Did you develop an asbestos-related disease from your job as a construction worker? You have legal options
“Thousands of construction workers have died from diseases caused by work with — or near— asbestos without protection. And 10,000 people are expected to die each year for the next 10 years because of past exposures to asbestos. Asbestos diseases can sometimes take 20 years or more to show up after you are exposed. All kinds of asbestos are dangerous,” writes the Center to Protect Workers’ Rights (CPWR).
Asbestos is still used in construction, mainly in roof panels and packing gaskets. So, construction workers still are exposed to asbestos during remodeling and demolition.
An asbestos construction lawyer at Weitz & Luxenberg reports that asbestos is often found in old fireproofing, roofing, vinyl flooring, pipe and boiler insulation, and some roads and cement pipe and cement sheet products.
Many construction workers, such as yourself, have come forward to say their work environment led to a diagnosis of mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or other asbestos-related diseases.
If this has been your experience, we may be able to help.
For over two decades, Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. has handled some of the most legally complicated and groundbreaking asbestos litigation in the country. Men and women diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure or secondary exposure may be entitled to compensation from the companies responsible for their disease.
If you would like a free consultation or more information about your legal options, please complete the form on this page, and a representative of our law firm will contact you as soon as possible.
How could my job in construction cause my asbestos-related disease?
Prior to the late 1970’s, asbestos was used as an insulator in houses and buildings. Depending on what area of construction you worked in, you may have had to wrap pipes in asbestos, cut pieces of asbestos drywall, or install asbestos shingles.
You may not have noticed, but when you breathed in the dust that surrounded the asbestos, microscopic fibers could have gotten into your lungs. This is especially the case when cutting asbestos-laced materials down to size. The dust that is produced from that may look, smell, and feel just like harmless debris, but actually it is doing damage to your lungs.
The microscopic fibers of asbestos get stuck in the lungs when you breathe them. They also may get stuck in your saliva and be swallowed. Whether the fibers make their way into your stomach or lungs, your body tries to fight them off, but ultimately cannot – asbestos fibers are too strong to break down or become absorbed. Scar tissue builds up around the fibers and cancer has the potential to grow.
Why was I not informed earlier that asbestos was dangerous?
Tragically, asbestos corporations did not want you to know about the dangers of asbestos, it could decrease their profits.
“The documents noted above, however, show corporate knowledge of the dangers associated with exposure to asbestos dating back to 1934. In addition, the plaintiffs' bar will probably take the position — not unreasonably — that the documents are evidence of a corporate conspiracy to prevent asbestos workers from learning that their exposure to asbestos could kill them,” taken from a memo from a trustee of the Manville Trust in 1988 (EWG 1).
Kenneth Smith, the medical director for Johns-Manville (a giant asbestos corporation of its time), urged the company to put a warning label on their product, but they refused weighing the need for a label against the drop in profits as a result of the label (EWG 2).
How Weitz & Luxenberg can help you and your family
Our skilled team of asbestos attorneys has the experience and the resources to provide you with excellent legal representation. We have been helping people just like yourself for over twenty years. We know the right angles to take, and the means to dig up hard evidence that can prove your case.
For more information including a free, legal consultation, contact our firm directly by filling out the form on this page. After submitting the form, we will get in touch with you within 24 hours.
Sources
EWG 1: http://www.ewg.org/sites/asbestos/facts/fact3.php
EWG 2: http://www.ewg.org/sites/asbestos/asbestos_printerfriendly.pdf
Second hand exposure to asbestos fatal for construction worker's wife