Mesothelioma Lawyers Blog

October 18, 2013

Mesothelioma, Pre-existing Conditions and the Affordable Care Act

Cancer patients, including those who suffer from mesothelioma, are one of many groups that stand to benefit from the Affordable Care Act. In the United States, it has been common practice for private insurance companies to ban mesothelioma patients because of their “preexisting conditions.” While for some the issue is political, for others, access to affordable care could make the difference between life and death.

Mesothelioma is a lung disorder, often linked to asbestos exposure. While some victims may contract the disease immediately after exposure, it can take decades for some diagnoses. Our mesothelioma attorneys in Massachusetts are dedicated to helping the victims and families of mesothelioma get the care and financial support they need to treat and manage the disease. We are also committed to raising awareness about mesothelioma treatment and in helping families collect compensation for their losses related to asbestos exposure.

Some victims of mesothelioma have been unable to get access to treatment because of insurance limitations. For victims of mesothelioma, the consequences are severe and treatment is critical, not only to improving quality of life but to provide a chance of survival. The Affordable Care Act is slated to become fully effective on January 1, 2014. Enrollment began earlier this month with a backlash from members of Congress who have been seeking to defund the controversial law.
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October 15, 2013

9/11 Mesothelioma Victims Finally Get Funded Treatment

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

It has been over a decade has passed since the tragedy of September 11, 2001, but for many victims and their families, the most severe consequences are only recently setting in. In addition to the thousands who were lost in this national travesty, over 1,100 people have been diagnosed with cancer, including mesothelioma, caused by exposure to toxins at the time of the collapse and during clean up. In addition to public workers, including police and firemen, many civilians who were breathing in soot, ashes and debris were exposed to the asbestos exploding from the fallen Twin Towers.

In September 2012, federal authorities added 58 types of cancer to the list of illnesses covered by those who were exposed to World Trade Center toxins. This list includes mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure. Our Massachusetts mesothelioma attorneys are dedicated to protecting the rights of victims and their families and in recovering compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering and other losses resulting from the deadly exposure.

Recent publications indicate that after years of resistance 9/11 cancer victims are finally afforded relief. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,140 victims have been diagnosed with cancers related to toxic exposures after September 11th. In addition to mesothelioma, victims of 9/11 have also been diagnosed with thyroid cancer and myeloma, a blood cancer that multiples the body’s plasma cells to deadly levels. While many of these victims are being offered medical insurance under the World Trade Health Program, the cancer treatments are often too late.
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October 15, 2013

Mesothelioma Awareness Day Declared a Success

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

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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October 12, 2013

Whistleblower Nurse Reprimanded for Reporting Asbestos

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Workers who expose unsafe conditions, risks, illegal activity and other misconduct are known as “whistleblowers.” Recently, a nurse was reprimanded for reporting on Facebook and to media sources that he was concerned about safety standards as the hospital where he worked. Specifically, the nurse voiced concerns about asbestos, the dangerous substance linked to the cancer, mesothelioma.

Many forms of asbestos have been banned, but it is not uncommon to identify asbestos in some industrial and other workplaces. Victims who are exposed to asbestos could contract the deadly cancer, mesothelioma in years or decades after the exposure. Our Massachusetts mesothelioma attorneys are dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of asbestos and protecting the victims who are impacted by cancer. We will aggressively investigate any suspected exposure and protect victims against all liable entities, including employers.

According to reports, the nurse warned that the wards at his hospital were unsafe. He also mentioned on Facebook to friends that the hospital had asbestos and that the hospital did not have enough money to pay nurses wages. He threatened to go public with the allegation of asbestos. These Facebook posts came 2 years after he wrote another article exposing other deviations in hospital care.
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October 8, 2013

Groundbreaking Drug Trials for Mesothelioma Patients

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Mesothelioma is one of the most dangerous kinds of cancer and in most cases, patients face a terminal prognosis. In a recent report published in Science Daily, there are two groundbreaking trials that may give hope to Mesothelioma patients and their loved ones. While “waiting for a cure” is not an option for most patients, the possibility of a new treatment option is hopeful.

According to the report, University of Leiscester researchers are spearheading two major trials to treat mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Our Massachusetts mesothelioma attorneys are dedicated to helping victims and their families protect their rights and pursue rightful compensation for asbestos exposure and mesothelioma. We are also committed to staying abreast of developments in this area to help our clients and the community in treating the deadly cancer, mesothelioma.

A leading doctor at the University of Leicester’s Department of Cancer Studies and Molecular medicine has initiated two treatment trials for patients of mesothelioma, the lung cancer which has been linked to asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a common material found in household products as well as construction materials, especially historically before the risks of asbestos were known. Many industrial workers have been unknowingly exposed to asbestos and contract the cancer later in life. Throughout the developed world, the number of mesothelioma cases continues to rise due to exposures that happened before the industrial product was restricted in use. Asbestos is still not completely banned in the United States.
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October 3, 2013

Mesothelioma Diagnosis: Now What?

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

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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September 30, 2013

EPA: Asbestos Exposure Risk High for Employees of “Cheap” Contractors

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

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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September 27, 2013

Vermiculite Asbestos Remains a Threat in Many New England Homes

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

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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September 20, 2013

Asbestos Liability Verdict Against Electric Company Upheld

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Efforts by an electric company to appeal a $400,000 mesothelioma liability verdict handed down in 2006 have ultimately been unsuccessful, as the Superior Court in Pennsylvania upheld the original judgment.

Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers understand this decision came just weeks before a subsequent ruling in which the same court tossed a $14.5 million verdict against the same electric company, finding that a mistrial should have been declared after the plaintiff attorney made remarks that were considered prejudicial during closing arguments.

These examples show just how complex and arduous these cases can be. No singular claim can be considered an automatic success. It takes an experienced legal team to carefully argue each element and to continue fighting with resolve even if the case is appealed.
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September 12, 2013

Dow Chemical to Pay $6M in Asbestos Lawsuit By Former Worker

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

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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