filing asbestos and mesothelioma claims. Those dealing with asbestos cancers face a number of challenges, including the tremendous costs of treatment. If you were unknowingly exposed to harmful levels of asbestos, you have legal rights and there is compensation help available for you.
ASBESTOS ATTORNEY - EXPERIENCE Law firms that we work with concentrate only on asbestos mesothelioma cases. We have experience placing people with experienced asbestos lawyers for five years. We will actually walk you through the process of connecting you with an experienced asbestos lawyer in your state.
We help asbestos and asbestos patients and their families get in touch with legal and medical professionals. We help keep the public aware of new discoveries in treatments for Mesothelioma and Asbestos cancers. We also maintain a current online Mesothelioma Dictionary of Legal & Medical Terms and we keep you up to date on current legal settlements for asbestos cases.
ASBESTOS ATTORNEY CHOICES Deciding which law firm to represent you and your case is very important. Choosing the right lawyer will also be important to your settlement. You are entitled to an experienced mesothelioma lawyer who has a track record of success in asbestos lawsuits
ASBESTOS ATTORNEY - LOSS OF A LOVED ONEIf you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos cancer, or a family member has died as a result, you may be entitled to recover compensation from the companies that made these asbestos products
.ASBESTOS ATTORNEY - FILING A LAWSUIT It is not uncommon for there to be 10-20 parties that are named in an asbestos lawsuit that are located across the United States. For example, a worker in California may have been exposed to asbestos from asbestos products shipped from Libby, Montana or from an iron ore plant in St. Paul Minnesota. This is why it is very important to obtain an experienced mesothelioma lawyer that knows all of the companies in each state who have responsibility for your asbestos exposure.
For those diagnosed with asbestos cancer / mesothelioma it is very important to consult with an experienced asbestos lawyer. In most cases there are funds available for your treatment and personal suffering. Call us Toll Free at 800.291.0963 or use our Mesothelioma Attorney Contact Form located on the right side of this page for a quick response.There is NO COST or obligation for this service.
Did you know? The name Asbestos was given to this mineral by the Ancient Greeks. The word “Asbestos” literally means inextinguishable.
ASBESTOS
Asbestos is made up of microscopic fibers that may become airborne when asbestos containing materials and products are damaged or disturbed. Most asbestos fibers are invisible to the unaided human eye because their size. When asbestos fibers get into the air they may be inhaled into the lungs or swallowed into he digestive system where they can cause significant health problems. The word "asbestos" is derived from a Greek adjective meaning inextinguishable. There are three most commonly used types of asbestos: white, brown, and blue. Brown and blue asbestos are most commonly associated with mesothelioma.
Six minerals are defined as "asbestos" including: chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite.Asbestos was used in many products that were made for protection from heat and flame. This included clothing, such as gloves, to stuffing asbestos insulation into electrical conduit, to using asbestos to make fire proof cloth for use in power plants or petroleum refineries. Asbestos also has excellent insulation and noise deadening qualities. Asbestos was used in many construction products, including floor and ceiling tiles and wall board. Any home built before 1978 probably contains asbestos somewhere.
NEW ASBESTOS CASES
It has been well documented for many years that asbestos exposure can result in the development of deadly cancers, particularly Mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma has a latency period of 20 to 50 years after the first exposure to asbestos. It is estimated that there will be about 250,000 cases of Mesothelioma before 2020.
There are currently about 3000 new cases of Mesothelioma diagnosed per year, mostly in men over the age of 40. About 4,000 People die from Mesothelioma every year, the rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure. During the 20th century, some 30 million tons of asbestos were used in industrial sites, homes, schools, shipyards and commercial buildings in the U. S.
Through 2003, more than 700,000 People have filed claims against more than 6,000 Asbestos companies. These same companies knew of the dangers for many years before ever warning the public of those risks. It is thought that around eight million people in the United States have been exposed to asbestos over the past half a century, and many more cases - are expected to be reported in the next 25 years.
The National Institute of Health in 1978 estimated that eight to eleven million U.S. workers had been exposed to asbestos by that date. In fact, by 1970, it is estimated that some 25 million tons of asbestos were used in the U.S.
ASBESTOS AND MESOTHELIOMA
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma cancer comes from inhaling or digesting asbestos dust particles. Mesothelioma is a life-threatening disease and should not be left untreated. Most cases of mesothelioma begin in the pleura or peritoneum.
Mesothelioma cancer occurs in the thin layer of tissue that covers your internal organs (mesothelium). The mesothelium is a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body. It is composed of two layers of cells: One layer immediately surrounds the organ; the other forms a sac around it.
The mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid that is released between these layers, allowing moving organs (such as the beating heart and the expanding and contracting lungs) to glide easily against adjacent structures.
Mesothelioma is most common in the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart).
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos. There are funds available for asbestos victims.
ASBESTOS EXPOSURE
Millions of Americans and people all over the world have been poisoned by toxic levels of asbestos, putting them at risk for mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other deadly diseases that are directly caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers.Before the grave dangers of asbestos were known, and even for years after the dangers were known, asbestos was used in literally thousands of products that humans and animals encounter every day — particularly in building components such as ceiling and floor tiles, walls, bricks and stucco, and in automotive parts such as brakes and clutches.
People who worked in the asbestos industry or in fields in which asbestos is used as a component of a product are most at risk for mesothelioma. Many individuals who have mesothelioma labored for years or even decades in jobs that required frequent contact with asbestos. When this mineral is mined, processed, woven, sprayed or otherwise manipulated, its microscopic fibers can be released into the air, where they may be inhaled, initiating the development of mesothelioma.Asbestos exposure occurs when the asbestos that is in the products becomes damaged. Once damaged, the asbestos fibers are released into the air. The fibers are microscopic, smaller even than a grain of pollen, and invisible to the naked eye. The asbestos fibers, if inhaled or ingested, can become lodged into the body where it can create severe medical problems. Approximately 100,000 people in the United States have died, or will die, from asbestos exposure related to ship building.There were approximately 4.3 million shipyard workers in the United States during WWII; for every thousand workers about 14 died of mesothelioma and an unknown number died from asbestosis.Occupations that have high rates of asbestos exposure include ship builders, oil refinery workers, steel workers, power plant workers, Navy shipyards, pipe fitters, auto workers, railroad workers and construction workers.
ASBESTOS SYMPTOMS
Asbestos symptoms include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss
Asbestos Signs and Symptoms:
abdominal pain
bowel function problems
chest wall pain
weight loss
pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung
shortness of breath
fatigue or anemia
wheezing, hoarseness, or cough
blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up (hemoptysis)
Asbestos Signs and Symptoms in Severe Cases:
blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis
disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disorder causing severe bleeding in many body organs
jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin
low blood sugar level
pleural effusion
pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs
severe ascites
ASBESTOS AND ASBESTOSIS
Asbestosis is a scarring of lung tissue caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers. A portion of the fibers reach the alveoli (air sacs) where oxygen is transferred into the blood. Asbestos activates the lung's immune system and starts a reaction best described as an inflammatory process. Scavenger white blood cells (macrophages) try to break down the asbestos (phagocytosis) but are not successful, causing other cells (fibroblasts) to grow and form connective-tissue-based scars. The formation of scar tissue or collagen in the lungs is known as fibrosis. The scar tissue slowly builds up, often reducing the lung's ability to deliver oxygen to the blood and remove carbon dioxide (reduced diffusion capacity). The total lung capacity or TLC may also be reduced. In severe cases, the impairment of lung function can strain the heart, or even result in heart disease, such as right-sided heart failure or "cor pulmonale."
Asbestosis and the Inflammatory Process
The inflammatory process starts within hours or days after inhalation of asbestos and injury at the cellular level begins shortly thereafter. In people who develop asbestosis, the inflammatory process continues to progress, fueled by indestructible asbestos fibers, even after exposure to asbestos ceases. This asbestosis inflammatory process may continue undetected for decades causing no pain or respiratory symptoms. In many people, the process eventually produces symptoms-breathing abnormalities and radiographic changes. Usually, the first symptoms are shortness of breath and a dry cough. These symptoms often precede abnormalities on chest x-ray or pulmonary function tests. The period between exposure and diagnosis is called "latency" and may range from 10 to 50 years.Asbestosis is a chronic inflammation of the lungs. The inflammation is a direct result of exposure to asbestos. Asbestosis is a progressive disease with no cure. The inflammation causes shortness of breath, which will get progressively worse as the disease progresses. Physicians can treat some of the symptoms of asbestosis with auxiliary oxygen, but it will not cure the disease. Death due to asbestosis occurs by respiratory failure.
ASBESTOS AND SMOKING
Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and asbestos cancer and smoking. Smoking does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma and asbestos. However, the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person’s risk of developing cancer of the lungs.The Kent brand of cigarettes used asbestos in its filters for the first few years of production in the 1950s and some cases of mesothelioma and asbestos have resulted. Smoking modern cigarettes does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma and asbestos.The combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person's risk of developing cancer of the airways (lung cancer, bronchial carcinoma). If you do smoke, stop. In addition to mesothelioma and asbestosis, there is research that indicates that those who suffer from asbestos exposure and smoke are at a greatly increased risk of developing mesothelioma and asbestos lung cancer.
ASBESTOS HISTORICAL USAGE
The name Asbestos was given to this mineral by the Ancient Greeks. The word “Asbestos” literally means inextinguishable. The Greeks termed asbestos the "miracle mineral" because of its soft and pliant properties, as well as its ability to withstand heat.The Greek geographer Strabo and the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder noted that the material damaged lungs of slaves who wove it into cloth.Asbestos became increasingly popular among manufacturers and builders in the late 19th century due to its resistance to heat, electricity and chemical damage, its ability to absorb sound.By the mid 20th century asbestos use included fire retardant coatings, concrete, bricks, pipes and fireplace cement, heat, fire, and acid resistant gaskets, pipe insulation, ceiling insulation, fireproof drywall, flooring, roofing, lawn furniture, and drywall joint compound. Asbestos has been mined and used commercially since the late 1800s. It was used widely used during World War II.
WHAT YOU NEED TOP KNOW ABOUT ASBESTOS
By 1970, it is estimated that some 25 million tons of asbestos were used in the U.S. A history of asbestos exposure in the workplace is reported in about 80 percent of all mesothelioma cases. Eight million people in the United States have been exposed to asbestos over the past half a century.
Studies estimate that approximately 3,000 different types of commercial products include asbestos.
The National Institute of Health in 1978 estimated that eight to eleven million U.S. workers had been exposed to asbestos by that date.
Through 2003, more than 700,000 People had filed claims against more than 6,000 Asbestos companies. Many building materials used in both public and domestic premises prior to the banning of asbestos may still contain asbestos. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) set limits for acceptable levels of asbestos exposure in the workplace. In 2005, 2.2 million tons of asbestos were mined worldwide. Russia was the largest producer with about 40% world share followed by China and Kazakhstan.The first documented death related to asbestos was in 1906. In the early 1900s researchers began to notice a large number of early deaths and lung problems in asbestos mining towns.
The term Mesothelioma was not used in medical literature until 1931, and was not associated with asbestos until sometime in the 1940s.Asbestos exposure becomes a health concern when high concentrations of asbestos fibers are inhaled over a long time periodAsbestos was used in the first 40 floors of the World Trade Center towers causing an airborne contamination among lower Manhattan after the towers collapsed in the attacks on September 11th, 2001
Inhaled asbestos fibers remain in the body and cannot be expelled. Because of this, the fibers can easily penetrate body tissues and may deposit themselves in airways and in the lung tissue.
It is estimated that 27.5 million Americans were exposed to asbestos between 1940 and 1979. Mesothelioma has a latency period of 20 to 50 years after the first exposure to asbestos. Many asbestos-containing products remain in buildings, ships, industrial facilities and other environments where the fibers can become airborne. Mesothelioma from asbestos occurs more often in men than in women and risk increases with age, but this disease can appear in either men or women at any age. Family members and others living with asbestos workers have an increased risk of developing mesothelioma, and possibly other asbestos related diseases. If you are a grieving family member or executor of the will of a person who has died from asbestos-related disease or mesothelioma, you may be eligible to file a claim as well.
ASBESTOS LAWSUIT - Note of Urgency
The first known asbestos lawsuit was in 1929 in New Jersey. The first diagnosis of asbestosis was made in England in 1924. The first known US workers' compensation claim for asbestos disease was in 1927.Asbestos litigation is the longest, most expensive mass tort in U.S. history, involving more than 8,400 defendants and 730,000 claimants as of 2002 according to the RAND CorporationAnalysts have estimated that the total costs of asbestos litigation in the USA alone is over $250 billion.In 1999 recorded a whopping 200,000 cases pending in the Federal court system of the United States It is estimated that within the next 40 years asbestos cases may grow to seven hundred thousand cases. These numbers help explain how there are thousands of current pending cases.An experienced Asbestos LAWYER understands the unique complexities involved in this kind of litigation lawsuit, including asbestos product identification, specific asbestos-related medical issues, and specific time constraints that narrow the window of opportunity to file a claim. It's important to find the right Asbestos lawyer before your state's statutes of limitations expire, leaving you and your family grieving and empty-handed. There's no time to wait - contact our Asbestos lawyers today for a free case review.
It is not uncommon for there to be 10-20 parties that are named in an Asbestos lawsuit that are located across the United States. For example, a worker in California may have been exposed to asbestos from asbestos products shipped from Libby, Montana or from an iron ore plant in St. Paul Minnesota. This is why it is very important to obtain an experienced Asbestos lawyer knows all of the companies in each state who have responsibility for your asbestos exposure.
We have helped people with Asbestos cancer for more than five years on the Internet. The Asbestos Help Center is designed to give you quick & simple answers about Asbestos treatments, asbestos exposure, Asbestos diagnosis, Asbestos symptoms, Asbestos doctors, and we can refer you to an experienced Asbestos lawyer in who has successfully settled Asbestos cases.