Asbestos is a known carcinogen, as indicated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Those exposed to asbestos, either knowingly or unknowingly, can develop mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
Many people that develop lung cancer have no idea how they came in contact with asbestos. This is often due to the fact that asbestos exposure typically occurs decades before the development of cancer. If you received a diagnosis of mesothelioma or lung cancer, consider calling our legal team to help you better understand your legal rights and how a Bloomington asbestos lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 217-6099 can work with you to ensure you receive the compensation you may have a right to under the law.
The Asbestos and Mesothelioma Connection
Mesothelioma is one type of asbestos-related disease. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that can occur in the lining of the lungs, the abdomen (peritoneum), the heart (pericardium), or around the testes. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that occurs after the inhalation or absorption of asbestos-containing products or due to asbestos exposure.
When a person inhales or absorbs asbestos, it can enter the body and lay dormant for many decades in a completely benign manner. However, at some point, the sharp shards of the mesothelioma strands begin to change the cells around them, turning them into mesothelioma, an aggressive type of cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Scientists, physicians, and researchers remain unable to determine exactly why these shards develop into mesothelioma in some patients and not in others, and why it remains dormant for so many years. However, once the reaction begins and mesothelioma develops, the process of cancer spreading is often quite rapid.
Why It Matters Where a Victim Receives Asbestos Exposure
Many victims of mesothelioma have no idea where they were exposed to asbestos in their lifetimes. A Bloomington asbestos lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can often help victims consider different areas of their history in order to better determine where the asbestos exposure may have occurred.
Knowing and understanding where the asbestos exposure occurred remains important, as it may indicate which company or entity is actually liable for the asbestos exposure. Determining how a victim received asbestos exposure can help ensure that they have the legal ability to hold that company or entity liable for their injuries and losses. The following are some different types of ways that a victim may become exposed to asbestos, which can then develop into lung cancer.
Employment Asbestos Exposure
Some working environments are simply more dangerous than others. If a person was working in an environment that contained asbestos, they would have a greater risk of developing lung cancer over their lifetime. Some of the types of working conditions or work that would potentially lead to the development of asbestos-related diseases could include:
- Asbestos mining industries
- Asbestos processing industries
- Talc mining industries (as talc is typically found in the ground near asbestos)
- Power plants
- Chemical plants
- Shipyard environments
- Construction sites
- Boiler workers
- Home renovation employment (specifically those that remove asbestos-containing products such as ceilings and walls)
- Firefighters (due to the asbestos-containing products in ceilings and walls)
- Insulation workers
- Certain military services
- Auto mechanics (working on vehicles before 1980)
These industries are not the only ones that exposed workers to asbestos. Your work environment may have had asbestos exposure without you knowing it at the time.
Family Member Exposure
Just as all of the different work environments listed above can expose a person to asbestos, those same workers often come home and then expose their families to asbestos. Because asbestos is such a thin, light, and fine type of material, it tends to rest on people’s hair, skin, and clothing.
When workers exposed to asbestos would come home from work, their family members may suffer exposure if they hug them, interact with them, or even take their dirty clothes to wash them. The asbestos particles could then enter the family member’s body through inhalation.
Talc-Containing Product Exposure
Scientists and those in the medical community have known for decades that there was a connection between asbestos and mesothelioma. More than that, since 1971, scientists knew that there was also a link between talc and the development of mesothelioma.
As previously stated, this is due to the fact that talc is often found in the ground near pockets of asbestos. Therefore, some talc does contain asbestos. As a result, many people who used talc-containing products over the past few decades are at a greater risk of developing asbestos-related diseases.
For a free legal consultation with a Asbestos Lawyer serving Bloomington, call (800) 794-0444
How Asbestos Victims Receive Compensation
If a victim can prove that their exposure to asbestos caused their lung cancer, they may have the legal right to pursue compensation from the party that exposed them. This could be a makeup or beauty product company that sold items containing asbestos-laden talc or an employer that knowingly exposed employees and their families to asbestos without warning.
While every victim will have a different set of facts and circumstances, the types of compensation that a victim may have the legal right to pursue include medical costs, lost income, future medical costs, loss of future income, and pain and suffering. The calculations regarding the compensation that an asbestos victim has the right to receive can prove legally complex and challenging to compute.
Make sure that you understand all of your legal rights by hiring a Bloomington asbestos lawyer to help you better determine your next steps.
Bloomington Asbestos Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
Consider Hiring an Attorney from Our Firm
If you received a diagnosis of lung cancer from asbestos exposure, consider visiting with our legal team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 217-6099 to learn how a lawyer can help you work out exactly where you received asbestos exposure and find the responsible party to compensate you for all of your injuries and losses. There are certain deadlines that exist for mesothelioma victims, so time is of the essence for bringing a mesothelioma claim.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
