After a diagnosis of mesothelioma, victims want to know if they are entitled to any mesothelioma claims. Many people that were exposed to asbestos worked in careers with the US Navy serving on ships, civilians that worked in shipyards, oil refineries, miners, automotive industry, chemical plants, demolition and construction, plumbers, electricians, power plants, boiler rooms, welders and many other professions. Thousands of employees worked for industries that exposed them to a deadly carcinogen on a daily basis and they are all eligible for compensation.
The military is where thousands of veterans have been exposed to asbestos. Until the 1980s, all Navy vessels were constructed with asbestos. Some experts define this exposure as extreme due to the fact that Navy personnel were exposed on a daily and constant basis as asbestos was used to construct hallways, living quarters and even mess halls on ships. Approximately one-third of all US citizens diagnosed with mesothelioma each year are US Navy veterans.
Mesothelioma is still a rare form of cancer. Each year, about 2,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma. Many others are diagnosed with another asbestos-related illness. The occurrence of disease and illness is seen less in women and more in men and it can occur up to 50 years after exposure. Your right to mesothelioma claims can be compromised if you cannot trace your place of exposure. Hiring a mesothelioma attorney can help you to track down your point of exposure.
How It All Got Started
This deadly substance – asbestos – actually occurs as masses of strong, flexible fibers that can be separated into thin threads and then intertwined together. Because of its naturally occurring favorable characteristics, asbestos has been widely used in many industrial products. Because these products are all manufactured, the employees that worked to create them were all at risk of inhaling the microscopic asbestos particles that float in the air. The manufacturing process helped to perpetuate them through the air helping them to be inhaled or swallowed. The fibers became trapped either in the lungs or other organs to sit dormant for decades until tumors develop.
Asbestos was mined and used in products as early as the late 1800s. Its use greatly increased during World War II. During the early 1940s, millions of people working were exposed to asbestos unknowingly. It would not be until decades later that thousands fall victim to an associated illness that will eventually rob them of their lives. Mesothelioma claims began to increase exponentially as thousands of people exposed to asbestos decades earlier were diagnosed.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has passed limits for acceptable levels of asbestos in the workplace today because – believe it or not – it is still legal in the United States. The main difference in operations today is that companies must make it explicitly clear to workers that they have a chance of exposure and educate them on ways to protect themselves and their families. People working with asbestos today wear protective equipment to lower their risk of exposure.