Mesothelioma & Asbestos

During the twentieth century, up until the late 1970s, a mineral was used for a vast range of purposes, and it soon became known as a wonderful, cost effective material that could be used by many professions. This mineral was asbestos, and it was used in a wide range of goods, from insulation in building, to piping, floor and ceiling tiles, insulation, auto brakes, and even household goods such as toasters. The cost effectiveness and fire retardant properties of asbestos made it into a hugely popular material used by a number of difference professions.

However, by the 1980s the bubble burst, as many people realized that this wasn’t a wonderful, perfect material at all, but a hazardous substance that could cause a range of dangerous health effects and could even lead to death. One of the most dangerous and notable diseases that can result from long term or frequent exposure to asbestos fibers is mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that is on the rise in many countries around the world.

Mesothelioma is a cancer that can affect the lungs (pleural mesothelioma), the abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma), or the heart (pericardial mesothelioma). The unique thing about this form of cancer is the latency period – it can take several decades or more for symptoms of the cancer to manifest from the exposure to asbestos, which means that people that have contracted this cancer do not find out that they actually have the disease for 20, 30, even 50 years. Once the symptoms have developed, the patient’s life span can be shortened to a matter of months. The long latency period and non-specific symptoms associated with mesothelioma can make it very difficult to diagnose, thus causing additional delays. To date there is no long-term treatment or cure for this cancer.

Many people that are now discovering that they have mesothelioma are just starting to enjoy their retirement, many of them having worked with asbestos in their younger years. This cancer tends to affect a high number of men in their 60's and 70's, because these are the people that worked with asbestos on a daily basis 30 or 40 years ago.

The concerning thing about asbestos – apart from the obvious ill health effects – is that it is thought that many manufacturers and companies that produced and used asbestos were well aware of the deadly effects since the 1920s. However, they continued to use asbestos widely in all sorts of industries, and moreover did not warn nor protect employees that were working with this substance. By making employees work obliviously with asbestos on a daily basis, these companies had effectively signed the death warrant of many of them.
It was not just those working with asbestos without protection that were at risk. Their families could also find themselves exposed to asbestos through the clothes, hair and skin of their loved ones. In some cases, the wives of asbestos workers contracted mesothelioma simply by breathing in asbestos fibers from washing the clothes of their husbands.

These days, asbestos litigation has become a big business, and many people have sued manufacturers and irresponsible companies for millions of dollars. Of course, the money does not make up for the shortened life span or the pain and suffering, but this compensation is to cover medical expenses incurred as a result of contracting mesothelioma, as well as to provide a secure financial future for the family of the sufferer after he or she has passed on.

There are now many lawyers in operation that specialize in mesothelioma cases, and these mesothelioma and asbestos lawyers offer expertise and skills that will help you to get the compensation you deserve from those responsible for your illness. An experienced lawyer will be able to take the necessary action to determine which manufacturers or companies should be help responsible for your illness, and can put together a solid lawsuit to increase your chances of a successful claim. If you are the relative of someone that has already passed away from mesothelioma, you should still contact a specialist lawyer in order to get compensation for pain and suffering of your loved one.

Most mesothelioma lawyers work on a contingency fee, which means that you won’t have to pay a cent up front. You will only pay if and when you receive a settlement, at which point the mesothelioma lawyer will take a percentage of the settlement as a fee for his services. It is important to seek legal assistance as soon as possible, as most states have statutes of limitation, which means that you have to file your claim within a certain time period. You should find out what the statutes of limitation are within your state, and contact a mesothelioma lawyer as early on as possible in the event that you are diagnosed with this disease.

What to consider before hiring a mesothelioma lawyer?

Mesothelioma is a cancer in the mesothelium or the sac that protects the internal organs in the human’s body. As this is a kind of cancer, this happens when the cells abnormally grow. This kind of disease is linked with a carcinogen, the asbestos and it is said that exposure to this kind of chemical caused mesothelioma. Most individuals that have this kind of disease have the cancer in the lining of the heart or lungs. This is actually a serious case and there are different aspects of the treatment that must be done. If your loved one has mesothelioma, there may be a big help if you consider hiring a mesothelioma lawyer.

When an individual has mesothelioma, he may have acquired the disease through the exposure from the harmful chemical. Thus, if the company that you worked for is the reason why you have the disease, you may ask the help of a mesothelioma lawyer so that you can get help from the company in terms of paying for the medical expenses. The bill for the chemo therapy and other treatment sessions may be too large and as you are sick, you may not have a stable job to support your needs. Thus, having a mesothelioma lawyer to help you get financial claims may be your way of surviving and keeping your family secured.

As the need for a mesothelioma lawyer is already established, you may now start looking for the lawyer that can supply you with your needs. You should make sure that the individual that you hire is someone that has the right amount of knowledge regarding mesothelioma cases. This will help you get your goals achieved. Also, your mesothelioma lawyer needs to be someone that you can freely talk to. His knowledge is important but you must make sure that you can communicate well and understand each other. This is important so that you can be sure that you will know what the status of your case is and your mesothelioma lawyer will also understand what you need and want to achieve.

An additional consideration in getting a mesothelioma lawyer would be the amount of time that this person may allot for handling your case. You wouldn not want an incompetent mesothelioma lawyer handling your most sensitive legal case so do the necessary screening processes so that you can ensure that your needs are met. When you are able to get experienced and aggressive mesothelioma lawyers handling your case, it would not be difficult to get your financial settlement. You will then have a more peaceful time in your recovery because there is still a chance for you to get better. These mesothelioma lawyers may only help you financially but his help may be a big contribution on your strength and eagerness to recover and get into better health.

Getting legal settlement form the companies that may have caused your sickness may vary from one person to another. However, you must ensure that you get the highest possible compensation since the payment of the medical fees is high. Your mesothelioma lawyer may be a big help for you or he may even be the cause of the failure of your case. Thus, careful selection must be done.

Mesothelioma, your health and legal right.

This story-article will open your eyes to the danger you might presently be living with and not know plus, the legal option open to you as a redress.

John has been sick for months, he has finally been diagnosed to have a rare cancer disease medically know as mesothelioma. He is about being hospitalised for a possible cure of the disease on his lungs, heart and abdominal cavities.

If you come down with mesothelioma, chemotherapy, usually the first option open to doctors as part of cancer analysis will be your first treatment experience, after which you might be subjected to radiation therapy, immuno-augmentative therapy or surgery as the last resort. You sure don't want John's condition, do you?

Most victims do not know that they had contracted this very rare cancer. Mesothelioma may silently damage cells of the affected organs for as long as 40 years before health problem symptoms become noticeable. Worse is that symptoms usually happen in retirement when your income, most likely, would have dropped below your expenditure.

From all indications, John is very sick and obviously his well being has been greatly impaired, which must have shortened his life span. His income now barely meets his basic needs due to lost work-hours as a result of mesothelioma. He is in a dilemma regarding how to handle his condition.

But unknown to John, he has a legal right to file for compensation against his former employers. Majority of the articles on mesothelioma, victims and compensation on the internet are unequivocal that anyone who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma having been exposed to asbestos, the chief cause of this rare cancer, is entitled to compensation.

Aside from the inconveniences of illness, their life span has been shortened considerably by the disease contracted in circumstances that did not make the inherent danger of asbestos known to the victim. Using this argument experienced mesothelioma lawyers win claims for their clients, basically pleading the invariable loss of health and active life associated with the rare cancer.

Companies that produced or whose raw material were or still asbestos cannot hoodwink the law on the fact that they knew how dangerous asbestos was to health, but deliberately did not inform their employees as a policy.

Since it takes too long before mesothelioma symptoms begin to appear, tens of thousands of people in the United States may have died of this disease without being recorded as mesothelioma victims. Recorded deaths associated with mesothelioma are also in tens of thousands too.

Asbestos factories, Building and Construction works are among the frequently mentioned culprits for this scenario. And most victims never even know that they were or are mesothelioma positive till it is too late.

The symptoms that John came down with are; shortness of breath, chest pain, abdominal pain, coughing and exhaustion . And I have also read that soon his immune system will become overworked and weakened fighting mesothelioma.

Now, if like John, you or anyone you know had worked or works with asbestos, then inform them, and hurry up to a medical check up. If you test positive, look for a mesothelioma lawyer who can defend your claim.

A competent mesothelioma lawyer must be abreast of the symptoms of the disease to be able to win your claim for you, so ask him questions about the disease to test his knowledge before hiring him.

Author: Jackson Neshah

All About a Mesothelioma Lawyer

When someone is diagnosed with mesothelioma, they may find that they need an attorney to help them with their case. This is a disease that is rare, and there is little to be said about the condition. The rate of this disease is on the increase and there are new lawyers that are trying to settle many cases for different people. They have stepped in for the rights of the people to help them with their case.

Many victims of this disease need to have a mesothelioma lawyer to help them with their fight. These lawyers and law firms will deal with the victims and their families to help them claim the right compensation that they deserve from the companies that are responsible for their problems. These lawsuits result in a lot of money being won by the families when the right lawyer or firm handles them.

Handling asbestos causes mesothelioma. This comes from working in an environment that is affected by this deadly material or by someone that is contracted to remove it. Most of the time, the workers are made clear of the dangers that can be caused by working with this type of material. However, some employers will allow little or no protection from the material when the employees are handling it. These workers are entitled to compensation for their work.
Today there are many mesothelioma lawyers to choose from and there are many that are right for you. Many of these lawyers have dealt with this type of suit in the past and know the correct way to handle it. Those people that are looking for a lawyer should choose someone with a good history and experience in this type of case. Most lawyers are happy to provide clients with information that may be helpful in using them for your services. They will show past cases with the names deleted to show proof of their victory.

It is a good idea to find out if the mesothelioma lawyer that you are looking into has won any of their cases or not. These elements can make all the difference when it comes to trying to find the right lawyer to help you with your situation. It is a good idea to do as much research as you can on the entire situation. You may be able to determine your future when you choose their right mesothelioma lawyer for you and your case.

When it comes to being sick with a disease that could have been prevented, it is hard to deal with. Finding the right mesothelioma lawyer to help you in your fight against these companies is a good start. You will be fighting for something that means so much to a lot of people and it will be worth it in the end.

Author: Ivar Rudi

:: Mesothelioma: Legal Ramifications ::

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that attacks the linings of the lungs and the intestinal tract, and also the sac covering the heart. It is also called epithelial mesothelioma, as it affects the membrane in the pleura, the pericardium and the peritoneum. It is not lung-cancer per se. The mesothelioma-lung cancer confusion has been there earlier. Mesothelioma is merely a form of cancer that affects the lining covering the lungs. It comes in three forms:

? Pleural mesothelioma
? Peritoneal mesothelioma
? Pericardial mesothelioma

Causes of Mesothelioma
The primary cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. This can be direct exposure at the work place, or secondary exposure (when the victim is exposed to asbestos through coming in contact with someone who has already been exposed to asbestos). Despite all the pain and the loss that the workers faced, there was some hope in the form of legal recourse. Workers started suing the plants they worked in, and soon the legal battle against mesothelioma reached epic proportions. Even today, there are around 3,000 cases of mesothelioma being diagnosed in the United States every year. While the treatment is painful and not always successful, these mesothelioma victims at least have the hope of monetary compensation to help them fight mesothelioma.

The first manifestations of mesothelioma were seen as early as the 1950s and the 1960s. At that time, the workers in plants and other work areas that used asbestos in some form or the other were unaware of the lethal side of asbestos. The management at these work areas ? docks, industrial plants, equipment manufacturers, and many more, the list is endless ? soon came to know of the adverse effects of asbestos. However, for some reason they kept quiet about it. Their focus was on reduced costs and profits, it seems, and they remained mum about the harmful effects that asbestos could have on their workers. Asbestos, after all, had huge advantages over other material, which was why it was used so much irrespective of the genre of industry. This over the years proved to be a very, very costly error on their part.

Mesothelioma Litigation ? Did it Help?
The implications of asbestos use are staggering, primarily because of the range of products it is used in. From office buildings to toasters to car brakes to shipyards, asbestos was used almost across the breadth of the industrial sector. A publication in 1935 by the American Journal of Cancer - Pulmonary Asbestosis: Carcinoma of the Lung in Asbesto-Silicosis ? first raised the suspicions of people from the research and medical fields of the connection between the presence of asbestos and the unusually high death rates and lung-related diseases in the industrial sector. This connection was confirmed in 1955, and soon the continued use of asbestos despite knowing about its deadlier side became a legal nightmare for the industrial sector. Mesothelioma litigation in the United States has enabled mesothelioma victims win hundreds of thousands of dollars in lawsuits from their callous employers. It has been one of the successes in the battle against mesothelioma indirectly, and against the irresponsible attitudes of the management of workplaes that used asbestos, directly.

The Legal Aspect of Mesothelioma
Over the years, the legal benefits that mesothelioma victims have received have been enormous. The symptoms of mesothelioma manifest much after the initial inhalation of the asbestos fibers. Mesothelioma treatment is also painful and expensive. The compensations awarded to them have helped them at least cover their medical expenses. Nowadays there are mesothelioma law firms ? law firms that specialize in mesothelioma. They have trained mesothelioma lawyers and mesothelioma attorneys. These lawyers specialize in mesothelioma compensation cases.

It can happen that a victim may shy away from legal recourse because they fel that they do not have adequate financial support to pay the lawyer. However, this is a scenario they need not worry about. All they have to do is contact a mesothelioma support group, or a mesothelioma help group. These are present all over the United States. The patient can also go online and put a search for mesothelioma legal assistance cells by typing mesothelioma and then typing the name of the state or area they are from in the search field of the search engine they are using. This is not a fixed rule ? they can type it in any order. For example ? mesothelioma California, mesothelioma Texas, mesothelioma lawyer texas, New York mesothelioma, California mesothelioma lawyer, etc.

How are Mesothelioma Lawyers so Successful?
One of the basic things in awarding compensation is for the judge or the jury to decide whether the harm done was intentional, or whether it was the result of a choice the victim made, in simple terms. In many cases, the circumstance of a victim is a result of a choice he or she made. For example, in a smoking-related cancer case, the choice to smoke was made by the victim. However, in the case of mesothelioma, the situation is different. The circumstance of mesothelioma in the victim could have been averted if only his employers had been more careful, had made him aware about the risks the job entailed, and then let him choose, besides providing him whatever protection required to prevent him from being exposed to asbestos. This is one area that mesothelioma lawyers and mesothelioma attorneys have been able to successfully work on.

After the initial slew of mesothelioma cases and lawsuits, now laws are firmly in place to safeguard the health interests of the worker. Besides, in the event of someone actually suffering from mesothelioma, there are some guidelines towards seeking legal redress for them as well. Mesothelioma law is strict and helps provide fair verdicts in mesothelioma-related compensation cases.

Guidelines for Mesothelioma Victims Seeking Legal Action
The primary rule of thumb while filing a mesothelioma lawsuit is that it has to be filed immediately on diagnosis of the disease. In fact, in many of the states across the United States, mesothelioma laws stipulating the timeframe within which a lawsuit can be filed are in place. On diagnosis, you can contact a mesothelioma lawyer through your local mesothelioma activists or mesothelioma group for more mesothelioma information relating to lawsuits. The work of a mesothelioma lawyer or mesothelioma attorney is not limited to just fighting your case. A mesothelioma attorney usually has an extensive network of contacts ? other victims, mesothelioma case histories, good treatment facilities, nature of treatment options available, in fact, for most mesothelioma-related information. His specialization is a distinct advantage over a lawyer who doesn't have too much of an idea about mesothelioma.

The government is also taking steps to ensure that workers are safe from exposure to asbestos. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has passed laws and regulations stipulating safety measures and also has set in motion plans to ban and phase out the use of asbestos as much as possible.