The first thing you should do is reach out to experienced New Orleans mesothelioma lawyers. They can help you go through your work history and see if you were unknowingly employed in jobs or work sites that are known sources of asbestos. Many companies were swept up in scandals after it became clear that they had known working with asbestos had a negative impact on workers’ health. They failed to inform them of these risks or provide them with any sort of protection for their airways while they worked. Because of this secrecy, companies have been held accountable. Unfortunately, many workers still aren’t aware that they were employed in dangerous working conditions. Many who were at risk worked at factories, refineries, shipbuilding plants, or in military jobs like engine repair and construction. Because mesothelioma is only caused by asbestos, the fact that you’ve developed the disease means that you were exposed. Finding out where and when…Read More
Mesothelioma is known to have a long latency period. This means that you may not realize you are sick for a long time after your exposure. This can be as short as 10 years or as long as 50, but researchers think that the average latency period is between 35 and 40 years. It’s not clear why the time frames can be so different, but it’s likely that genetics, biology, and potentially other health circumstances may play a role. It’s believed that asbestos causes injury in an ongoing way in the body. Tissues near asbestos fibers gradually develop chronic inflammation and, in some cases, eventually harden (asbestosis) or turn cancerous (mesothelioma). Because of this long latency period, many people who are hit with a mesothelioma diagnosis are well into a happy retirement and believed themselves free of work-related injury. It’s a difficult situation for you and your family, and a…Read More
Unfortunately, yes. Asbestos exposure has been linked to a variety of diseases, including cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, lung cancer, and of course, mesothelioma. While mesothelioma rightly gets a lot of attention, it’s worth noting that most asbestos-related deaths are from lung cancer. Because mesothelioma tends to have a poor prognosis and affects older people who’ve worked hard all their lives, it garners a lot of attention, but is just one of many negative health outcomes that result from asbestos exposure. The reason that asbestos injuries are a legal matter is that industry understood the dangers that workers in asbestos-intensive jobs faced, and for decades, chose not to inform their workers or take any steps to protect them. By the time action was finally taken to rein in the use of asbestos and protect workers who might be exposed to it, millions had already been working with the material for their…Read More
Believe it or not, the United States has never completely banned asbestos, and there are still products like brake pads, insulation, and shingles that continue to contain asbestos. In addition, because asbestos was so widely used in earlier decades, people in a variety of jobs are likely to continue to come into contact with it. People in construction especially may encounter aging insulation or other materials that were manufactured with asbestos. When asbestos is damaged or disturbed, it can release extremely small fibers into the air, which can then be inhaled or swallowed by people working nearby. It’s extremely important that people who enjoy do-it-yourself projects like home renovations or automotive work take precautions to protect their airways during the work, and provide adequate ventilation to make sure they don’t contaminate their home environment with asbestos. While the latency period for asbestos-related diseases can last decades, there is no amount…Read More
At The Gertler Law Firm, we know how important it is for families to get all the help they can. Especially when facing a long, expensive fight against this deadly disease. Companies across a variety of industries- including asbestos manufacturers, and even the VA- have created funds to make sure people harmed by asbestos have the tools they need when diagnosed with mesothelioma in New Orleans. If you’ve been told you have mesothelioma, talk to some of New Orleans’s most experienced mesothelioma lawyers for free. Call (504) 527-8767 for a free consultation today.Read More
New Orleans Mesothelioma Injury Lawyer Explains Receiving Compensation After Diagnosis A lot of people have seen ads on TV for years telling them that if they’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma, that they may be entitled to compensation, and they wonder why that is. Basically, it’s because big corporations that used a lot of asbestos in their products and asbestos manufacturers who put workers into harm’s way by mining and working with the mineral knew for decades that their workers were being sickened by these activities. In industries as widespread as chemical refining, oil drilling, ship building, and construction specialties, workers who put years of their lives into making the business all it could be ended up with painful and sometimes deadly diseases for their labors. As the facts about asbestos began to come to light, it was clear that higher ups had made the decision to keep the information to themselves.…Read More
Many people, when facing the decision of whether to pursue a claim after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, struggle with the idea that the company that harmed them will make the matter an ordeal. In practice, that’s usually not what happens. There are a variety of routes to obtain the compensation that negligent companies and employers owe to those they’ve injured, including asbestos trust funds and special VA benefits for veterans who suffered service-related asbestos exposure. Sometimes a lawsuit is called for, and while that process can be more complex, it can also yield a more substantial settlement or award, depending on the specifics of your situation. More good news is that most companies choose to settle a lawsuit rather than drag it out, especially if its public image may take a hit. An experienced mesothelioma lawyer can walk you through your options and help identify the likely paths to access the resources you’re…Read More
Workplace Exposure To Asbestos In Louisiana Workers in many occupations can and do still experience asbestos exposure in Louisiana and in the United States. In roles where asbestos exposure is likely, such as demolition of old buildings, automotive brake work, and asbestos remediation, strict regulations require employers to provide safety equipment to workers that will protect their airways while they work. Still, violations continue to occur. In a 2016 case in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the United States Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) found that the U.S. Steel Corp. had improperly exposed seven employees to asbestos. Five employees had been tasked with removing and replacing asbestos-containing material, and a month later, two other employees were tasked with burning a section of expansion pipe that tested positive for asbestos. While U.S. Steel was fined $170,000 for the violations, it was not the company’s first citation for failing to notify employees of work with asbestos-containing…Read More
It’s a common misconception that asbestos has been banned in the United States, so now Americans are safe from exposure. Unfortunately, that’s far from true, and there are some consumer products and some occupational roles where asbestos exposure is still a risk. For instance, people who work as mechanics on everything from cars to airplanes to ships are still at risk for asbestos exposure, because materials like brake pads, clutches, and gaskets used in the high-heat, high-friction environment of a moving vehicle require the level of fireproofing that asbestos provides. When working on vehicles, take precautions to protect your airways. Insulation is another product that may still contain small amounts of asbestos. More importantly, if you’re a DIYer who is upgrading your old insulation, use a ventilator or other airway protector as you work. If your home was built before 1989, there are good odds that the insulation you’re removing contains…Read More
No, having an asbestos-related disease like asbestosis does not mean that you’ll develop mesothelioma, but your risks of developing that cancer are higher. After all, you’ve definitely experienced asbestos exposure so the risk element is there. Mesothelioma has only one known cause, and that’s the inhalation or ingestion of microscopic fibers of the mineral asbestos. Though the material was largely banned in the late 1980s, the incubation of asbestos-related diseases can span decades. For most people suffering from an asbestos-related disease like asbestosis or mesothelioma, they were exposed to asbestos while on the job, either in private industry or asbestos exposure in the military. As a result, there are compensation funds for those who were sickened by employers’ failures to provide meaningful safety equipment or even information to their workers. The VA has a dedicated benefit system for those suffering the after-effects of service-related exposure to asbestos, and many companies were…Read More
