Mesothelioma Lawyers Blog

December 10, 2013

Sequester Hits Mesothelioma Research

Mesothelioma is a deadly type of cancer and there are limited treatment options available to victims who suffer from this serious medical condition caused by asbestos exposure. With thousands dying from mesothelioma each year, and the high rate of deaths likely to continue as people who were exposed to asbestos at work decades ago continue to get sick, research into treatments for this aggressive cancer are very important.

Unfortunately, our Boston mesothelioma lawyers know that the Sequester is endangering an important program that is designed to facilitate mesothelioma research. The Sequester refers to an arbitrary cut of the government’s budget that went into effect when Democrats and Republicans were unable to come to a budget agreement that would cut the deficit. When the Sequester was originally proposed by President Obama, both Democrats and Republicans expected that the threat of the Sequester cuts would force some type of agreement to be reached. Unfortunately, instead, these across-the-board cuts that no one wants have now taken effect and are endangering research that could help improve quality-of-life and outcomes for asbestos victims.
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December 4, 2013

Lawmakers Try to Limit the Rights of Asbestos Victims

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Mesothelioma lawyers in Boston know that victims of asbestos exposure face many challenges in collecting full compensation for mesothelioma, asbestosis or other injuries and health damage that is caused by exposure to asbestos. These challenges include the fact that many companies that produced asbestos have gone bankrupt, and the fact that lung cancer, mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses typically do not develop for decades after the victim was initially exposed to the asbestos.

Unfortunately, as if these challenges weren’t enough for people who are seriously ill or who are dealing with the death of a loved one, the government is now trying to make things even harder for asbestos victims. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill this November called the Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act of 2013, or FACT for short.
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November 30, 2013

Eradicating Asbestos Could Put an End to Mesothelioma Cases

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In the United States every year, an estimated 2,500 people die because they were exposed to asbestos at some point in their life. Many of these victims die from mesothelioma, lung cancer or other illnesses that are caused by asbestos fibers that become lodged in their lungs.

Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers know that the United States government has imposed very strict limitations on the use of asbestos since the dangers of this silicate product were first identified. However, the U.S. remains one of the few industrialized countries throughout the world that has not instituted a comprehensive asbestos ban. In other locations, such as in Spain, a complete ban on asbestos means that there is a projected end-date for mesothelioma deaths.
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November 25, 2013

Knowing the Facts About Asbestos Exposure is Important as Too Many Lives are Still Lost

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Asbestos exposure may seem like a relic of the past since the dangers of asbestos have been known for decades and asbestos is now tightly controlled and no longer used in new buildings or other common products. Unfortunately, mesothelioma lawyers in Boston know that people continue to be exposed to asbestos far too frequently. Not only that, but new cases of mesothelioma and asbestosis are diagnosed every day as people who were exposed decades ago finally become ill as a result of the damage the asbestos fibers have done to their bodies over decades.

As a new National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study reveals that Americans are still losing hundreds of thousands of years of productive life because of asbestos, it is more important than ever before for employers and employees to be aware that there are still significant risks that workers will be exposed to and injured by asbestos.
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November 20, 2013

Recent Cases Bring Good News for Asbestos Victims

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Asbestos lawsuits and claims related to mesothelioma and asbestosis continue to arise every day as more and more people get sick because they were exposed to asbestos at some point in their lives. Mesothelioma lawyers in Boston know that many plaintiffs face an uphill battle in obtaining full and fair compensation for serious illnesses caused by asbestos exposure, especially as many asbestos manufacturers have gone bankrupt or companies have gone out of business.

Still, plaintiffs continue to prevail in lawsuits and recover the funds they deserve. For example, several recent cases have brought good news for asbestos victims.
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November 16, 2013

Does Taconite Dust Lead to The Development of Mesothelioma?

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Mesothelioma is an incurable cancer with a very low survival rate. Boston mesothelioma lawyers know that the average length of time a person survives with mesothelioma is just nine to 12 months. Because of the devastating consequences of a mesothelioma diagnosis, it is essential to do everything possible to avoid the risk factors that can result in the development of mesothelioma.

For most patients diagnosed with mesothelioma, the cause of their condition is exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is made of naturally occurring silicate fibers that, when breathed in, can become lodged in the lining of the lungs as well as in the stomach lining. The fibers cause irritation that, over decades, can eventually result in the development of mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. Because of the tremendous risks associated with asbestos and the high fatality rates of those exposed, asbestos is largely banned from most products and is tightly regulated today. However, people continue to develop mesothelioma. One study recently took a look at whether this deadly cancer may be caused by taconite dust.
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November 11, 2013

MesoVATS Can Improve Symptoms But Not Survival

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Mesothelioma lawyers in Boston know that mesothelioma is one of the most difficult cancers to cure, with a very low five-year survival rate. Research is continually being done to try to help mesothelioma victims, many of whom are sick because they were exposed to asbestos on the job or through the use of products with dangerous silicate fibers.

One recent clinical trial has provided some important information on a surgery that may be a method of treatment for mesothelioma patients. The surgery is called video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).
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November 8, 2013

Study Finds 427,000 Years Lost Due to Mesothelioma

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

From 1999 to 2010, more than 427,000 life years were lost as a result of patients dying an early death due to asbestosis and mesothelioma. This data comes from a new study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health published in the American Journal of Occupational Medicine.

Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers know that both asbestosis and mesothelioma are caused by exposure to asbestos that may have occurred decades ago. The long period of time before asbestos-related illnesses manifest, coupled with the fact that many manufacturers have gone bankrupt, can make it difficult for victims to recover compensation when early death occurs. Still, the tremendous costs in terms of life lost that this study reveals underscores the importance of victims being fully and fairly compensated for the devastation asbestos exposure has caused.
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November 4, 2013

Lawsuits Against Tobacco Companies Based on Asbestos Filters Result in Tobacco Companies Playing “Hardball”

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers know that many victims who developed mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos fibers were exposed on the job. However, there were also a lot of products that were widely sold for decades that contained asbestos. One such product was a patented “Micronite” filter found in Kent cigarettes.

Lorillard Tobacco introduced Kent cigarettes with the Micronite filter in 1952, with the filter containing a form as asbestos that the Sacramento Bee describes as “particularly virulent.” The product with the asbestos-filter remained on the market until it was changed in 1956. Decades later, Lorilland Tobacco faced numerous lawsuits because of the filter as did the company, Hollingsworth & Vose, that supplied the filter material containing the asbestos.
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November 1, 2013

NIOSH Study Finds Firefighters Face Increased Risk of Mesothelioma

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Firefighters are exposed not just to smoke, but also to chemicals and old building materials when they save people’s lives while fighting fires. Unfortunately, our Boston mesothelioma lawyers know that many of the buildings where firefighters do their work have asbestos materials within them. This puts firefighters at risk of developing asbestos-related illnesses including mesothelioma.

A new report from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) underscores just how serious the increased risk of mesothelioma is for firefighters. As the CDC reports, firefighters as a population had two times greater the rate of mesothelioma than the population as a whole. The new NIOSH study was the first to identify an increased risk of mesothelioma among firefighters and it is cause for major concern as mesothelioma can be difficult to treat and has a high fatality rate.
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