Asbestos is everywhere. Even in this day and age, asbestos can cause serious medical problems or even death to those who work around asbestos or inhale it for long periods of time.
If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos related disease, you need to seek the legal advice of an experienced asbestos lawyer Los Angeles as soon as possible after your diagnosis.
Asbestos can lead to serious health issues. Perhaps the two most serious are lung fibrosis disease and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a cancer that has been linked to long term exposure to asbestos.
The removal of asbestos is a dangerous job. Workers are properly suited and protected from the dangerous fibers. However, many come in contact with asbestos on a daily basis without even knowing it.
Asbestos was first mined because it was discovered to be very heat resistant. Therefore, it was used in many things such as building materials. It was even used in making some clothing because of its ability to retain heat.
Be sure that the Los Angeles attorney you choose is experienced in handling cases of asbestos. Make sure they specialize in cases of mesothelioma and lung fibrosis. Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions before selecting the right California asbestos attorney. But don’t wait to long in making this decision as there just may be a restricted time limit in which you can file a claim. Each state may have different limitations.
Asbestos attorney’s will also be aware of any government regulations surrounding the limits to the exposure of asbestos.Which levels may be considered safe and which levels may be life threatening. These levels, per latest regulations are, the amount of fibers one is exposed to in a given period of time. For example, exposure should not exceed 1.0 fiber per cubic centimeter in a 30 minute period and should not exceed 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter during an eight hour period.
Billions of dollars have been paid out to victims over the years in asbestos law suites and perhaps billions more are pending in our court systems today. But its getting a little harder to win these cases all the time. A qualified asbestos attorney will devote all the time necessary to investigate your case. Was an employer or their company negligent? Many questions need to be answered and a good Los Angeles asbestos attorney knows all the right questions.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Asbestos is Everywhere. Even in This Day and Age, Asbestos Can Cause Serious Medical Problems and Even Death
Monday, July 19, 2010
Medical Experts Deem Asbestos as industrial Manslaughter
At the 2008 President’s Cancer Panel in September, medical experts demanded that the industrial manslaughter of millions of American workers be addressed including the use of asbestos that causes an incurable form of lung cancer known as mesothelioma. Most comments derived from a professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at SUNY Downstate Medical Center.
Jeanne Mager Stellman, PhD, told the panel that “decades had been wasted on examining the problem of carcinogens” at work and caused health issues among US employees. Dr. Stellman also explained to the panel that the government was responsible for the “lack of the will to prevent occupational disease, death and disability” among workers across the United States.
The President’s Cancer Panel is made up of individuals who with to “improve the investment in preventing cancers” that harm US citizens; the panel is an extension of the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
However, Dr. Stellman, who gave a deposition of industrial carcinogens claimed that the toxic effects felt by many workers had manifested through the years and eventually caused the development of cancer among thousands, and basically stated that the panel was not doing enough to protect workers from carcinogens such as asbestos in the workplace.
Where Is Asbestos Used?
Considered a carcinogen, asbestos has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Asbestos was processed from vermiculite mines that were constructed across the country and employed thousands of Americans until they were deemed unsafe and closed in the 1970s and 1980s. The use of asbestos, however, had already been implemented throughout the construction industry in a vast number of products including the following, according to NCI: