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.

::Avail Compensation for Treatment of Mesothelioma::

Cancer still does not have any answer. Mesothelioma does not fall under any exceptional category of cancer. Death is the ultimate answer for Mesothelioma. It is not that you have been diagnosed of suffering from Mesothelioma and the very next day you will be no more in this world. After undergoing a thorough treatment and staying in proper care and protection you can stay well carrying this disease in you.

Employer at fault
The treatment is expensive and you are not to be blamed to bring this disease within you. You are a mere victim. It is just because your employer didn’t take care of the situation and due to the adverse conditions of the surroundings you have been working for years; today you are a patient of Mesothelioma. The employer, the organization should be penalized for such ill means that have brought your life at stake and you also know that you will never recover.

Compensative claims
Mesothelioma takes a longer duration to be diagnosed properly. As there are no direct symptoms, it becomes tough to understand what is the trouble area a patient is facing. He might have pain in the chest, some abdominal problems but all these due to Mesothelioma cannot be confirmed instantly.

Law takes quickstep to help you out at least with the monetary support you need to carry out your treatment. If it is found out through different medical tests and confirmed that you are suffering from Mesothelioma and that is typically Asbestos related disorder, you can file a lawsuit against the company you have been serving for years.

In the last two decades around the globe the Mesothelioma legal cases have propelled in numbers. This has happened with the spreading of the awareness of this particular disease and also with the knowledge that why this disease happens and how law takes your side to help you in this adverse situation.

You might be astonished to know that in the US even such cases are in the record where the compensation has touched millions of dollars. More and more NGOs are working for the better cause of the society and spreading out mass awareness regarding the disease, its treatment and its legal aspect. Both the Government and the voluntary organizations are working to eradicate this problem and guide the victims in the right direction so that at least they can avail the compensation amount to run their livelihood.

Author: Johnporter

Common Factor Between Mesothelioma And Money

Apart from the common “m”, is there anything else in common between Mesothelioma and money? This is no kidding. Mesothelioma is as valid as a legal issue as it is one of the biggest medical concerns since the last century.

The first so called diagnosed case of Mesothelioma came forward in from of this whole world in the 1890s. And the first ever legal step against step to compensate for the cause of Mesothelioma was taken in 1929. Within a gap of around forty years the medical case took a new dimension to form a legal case as well.

Mesothelioma as a disease
You must have a comprehensive idea about Mesothelioma. A severe disorder in the human body that affects the body’s most protective outline covering the crucial internal organs like the abdomen, heart and lungs. The disease is called Mesothelioma that is caused mainly due to inhalation of asbestos dust in the form of airborne particles mostly when your body remains continuously in an environment full of asbestos particles and fibers.

You are right. The next thing you would like to know is how a person will come in contact with such huge amount of asbestos. It is only possible if the person works in an asbestos firm or stays in a place where an asbestos milling company is in close proximity. The first one is a direct threat though the second one can be to some extent considered passive.

What is legal in Mesothelioma?
Till this point it is okay that Mesothelioma is a lethal disorder in the human body and the patient can at the most live for three years from the period of diagnosis of this disease. Till date the Medical reports have given this record yet several researches are taking place across the globe to combat Mesothelioma from its roots. But does it allow you smell something legal in it? Not yet!

Mesothelioma becomes legal because Mesothelioma can be checked completely through some preventive measures. The industries don’t maintain the pollution control measures and compel their workers to suffer from the asbestos dust. Most of the consequences result out of negligence from the authority’s side and ignorance from the patient’s part. Thus a legal case can always be filed and fought. If you as a patient can prove that you are a victim of such a situation that was forcefully imposed on you and you were unaware of the ill consequences, you can earn even millions of dollars as compensation. So did you get the justified way to find the connection between the “m” factor between money and Mesothelioma?

:: Mesothelioma is Serious Cancer ::

Mesothelioma is serious cancer and asbestos is main cause. During in 1940 and 1950s constructions community used asbestos as the best thing to happen after cement for construction industry. Asbestos was applied greatly in insulator and ceiling tiles in homes, schools and factories because to high degree of stability and resistance to very high temperatures.

Nonetheless, asbestos is capable of causing harm, contaminant. It has trend to break into small parts and remain stay in the air for longer durations. For individual who is that comes in contact it, becomes attackable to serious disease to lung cancer or mesothelioma lung cancers.

What types of Mesothelioma?
Name of Mesothelioma, asbestos related cancer, acquires its name from the mesothelium cells that are responsible for protecting and enabling easy movement of our vital organs such as lungs, heart and the abdomen in the body. Mesothelioma is generally of three types, pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma and pericardial mesothelioma.

If a person is suffering from hoarseness, difficulty in breathing, loss in weight, coughing, blood in sputum, chest pain, weak muscles, reduced tactile sensitivity, he may be suffering from Pleural mesothelioma or the cancer of lining of the lungs. This is the most common type of mesothelioma and almost two-thirds of the mesothelioma patients suffer from pleural mesothelioma. The Peritoneal mesothelioma or cancer of the lining of the abdomen causes impaired bowel motion, bloating, swelling in feet, and nausea. This is less common among mesothelioma patients and it affects one-third of the mesothelioma patients. Pericardial mesothelioma is of the cancer of lining of the heart. It is also caused because of asbestos exposure. However, its prevalence is rare. Pericardial mesothelioma manifests in the form of chest pain, palpitations and cough.
Lawsuits related to Mesothelioma:

The dangerous consequences of long term contact with asbestos and its linkage to mesothelioma cancers has led to several lawsuits against its manufacturers. The manufactures were claimed by the attorneys that they were aware of the capable of causing harm affects of asbestos exposure and yet persisted with its use for profit motives. This is the reason why juries have ordered stringent awards in many mesothelioma and asbestos related lawsuits.

Author: Alexandra D

:: MESOTHELIOMA CLINICAL TRIALS ::

Clinical trials are studies of new drugs to test their effectiveness and safety on humans. There are Clinical trials in progress for drugs for a wide range of illnesses, including mesothelioma. There are benefits and pitfalls to participating in such trails and it is vital that you understand these beforehand. For example, you may need to travel further to be treated at a larger cancer center for even just your routine tests and treatments. However, you will be treated by the best doctors who are considered experts in their field, usually at the best facilities. You should also consider the risk that whilst the drug you are using may eventually be proved to be a wonder drug it could also be proved to be less effective than the current available treatments.

The criteria for eligibility for clinical trials varies. There are some trials which require that you have had no treatment prior to starting and others that will only allow participation after other treatments have failed. Your doctor will be able to advise on the suitability of each trial.

In order to test the new drug against the current standard some trials work by giving half the patients the new drug and half a current drug. You will be told if this is to be the case beforehand. The use of placebos, where the pill is a fake and contains no active ingredients, is rare in cancer trials.

All clinical trials are divided into phases

Phase I
Enrol a small group in order to test how the drugs and procedures should be administered.

Phase II
Provides early information about the success rate, safety and benefits of the new drug or procedure.

Phase III
Where drugs or treatments appear promising they are compared against the current standard using a larger group of candidates.

Anyone interested in participating in a clinical trial should discuss the particular trial thoroughly with their doctor before a making a decision on whether it is right for them.

Author: andy bowen