Mesothelioma, Asbestos, and Legal Compensation: Basic Facts

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Asbestos Awareness

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• Asbestos diseases range from malignant mesothelioma (“meso”) to lung cancer to asbestosis, which is scarring of the lungs.
• The latency period for these asbestos-related diseases is 15 to 40 years and more.
• Asbestos was used as late as the 1970’s and, therefore, it is expected that the number of diagnosed cases of asbestosis, asbestos lung cancer, and mesothelioma it will continue to increase until at least 2018.
• There are more than 10,000 asbestos-related deaths a year and, unfortunately, that number will rise.
• Read more about this increasing number of mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease cases >>>

• What is asbestos? >>>
• More than 21 million workers had significant asbestos exposure when working with or near asbestos products before the mid-1970’s .
• Because asbestos fibers remain in the lungs, each exposure to asbestos dust increases the likelihood of developing an asbestos disease.
• Besides mesothelioma, there are other medical conditions associated with asbestos exposure, such as lung cancer and asbestosis.

• What are these asbestos-related diseases? >>>
• An estimated 2,000-3,000 new cases of malignant mesothelioma are diagnosed each year in the US.
• Malignant mesothelioma is most often diagnosed in people over 50; more often in men than women; and, the risk increases with age.
• There are 3 types of malignant mesothelioma.
  • Pleural Mesothelioma, which accounts for 75% of cases and starts in the chest cavity
  • Peritoneal Mesothelioma, which accounts for about 10-20% of cases and starts in the abdomen
  • Pericardial Mesothelioma, which is rare and starts in the heart
• Workers exposed to asbestos in the past are  at risk for developing mesothelioma, asbestos lung cancer, and asbestosis.
• Asbestos-related lung cancer occurs inside the lungs.
• Asbestosis is not a cancer; rather it is pulmonary fibrosis, or scarring of the lungs, that was caused by years of breathing in asbestos dust and asbestos fibers.

• How do I get legal compensation? >>>
• Asbestos manufacturers failed to warn workers about the dangers of exposure to asbestos dust and the risk of developing malignant mesothelioma or the other asbestos-related diseases.
• Asbestos claims for malignant mesothelioma, asbestos lung cancer, and pulmonary asbestosis are usually made by an asbestos attorney filing a personal injury lawsuit or wrongful death lawsuit.