Mesothelioma & Asbestos
Did you handle asbestos or come into direct contact with asbestos on your job?
Did you work in an area where asbestos was handled by others?
Are you a family member of someone who worked with asbestos?
Did you live within one mile of an asbestos plant, shipyard or other source of asbestos?
If so, you may be at risk for developing mesothelioma, a deadly lung cancer caused by inhaling microscopic asbestos fibers. Every year 2,500 men and women are diagnosed with mesothelioma. The risk of mesothelioma actually increases with age, because the tiny asbestos fibers lie hidden in your lungs for decades before it is diagnosed.
For Mesothelioma legal advice, contact the lawyers at The Ferraro Law Firm.
What is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer. "Mesothelioma" is the term used to describe a cancerous tumor which involves the mesothelioma cells of an organ, usually the lungs, heart or abdominal organs. The most common type of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma. The pleura is a thin membrane found between the lungs and the chest cavity. It provides a lubricated surface so that the lungs do not chafe against the chest walls. Thus, a pleural mesothelioma is often referred to as a "lung" cancer. Another form of mesothelioma is peritoneal mesotheliomas. The peritoneum is the membrane that encloses the organs of the abdomen. While peritoneal mesothelioma are less common than pleural mesotheliomas, they tend to be more invasive, and thus result in a shorter life expectancy for the patient. Mesotheliomas have also been found in the stomach and other abdominal organs.
Mesotheliomas, like other types of cancer (e.g., adenocarcinoma), typically consist of two general types-benign and malignant. By far the most common mesothelioma is the diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma. This type of tumor is invasive and very aggressive. It spreads quickly over the surface of the lungs, abdominal organs or heart. Life expectancy for victims of this disease typically ranges between four and twenty-four months, depending on the stage at which the disease is detected, the relative health and strength of the patient, and a variety of other factors. The average patient with diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma survives for between four and twelve months from the onset of symptoms. With proper care, some victims have survived for several years.
Exposure to asbestos is known to cause other types of cancer, not just mesothelioma. If you were exposed to asbestos and have been diagnosed with lung cancer, laryngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, you may have a claim against the companies that manufactured the asbestos or product containing asbestos that caused your illness.
For legal advice regarding mesothelioma or other asbestos related cancers, contact the lawyers at The Ferraro Law Firm.
Why Me?
A common question posed by persons afflicted with mesothelioma is, "Why did this happen to me?" The answer is nearly always the same -- exposure to asbestos.
When diagnosed in the United States, its onset is typically linked to a history of exposure to asbestos fiber. Asbestos is a mineral that was used for decades as a thermal insulation material. It has been widely known since the 1920's that asbestos is a carcinogen, which means that it causes cancer in humans. However, asbestos was used as an insulator until the mid-1970's, and is still present in massive quantities in many buildings today. Unfortunately, in many cases very little exposure is required to set this cancer in motion. Some of the occupations which are typically associated with the onset of mesothelioma later in life are as follows:
| Automotive mechanics
Boilermakers
Bricklayers
Carpenters
Cement Finishers
Drywall Workers
Electricians
Engineers
Foundry Workers
Helpers
Insulators
Laborers
Lathers
Machinists
| Mechanics
Millwrights
Operators
Painters
Paper workers
Plasterers
Pipe fitters
Plumbers
Power Plant Workers
Roofers
Sailors (Navy & Merchant Marine)
Shipyard workers
Steel and Sheet metal workers
Welders |
Asbestos has been used in a number of occupations in addition to those above. Furthermore, a number of former military personnel, particularly those who served in the navy, coast guard, or merchant marines, came into contact with asbestos during their service. Massive amounts of asbestos were used in shipbuilding and commercial construction prior to the mid-1970's. Anyone involved with those industries is at a high risk for developing an asbestos-related disease such as asbestosis or mesothelioma. Exposure may have been direct or indirect, lengthy or brief. The typical exposure period is lengthy, but some persons with short but intense exposures develop mesothelioma. Mesothelioma can also occur from non-occupational exposure, as evidenced by manifestation of the disease in women whose exposure came from washing the clothing of men (father, husband, and son) who worked with asbestos.
A unique feature of asbestos-related injuries is the long latency period between exposure to asbestos and the onset of the injury or disease. For mesotheliomas, the latency period is between 15 and 50 years, or more. That means that a person could have been exposed to asbestos 50 years ago, and develop mesothelioma today. The average mesothelioma latency period is approximately 35 - 40 years.
What are the Clinical Signs of Mesothelioma?
In general, the clinical presentation of this disease may include the following:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing
- Difficulty sleeping
- Pain in the chest and abdominal regions, which is generally unresponsive to analgesics
- Progressive loss of appetite and weight loss
- Pleural effusions (fluid in the chest cavity)
Management of mesothelioma depends largely on the staging of the tumor. Early diagnosis and surgical intervention may lengthen life expectancy. Depending on the age and physical condition of the patient, however, surgery may not be a viable option. In addition to surgical options, radiation treatment and chemotherapy may be helpful in the overall therapeutic program. Pain management and home care are typical alternatives in the later stages of the disease.
Where Do I Go From Here?
After diagnosis, it is important to understand your treatment options. Your doctor or oncologist will provide you with information on the treatments that are available to you.
It is also important to know about your legal rights. If you have mesothelioma, or any other asbestos-related disease, you were most likely exposed to asbestos. Many of the manufacturers of asbestos insulation products knew for decades that asbestos was hazardous, yet made a business decision not to warn people of those hazards. As a result, you may have a right of recovery against those manufacturers, which can help defray the costs of treatment and provide compensation for your pain and suffering.
According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 3,000 cases per year of malignant mesothelioma are being reported in the United States, and the incidence appears to be increasing. The disease is three times more common in men than in women. In men, the occurrence of mesothelioma is ten times higher in men between the ages of 60-70 as compared to men between the ages of 30 to 40. Occupational exposure to asbestos over the past fifty years in the United States is calculated to have occurred in approximately eight million people, and up to 300,000 new cases are expected to occur by the year 2030.
Learn more: For general information on available treatments and protocols, please visit our Treatment Options section. In addition, the Boston area is home to some of the world's finest hospitals and doctors who specialize in treating mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis and similar asbestos-related diseases. Our Articles and Resources page contains links to help you learn more about and contact some of those facilities and doctors. For more information about the health threats of asbestos exposure, see our Mesothelioma / Asbestos Practice Center.
Our Firm
The lawyers at The Ferraro Law Firm have vigorously and successfully fought for the rights of asbestos workers and their families since 1985. Our firm, based in Miami, Florida, represents more than 20,000 asbestos claimants and has won nearly $1 billion in compensation for our injured clients. We engage leading medical experts and scientists worldwide to help us build your case.
Our dedicated staff, ensures that each of our clients receives the special care and attention his or her case deserves. If you suffer from asbestosis, the simple fact is that the more clients your law firm represents, the better your bargaining position with the companies that caused your injuries. We are one of the top five asbestos and mesothelioma law firms in the nation in the number of claimants served and in the total recovery for our clients. We represent clients in every state, either directly or through our nationwide network of attorneys. Our attorneys have the clout to make your case a priority with the corporations that caused your asbestos exposure.
We represent persons stricken with malignant mesothelioma and asbestos-related cancers nationwide. We represent asbestosis victims throughout Florida and the New England states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. For catastrophic personal injuries, wrongful death, environmental toxic torts, construction defects and other serious cases, we represent clients throughout Florida, including Miami, Coral Gables, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Fort Myers, Naples, Fort Lauderdale, Key West, Clearwater, Pensacola, Daytona, Gainesville and Palm Beach. We represent divorce and family law clients in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
