Articles Posted in Boston Mesothelioma

The prognosis for mesothelioma sufferers is grave. Most sufferers do not have a very long life expectancy. While experimental treatments always raise hope for patients and their loved ones, it is difficult to know when these scientific breakthroughs can deliver practical and positive results for patients. Another new treatment is offering hope to the victims of the deadly cancer and has been making headlines worldwide.

Asbestos-related cancer, also known as mesothelioma, is problematic in industrialized nations throughout the world. Scientific communities throughout the U.K., Europe, Australia, Asia, and the United States have been working for a treatment and cure of the fatal cancer. According to the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute in Sydney, new research results could signal a breakthrough genetic treatment. Our mesothelioma attorneys in New England are abreast of all medical and legal issues related to mesothelioma. We are dedicated to providing legal support to clients and staying abreast of developments in the medical community.
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Mesothelioma Awareness Day has been a large-scale public event throughout the United States since the first campaign was launched in 2005. This year, Mesothelioma Awareness Day was held on September 26th and was declared a success by the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (Meso Foundation).

Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers know that this asbestos-related cancers continue to be a top cause of cancer deaths and affect many thousands of patients. Efforts like Mesothelioma Awareness Day help to draw attention to this serious public health issue and to raise necessary funds for research and clinical trials that could help patients to find more effective treatments for mesothelioma.
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A Georgia man recently wrote to his local newspaper to detail his experiences having been diagnosed last year with mesothelioma.

Given just 14 months to live, the man was referred to a medical specialist in Boston who performed a cutting-edge surgery that involved removing a rib and the pleura, or outer lining, of his right lung. He then underwent intensive chemotherapy.

He describes the ordeal as an immense struggle, but one that has made him grateful for the many supportive people around him. Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers know that a diagnosis of mesothelioma resulting from a decades-earlier exposure to asbestos is often a shocking and devastating blow for a patient and his or her family. It’s normal to not know what to do next. Families may find resources scant.
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The risk of asbestos exposure in Boston and throughout the country is not simply a thing of the past.

While it’s true that many industries and manufacturers have begun to shy away from using the deadly compound due to the enormous legal liabilities, the material remains to this day in countless government, commercial and residential structures throughout the country. For the most part, its presence doesn’t cause a major problem – so long as it’s not disturbed.

Problems arise, however, when demolition or renovation occurs. When dry asbestos fibers are disturbed, they are friable, flake and form plumes of dust. These dust clouds can be deadly when inhaled, though those exposed won’t know it until many years later. Mesothelioma and asbestosis, the deadly diseases resulting from asbestos exposure, don’t reveal themselves for decades after exposure.
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More than a half a century ago, a teenager from Colorado helped his father insulate the attic above their home with asbestos-containing vermiculite. It was a big job, and he was proud to have helped his father carry it out.

Today, he is coping with a diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma. Living with the disease for the past six years, he is among those who have survived longer than expected. However, there is no cure for mesothelioma, and it’s expected his life span will be dramatically shortened.

In the time he has left, the 74-year-old is working to raise awareness about asbestos-containing vermiculite insulation, which is still present in many homes throughout Boston and the rest of the country. He spoke recently at the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association Expo. His presentation was entitled, “Monsters in the Attic and Elsewhere: The Unseen Threats of Retrofit Projects.”
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A jury in Louisiana has found the Dow Chemical Company liable on all counts in a civil asbestos lawsuit brought by a former worker suffering from a terminal cancer known as mesothelioma.

Our Boston mesothelioma attorneys understand this is just one of what is sure to be at least hundreds if not thousands of cases filed against the southern manufacturer.

So callous were company officials that not only did they lobby hard in opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency’s bid to ban the substance, company employees conducted a “cost per cancer” analysis. This allowed them to determine the relative cost of employee cancer claims, which they knew to be inevitable, versus the cost of altering all of their plants to be asbestos-free processing sites. They determined that the $1.2 billion it would cost to switch the sites over simply wasn’t worth it – no matter the risk they were taking with workers’ lives.
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A new study published recently by the Danish Medical Journal indicates that bans on asbestos are slow to drive down the number of mesothelioma diagnoses as a whole.

While our Boston mesothelioma lawyers can certainly appreciate that progress takes time, we worry that asbestos defendants will attempt to twist these findings to somehow indicate that their culpability has been overstated.

The truth of the matter is that mesothelioma, an aggressive and terminal cancer that attacks the delicate lining of the lungs and/or stomach, is caused by asbestos, and only asbestos. The problem in proving claims has historically been this very issue of latency. The disease displays no symptoms whatsoever until it is in its advanced stages. By then, the patient is typically given a few years to live.
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Recently in Pennsylvania, a 62-year-old man alleges that his lung cancer diagnosis was due to his work in and around asbestos-containing products for decades, starting in the 1960s.

He filed his claim against nearly 30 different companies earlier this month, including:

• General Electric
• Georgia Pacific
• Honeywell International
• Pfizer
• Sears Roebuck and Co.
• Union Carbide Corp.
• Certainteed Corp.
• DAP Inc.
• Ford Motor Co.
• Owens-Illinois

Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers recognize that what makes this case noteworthy is that the plaintiff is a lifelong cigarette smoker. His medical records revealed that he smoked about one pack of cigarettes daily from 1966 to 2010.

While his case will be more of an uphill battle than most, it’s not impossible for asbestos exposure victims who smoke or formerly smoked to attain a favorable verdict.

What will make this case a little tougher is that he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and not specifically mesothelioma. While lung cancer has been known to have a variety of different causes – cigarette smoking high on the list of those – mesothelioma is far more rare. The only known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos.

No doubt, the deep-pocketed defendants in this case are going to make this man’s smoking history an issue before this case ever gets to trial. Still, there is the potential for him to win, based on the strong evidence that he was routinely exposed to asbestos throughout his career and we know that asbestos exposure in any amount is deadly.

Court documents reveal that the plaintiff for a time worked as a deliveryman, loading and unloading various asbestos-containing products, including rolled roofing materials and shingles. Then as a machinist and laborer, he was reportedly exposed to asbestos while working in close proximity to asbestos-containing valves, pumps and boilers. In his role in automotive work, he toiled closely with gaskets, clutches, brakes and mufflers that all contained asbestos. He also conducted a number of home renovations in which he was exposed to asbestos in various construction material, including drywall, joint compound, caulk, floor tiles, insulation and paint.

All of this would suggest the plaintiff has a high likelihood of developing an asbestos-related disease. It establishes a strong foundation for proving his illness was caused, at least in part, by those products.

A person who smokes and was exposed to asbestos is likely going to be at a much higher risk of developing some form of cancer. This is referred to in medical journals as a “synergistic effect,” and it’s been well-documented in research. But while cigarette smoking may increase your risk of developing a lung-related illness, it does not allow asbestos manufacturers to be off the hook. However, it could mean a lesser award than you might have otherwise received had you never smoked, as the court will dole out a percentage of responsibility to each party.

For example, the court might find that the plaintiff in this case is 20 percent responsible for his own disease, while the 10 companies listed bear 8 percent responsibility each.
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