Illinois: State Ranked No. 7 For Asbestos-Related Deaths

Illinois has the seventh highest rate of asbestos-related deaths of all states in the country, according to statistics recorded between 1979 and 2001.

At least 1,697 persons died from asbestos poisoning during the 22-year period. The figure could be as high as 2,607, say government sources. Broken down by city, Chicago is the urban center that is most affected. This is confirmed by the fact that two counties bordering Chicago are found on the government’s list of the Top 100 counties in the nation recording deaths due to asbestos – Cook County and Lake County.

Mesothelioma is the most serious form of asbestos cancers, affecting the lining of the lungs and often leading to death within months of being diagnosed. In Illinois, at least 1,291 persons died of mesothelioma between 1979 and 2001, but that figure could be as high as 2,201. In the Chicago region alone – that is, Cook County and Lake County – at least 652 persons died from mesothelioma, a low estimate, according to government sources, which said 1,142 was a more realistic figure.

The disease has a 20- to 50-year latency period, meaning that industrial workers exposed to asbestos in the 1960s and 1970s are just now being diagnosed positive. Shipyard workers, construction workers, auto mechanics and military veterans are at the greatest risk for asbestos poisoning, as these are the occupations in which asbestos use has been most prevalent.

The government estimates that in the next decade more than 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with mesothelioma, most often the result of industrial workplace exposure to asbestos – and usually contracted through employers’ blatant disregard for health safety.

That’s why victims diagnosed with mesothelioma – and their families – have strong cases in court against their former employers. If you have a mesothelioma injury, contact Weitz & Luxenberg for a complete free evaluation of your legal rights. Litigating asbestos-related health injuries is the firm’s strongest practice area.

Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of workers for 25 years – longer than most law firms in the nation. In that time its attorneys have won more than a billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for its clients.