Mesothelioma Lawyers Blog

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is almost always associated with exposure to asbestos. When asbestos fibers are inhaled, they can become embedded in the lungs and other tissue known as the mesothelium. There is no way for doctors to see if the microscopic fibers are present without cutting a portion of the patient’s tissues and sending it to a pathology lab. There are also no symptoms for the first 20 to 50 years following exposure in most cases. While occasionally a tumor is found during an unrelated surgery, most patients do not find out until the disease is in a very advanced stage. Once an asbestos-related illness diagnosis is made, the patient is usually close to dying.
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Proving when and where asbestos exposure occurred is often a critical element in mesothelioma injury lawsuits. According to a recent news article from the Louisiana Record, the state court of appeals has vacated a dismissal of an asbestosis lawsuit, holding that jury could find five days of asbestos exposure was sufficient to cause the deadly form of cancer.

The court opinion filed on December 10, 2014 involved a plaintiff who alleged he contracted asbestosis while working at various jobs between 1953 and 2006. One of his jobs was working as a pipefitter at a factory for five days. While on that job, he installed and removed asbestos-laden gaskets. In this case, plaintiff and his wife alleged asbestos exposure during this five-day period was a substantial contributing factor to his developing asbestosis. His other responsibilities during that short timeframe involved cleaning up asbestos debris from other workers at the factory.

Plaintiff’s expert testified at trial this five-day exposure was likely above what we currently know to be safe occupational limits of asbestos exposure, and he opined this would have been a significant contributing factor in plaintiff’s illness.
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In the town of Belchertown, Massachusetts, residents have been waiting many years for the demolition of the State School for the Mentally Retarded. According to a recent news feature from New England Public Radio, prior to its closing in 1992, the school was often referred to as a snake pit.

This was 20 years after it was revealed as part of a federal lawsuit that there were numerous hazardous and inhumane conditions at the school, including raw sewage in the cafeteria, toilets and showers in public areas, nonworking fire alarms, and incidents of abuse and neglect.
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It is well known that mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. When the fibers are inhaled, they can become lodged in a layer of tissue known as the mesothelium. The fibers are undetectable and cannot be removed by doctors. In time, normally 20 to 50 years, the fibers can metastasize into the deadly form of cancer known as mesothelioma, lung cancer, or other respiratory illness.

It is for this reason that we normally think of older people being diagnosed with mesothelioma. However, a recent news article from the San Antonio Express discusses a tragic case of a woman diagnosed with mesothelioma at age 22.

As a young girl, she would frequently hug her father, sit on his feet, and grab his legs while he was covered in asbestos fibers from work. After inhaling the fibers, they became embedded in the tissue that lined her chest and caused tumors to form. At age 22, after having a baby, she was having her tubes tied when doctors discovered the tumors and diagnosed her with mesothelioma.
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