Because asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is present in the environment, everyone experiences some amount of asbestos exposure in their lifetimes. This type of low level exposure isn’t generally considered to be dangerous, but there’s no threshold exposure level where doctors can expect a negative health outcome once you’ve exceeded that degree of exposure. Most people who develop mesothelioma in Louisiana were exposed to asbestos through jobs in industries where it was heavily used, like construction, shipbuilding, automotive, milling, military service, and similar trades. Spouses and children of those workers also have a higher-than-normal risk for asbestos related diseases because asbestos fibers would become lodged in the worker’s clothes on the job, and then come into the home environment when they came home after a shift. Again, assessing the potential hazard to the family members of workers in asbestos-rich trades is difficult. Most will never develop mesothelioma, and the reasons…Read More
How Louisiana Women Have Been Exposed To Asbestos Over The Years When women are diagnosed with mesothelioma in New Orleans or elsewhere in Louisiana, the most common route of asbestos exposure so far is through a loved one who worked in an industry or on a site where asbestos was used. And while that’s been true for a long time, there are reasons to think that in the future, more females will be diagnosed through exposure from their own workplace experience. Asbestos continues to be legal to use in a number of applications, and while health and safety rules are in place to protect employees, women in construction and other asbestos-intensive trades are likely to have higher exposure than those in other fields. In addition, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina may have resulted in thousands of people being inadvertently exposed to asbestos. As devastated buildings were torn down, the pace of…Read More
Yes, much like the non-smoking family members of smokers, those who lived in a home with someone who experienced asbestos exposure were themselves often exposed to a dangerous carcinogen. Typically, these cases include the wives and children of industrial workers in Louisiana, such as shipbuilders, construction personnel, and other jobs and work sites that had a high exposure risk. When the family member came home from work and sat down on the couch, asbestos fibers could embed into the furniture. When they sat down to the table for dinner without changing clothes, passing dishes around the table could shake asbestos free of sleeves, making it airborne and breathable by everyone in the room. On laundry day, a spouse or child would likely handle a number of contaminated items, shaking asbestos fibers loose and breathing them in. Second hand asbestos exposure has been responsible for numerous asbestos-related cancers and diseases. Even…Read More
Are Women And Children At Risk For Developing Mesothelioma In Louisiana? For most mesothelioma sufferers, the cause is exposure to asbestos decades before, usually through professions like construction, plumbing, shipbuilding, electrical work, or various military specialties. Because women were less likely to work in earlier decades, and much less likely to work in fields like those listed above, their risk of exposure tends to be less than for similarly aged men. However, there are thousands of examples of women whose husbands came home in clothes contaminated by asbestos, who were then exposed and have later developed mesothelioma. It would be nice to think that women have been spared this disease, but the fact is that asbestos, once airborne, poses a risk to men, women, and children alike. New Orleans and Louisiana generally have a number of sites that have been identified as dangerous asbestos environments. People who worked there in earlier…Read More
Helping Mesothelioma Victims And Their Families In Louisiana And Across The Country Depending on the circumstances, Mesothelioma lawsuits can take a long time to be completed. Here’s why. Your attorneys typically have to do a lot of research on your case, such as: Your attorneys need to know every place that you have ever lived; Your attorneys will have to put together a detailed list of every job you and your family members have ever had; How long was it between your last exposure to asbestos and your diagnosis of mesothelioma; Determining how long you were exposed to asbestos; Your attorneys will need to know all possible sources of exposure to asbestos. For instance, we actually went to one of the job sites a client had listed, removed a piece of asbestos and had it tested. This proved that the job site we visited was the source of the asbestos that caused…Read More
Diagnosing Mesothelioma Symptoms In New Orleans Mesothelioma diagnoses tend to be among older residents in the 50-70 year old range. In New Orleans and across Louisiana, our firm has represented victims much younger. In rare cases across the country, children have been diagnosed with the disease. However, childhood cases are usually considered to be unrelated to asbestos exposure. The reason that so many Louisiana senior citizens end-up battling mesothelioma is that the effects of asbestos exposure can take decades to appear. People who worked in construction, ship building, the military, plumbing, and other high risk fields may experience no warning of trouble for as long as fifty years. Recognizing The Symptoms Of Secondhand Asbestos Exposure In Louisiana Oftentimes spouses and children are at risk of secondhand asbestos exposure. Kids rushing up to hug dad when he came home from work would have unleashed a cloud of miniscule asbestos fibers. They unknowingly…Read More
Mesothelioma may take decades to develop and its early symptoms can mimic other illnesses, such as pneumonia or chronic bronchitis. As a result, New Orleans residents who have been exposed to asbestos should be aware of the symptoms of mesothelioma. While mesothelioma is very difficult to treat, early diagnosis and treatment may result in additional treatment options being available to combat this deadly disease. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelium – the lining that encloses the abdominal and thoracic organs. The most common form of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma, which occurs in the pleural membranes enclosing the outer surface of the lungs. Pleural mesothelioma usually causes these membranes to thicken and become hard and fibrous, making breathing difficult. It also commonly leads to pleural effusion — the accumulation of excess fluid around the lungs. Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include a dry, consistent cough, shortness of breath, pain in the…Read More
While there’s no way to know the full impact of Hurricane Katrina’s destruction when it comes to asbestos exposure, experts believe that the storm almost certainly made significant amounts of asbestos airborne, potentially exposing thousands. To make matters worse, in the months that followed, many badly damaged structures had to be torn down rapidly to ensure public safety. Asbestos remediation protocols were impossible to follow in many instances, and the whole story of Katrina’s impact on the health of the City of New Orleans may not be known for years or decades. The Environmental Protection Agency believes that we won’t know the full scope of Katrina-related asbestos exposure for as long as 50 years, but area residents who worked to clean up and rebuild the Gulf Coast in the months and years after August 2005 may find that mesothelioma is one final legacy of Hurricane Katrina. And because skilled workers came to…Read More
Unfortunately, New Orleans is home to a large number of military veterans who are facing mesothelioma diagnoses. While New Orleans is home to top quality medical care through both the VA and private healthcare institutes, the needs that our veterans have are often much greater than medical care alone can provide. Military Veterans here and across Louisiana deserve much more than life-prolonging medical care. When it comes to getting the compensation that those fighting mesothelioma need, the Gertler Law Firm is home to some of the most accomplished mesothelioma attorneys in the region. When you need resources to take care of your family, your home, and ensure a lasting legacy for your loved ones, our team of experienced, compassionate mesothelioma experts can help. We can also direct you to organizations in the community that help veterans deal with serious illness. Medical Care In Louisiana For Veterans With Mesothelioma America’s veterans…Read More
Helping Mesothelioma Victims and Their Families In Louisiana and Across The Country Wondering what happens if you pass away before your mesothelioma lawsuit is finished is a very common concern. In Louisiana, designated beneficiaries would file a wrongful death and survival action in order to recover damages that the victim could have recovered if he/she had lived, as well as damages suffered by the beneficiaries. Louisiana law sets out the categories of beneficiaries that would be able to recover if the victim passes away. Since we have handled a number of other cases in other states, and get calls related to mesothelioma representation and other lung related diseases on a regular basis, I’ll briefly detail how some other states handle it as well. If you pass away before your lawsuit has been resolved, your family can move ahead with the litigation on your behalf. After your passing, the lead person in the…Read More
