How Do You Get Mesothelioma?

Between 2,000 and 4,000 people every year are stricken with mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that affects the cells of the membranes that surround the body’s internal organs.  Incredibly, those people who are currently being diagnosed with this asbestos-caused disease were actually infected anywhere from 10 to 50 years ago.  This is due to the fact that there is a long latency period between the time that a person is exposed to asbestos and the time that he or she begins to show symptoms of mesothelioma.

If you’re worried that you or a loved one may have the disease, the law firm of Belluck & Fox, LLP, is available to answer your questions and discuss your concerns, or simply point you in the right direction.  You can also find vital information at our dedicated mesothelioma website.

While you may not realize it, asbestos is all around us.  This fibrous silicate mineral is found in more than 5,000 products, especially those utilized in building materials.  The risks associated with using asbestos were not widely publicized until the 1970s and many of its uses were then banned.  Nevertheless, asbestos continues to be a threat due to the structures that were built before the bans and the long latency period of mesothelioma.

The longer a person is exposed to asbestos, the higher the risk for developing mesothelioma.  Although people can be exposed to asbestos in a number of ways, the most common path to exposure is in the workplace for several occupations. Workers may also have unknowingly exposed their family members to mesothelioma by bringing home the highly toxic asbestos fibers on their clothing or hair.  This type of “second-hand” exposure to asbestos is known as para-occupational exposure.

The following occupations present the highest risk for workers exposed to asbestos fibers:

The following is a general list provided by the Environmental Protection Agency intended to show the types of materials containing asbestos. It does not include all products containing asbestos.

It is important to note that although mesothelioma chiefly affects the lungs, it is not a lung cancer and is not caused by smoking.  Mesothelioma is actually a cancer of the mesothelium – the membrane that covers most of the body’s internal organs.  The membrane that encloses the lungs is called the pleura.  Thus, exposure to asbestos may result in pleural mesothelioma.

Generally, a person with mesothelioma will experience chest pain and shortness of breath.  These symptoms may be improperly attributed to other medical problems.  A proper diagnosis may not be made until a biopsy reveals the cancer of the mesothelial cells.  At that point, a history of the person’s occupational exposure will likely be taken.  Although a person may not recall asbestos exposure, it is the unfortunate truth that even brief, low level exposures may be enough to cause mesothelioma.  There is no cure for mesothelioma, but several treatments are available to help stop the disease from spreading and decrease the amount of pain associated with it.

The harsh reality of mesothelioma is that it was a preventable disease.  Many of the corporations that manufactured and profited from the sale of asbestos-containing products knew or could have known of the health hazards as early as the 1920's.  Although there were alternative fibers available at that time, corporations chose instead to use asbestos because it was cheap and easily obtainable.  Ignoring the deadly risks associated with asbestos, corporations elected to recklessly use it until most asbestos products were banned in the 1980s.  Corporations did not even issue warnings about the asbestos in their products until the 1960s and such warnings were extremely inadequate.  The result is that many Americans have unnecessarily and tragically contracted asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma, other cancers, and asbestosis (a scarring of the lung or pleural tissue).

Mesothelioma lawsuits often result in large settlements and verdicts against the manufacturers and sellers of asbestos products.  This is not accidental.  Jurors who have the opportunity to review internal corporate documents are outraged by the actual knowledge of these corporations as well as the knowledge that these corporations could have accessed about the dangers of asbestos.

The New York Mesothelioma Lawyers of Belluck & Fox
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