Asbestos is a natural, fibrous mineral found and mined in many geographic regions all over the world. Businesses and manufacturers use asbestos in many different products due to its excellent insulating and fire-retardant qualities. Unfortunately, asbestos is very dangerous for workers. It is a known human carcinogen.
Asbestos is the chief and widely accepted cause of mesothelioma, a deadly type of cancer that starts in the tissue surrounding the lungs, stomach and even the heart. Mesothelioma is not the only cancer caused by asbestos exposure, however. It is also a known cause of lung cancer.
Inhaled asbestos can damage the lungs
Asbestos exposure can occur in many different scenarios (removing contaminated construction materials, performing home remodeling projects, and replacing vehicle brake pads, for example). Although workers who perform their job in environments contaminated with asbestos may feel like their exposure level was low, or that enough time has passed for them to be safe, they could eventually end up facing a lung cancer diagnosis.
Unfortunately, asbestos exposure at work can culminate in severe damage to the body decades later. Researchers have long recognized a strong correlation between asbestos exposure and lung cancer. Workers who both handle asbestos professionally and consume tobacco products have a particularly high personal risk of developing lung cancer. Any worker who handles asbestos is five times more likely to develop lung cancer than the average adult. Those exposed to asbestos in the workplace and who also smoke are fifty times more likely to develop lung cancer than other adults.
The average worker diagnosed with lung cancer will be 70 years old, and possibly long retired. Most people who handle asbestos will only become ill somewhere between 30 and 40 years after their employers exposed them to asbestos. The claims they pursue can help them support their families and cover the cost of medical care.
Workers sickened by their jobs have rights
Much like those diagnosed with mesothelioma, workers with lung cancer who handled asbestos on the job may be eligible for compensation through filing a lawsuit in civil court or through a claim against a bankruptcy trust.
Connecting a recent diagnosis of lung cancer to a job handling asbestos is the first step toward securing rightful compensation for someone who has been sickened as a result of their employment. The lawyers at The O’Brien Law Firm are ready to help.