ASBESTOS NEWS UPDATE
New Jersey: Sixth highest-ranking state in the nation for asbestos deaths

New Jersey ranked No. 6 for asbestos-related deaths

The first-ever analysis of federal mortality records finds that 10,000 Americans die each year from asbestos exposure, and projects that up to 10 times that many will die in the next decade, according to a study by the EWG Action Fund, a non-profit environmental research group based in Washington, D.C.

The study details for the first time the death toll in each state and county nationwide for the period between 1979 and 2001.

New Jersey, No. 6 asbestos state

Between 1979 and 2001, New Jersey ranked No. 6 in the nation for fatalities related to asbestos exposure, with 12 state counties within its borders that recorded unusually high numbers of asbestos-related deaths.

At least 2,775 people in New Jersey were killed by asbestos between 1979 and 2001. Study sources estimate the figure could be as high as 3,505.

On the government’s list of the Top 100 counties in the nation showing deaths due to asbestos, New Jersey contains 12 -- a figure of concern for any state and matched only by California and Florida. These New Jersey counties are: Camden (ranked No. 6 in the nation), Somerset (No. 7); Middlesex (No. 36), Bergen (No. 37), Gloucester (No. 50), Ocean (No. 51), Burlington (No. 59), Union (No. 60), Hudson (No. 72), Monmouth (No. 77), Essex (No. 95) and Passaic (No. 96).

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 New Jersey, at least 1,045 persons died of mesothelioma between 1979 and 2001, but that figure could be as high as 1,775, say government sources.

The disease has a 20- to 50-year latency period, which means 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.

Time to seek justice!

The study projects that in the next decade 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with the deadliest form of asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma. In the United States, mesothelioma accounts for about one quarter of all asbestos fatalities. This disease is most often the result of industrial workplace exposure to asbestos – and is usually contracted through employers’ blatant disregard for health and safety.

That’s why people diagnosed with mesothelioma and surviving family members have strong cases in court. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, please complete the form on this page for a free evaluation of your legal rights. There is no cost to you until we win a settlement or a verdict.