Are Louisiana Mechanics Exposed To Asbestos? Auto mechanics continue to be at unique risk for asbestos exposure in Louisiana and nationwide. Consequently, mechanics and their family members may be at higher risk for developing mesothelioma later in life. Because many automotive engine parts produce heat through constant friction, asbestos has long been the preferred insulator in components like brake pads and linings, transmission parts, and clutch facings. While asbestos has become much more highly regulated in the United States since the 1970s, the automotive industry continues to rely on it. Mechanics are exposed to asbestos dust when replacing brakes, gaskets, repairing or replacing transmissions, and other work, especially on older cars and trucks. Even modern brake systems use asbestos, and when replacement is performed in a shop, the asbestos-containing dust produced by the action of the worn brakes is released into the air where it can be breathed in by employees…Read More
Am I At Risk For Mesothelioma If I Was Only Exposed To Asbestos For A Short Time? Short-term asbestos exposure may be hazardous for people in New Orleans, especially if the level of exposure is high. People who worked in a high-exposure field for a part of their career may be at risk for asbestos-related cancers like mesothelioma, especially if they have lifestyle risks like smoking in addition to asbestos exposure. Experts have concerns about asbestos exposure for those who worked to rebuild the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. People who took jobs in demolition and cleanup, even if the work only lasted a short time, may have come into contact with airborne asbestos fibers regularly for the duration of the work. Unfortunately, we are unlikely to know the full scope of this exposure for many years, but it’s important that people who pitched in to help in…Read More
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
