COLUMBIA COUNTY, PA, ASBESTOS LAWYER
Pennsylvania:
No. 4 state in the U.S. for asbestos-related deaths

New York-based Weitz & Luxenberg is known nationwide for achieving record-breaking verdict and settlement awards for workers diagnosed with asbestos-related mesothelioma and lung cancer. Thanks to nearly 25 years of success, our firm is pleased to announce that it is expanding its practice to Pennsylvania. Our lawyers are currently accepting cases from Pennsylvania residents in Columbia County who have been diagnosed with asbestos-related lung cancer or mesothelioma.

News Update:Columbia asbestos lawyer report

March 23, 2009 – Pennsylvania is ranked No. 4 in the nation (after California, Florida and New York) for deaths attributed specifically to asbestos-related mesothelioma and asbestosis, according to a national study conducted by the EWG Action Fund, a non-profit environmental research group headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Since 1979, at least 3,046 people have been killed by asbestos in Pennsylvania, says the uniquely detailed report, which examined asbestos deaths on three levels – state, county and city – as reported to the federal government via death certificate records from 1979 through 2001.

As disturbing as the figures are, they likely represent less than 20 percent of total asbestos-related deaths during that time. That’s because mesothelioma was not tracked by the federal government as a cause of death until 1999. When the government began tracking mesothelioma as a cause of death, U.S. mortality figures more than doubled – from 935 in 1998, to 2,343 in 1999.

Columbia County asbestos lawyer

Among the Top 100 counties in the United States recording deaths due to asbestos, Pennsylvania has five on the list: Philadelphia County (ranked No. 3), Delaware County (No. 13); Allegheny County (No. 16); Montgomery County (No. 17) and Lancaster County (No. 84).

Examined city by city, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are the two urban centers hardest hit. Pennsylvania also has two government-listed asbestos-contamination sites; they are located in Ellwood City and New Castle, Pa.

About mesothelioma . . .

Shipyard workers, construction workers, auto mechanics and military veterans are at the greatest risk for developing mesothelioma, as these occupations utilized enormous amounts of asbestos during the 20th century. Mesothelioma has a long latency period, and is usually diagnosed decades after occupational exposure. That’s why many cases are only now coming to light, despite the current downturn in the use of asbestos.

Time to seek justice!

The above study projects that in the next decade 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with the deadliest form of asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma. This disease, fatal in every case, is most often the result of industrial workplace exposure to asbestos, and usually contracted through employers’ emphasis on profits rather than the health and safety of company workers. That’s why people diagnosed with mesothelioma and surviving family members have strong cases in court.

Record of success . . .

In 2008, Weitz & Luxenberg achieved a $16-million verdict in an asbestos case that is the first successful asbestos verdict against a dental supply company. In 2007, Weitz & Luxenberg obtained a jury verdict of $37 million for two smokers with lung cancer who had been exposed to asbestos; the defendant was Robert A. Keasbey Co., a former insulation contractor and distributor of asbestos products.

If you are a Columbia County resident that has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, please complete the form on this page for a free evaluation of your legal right to financial compensation. There is absolutely no cost to you until we achieve a verdict or settlement in your favor.