Many people all over the U.S. have been exposed to asbestos at some point, and should contact a Massachusetts mesothelioma lawyer. The first time you contact a lawyer, you can get a free case evaluation, hear about your legal rights, and be told about what types of compensation you receive. Mesothelioma is a serious form of cancer with many complications. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type, and it affects the lining of the lungs. Other types may affect the stomach, the heart, and other organs. Exposure to asbestos in a work site or facility happens most often without the managers’ or leaders’ knowledge of the dangers to their employees. However, this should not make an impact on whether or not you will be able to get compensated for your pain and suffering. If you have been exposed to asbestos and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, speak with one of many mesothelioma lawyers in your area, as soon as possible.
In the state of Massachusetts, there are more than 400 institutions and industries which contain asbestos-containing materials in various forms. These include a motion-picture theater, gas works, power plants, shipyards, foundries, banks, university buildings, libraries, among many other places. Asbestos building materials have been in existence since the 1850s, in the form of fire-proof shingles which were created by Henry Johns, whose company was the predecessor to Johns-Manville. Ironically, he died as a result of getting asbestosis, a disease resulting from asbestos exposure. A total of 613 people died from mesothelioma between 1980 and 2000, and 759 people died from asbestosis in that same amount of time. In fact, it ranks 9th in all of the United States for mesothelioma cases. The reason that these diseases have a high fatality rate is that there is currently no known cure for mesothelioma, at least, and the symptoms do not present themselves for awhile after the person has had contact with the asbestos.
The exposure in Massachusetts often came from the ACM building material that was regularly used for around one hundred years. Also, protective clothes and equipment often was lined with asbestos, so workers who wore them would be exposed when the material ripped and the asbestos was released into the air. There are also two sites in which naturally-occurring asbestos deposits exist, the rural western part of Massachusetts near Pittsfield, and near Harvard Forest in the central part of the state.
Also, two asbestos mines are in the state, not far from these naturally-occurring deposits. One is in North Cambridge, and is associated with W.R. Grace & Company, a corporation which was been a huge source of poisoning from asbestos. What makes it particularly horrible is that the management was completely aware of asbestos’ health hazards, and did not protect or warn their employees or the residents of the community. Fortunately, the diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases and cancers is becoming a sub-specialty in medicine, and there are many doctors, specifically from the field of occupational or respiratory medicine, oncology, and thoracic surgery, who are making asbestos-related diseases their focus.
If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, it is important to contact an experienced mesothelioma lawyer Massachusetts as soon as possible. The statute of limitations for the state is three years from the date of discovery of your disease. You and your family do not have to struggle with a financial burden; there is hope for a smooth process, and to win a settlement from your case.
