ASBESTOS TESTING
Health care services for military veterans at the Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, WV

Contact information for military veterans to test for exposure to asbestos: Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center, One Medical Center Drive, Clarksburg, WV 26301. Phone: (304) 623-3461 or (800) 733-0512.

Various people with asbestos exposure should be tested for asbestos-related diseases. At first glance, there are some questions one should ask to figure out if asbestos exposure is an issue. These topics include: Do you think you have had prolonged exposure to asbestos? Are you an immediate family member of someone who has worked in asbestos-related industries? Have you worked somewhere where asbestos insulation was used? Is it possible your exposure to asbestos was in the form of a "burst exposure" (a very heavy concentration) to asbestos for short periods of time? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, you may wish to discuss this with your health-care provider.

Four specific diseases have been linked to asbestos exposure: Mesothelioma (a cancer of the thin membranes lining the thoracic and abdominal cavities and surrounding internal organs), asbestosis (a serious, chronic, non cancerous fibrous hardening and scarring of the lungs), lung cancer, and pleural plaque and thickening (scarring of the lining of the lung).

Some symptoms of asbestos-related diseases are coughing, coughing blood, shortness of breath, chest pain and weight loss. Unfortunately, these symptoms of asbestos exposure can appear up to 25 years after primary exposure. Annual or even semi-annual asbestos detection tests are recommended.

If you don't understand your doctor's explanation, get him or her to explain it in a way that you can understand. It is important that the usual mode of testing is an x-ray (side and front view of your chest.) Further tests may include a pulmonary function test, blood work, a CT scan and/or biopsy. Doctors sometimes speak a language unintelligible to the layman.

All men and women who have participated in the United States Armed Forces should receive the benefits they deserve. Weitz & Luxenberg is committed to making this happen. This includes compensation for deadly diseases that are caused by inhalation of asbestos, such as lung cancer.

If you or someone you love has developed lung cancer after having contact with asbestos, we want to help. It's never too late for a free case evaluation. The form below starts the process.

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