ASBESTOS TESTING
Veterans Services at the VA Medical Center in Sioux Falls, SD

Contact information for veterans to test for asbestos exposure: Sioux Falls VA Medical Center at 2501 W. 22nd Street, P.O. Box 5046, Sioux Falls, SD 57117-5046. Phone: (605) 336-3230 or (800) 316-8387.

Do you think you're at risk for asbestos exposure? Look at the details below and find out more about this deadly substance. The following is a list of people at elevated danger of developing an asbestos-related disease:

• Anyone with breathing problems
• Anyone with extended exposure to asbestos
• Those who think they have had protracted exposure to asbestos
• Immediate family members of anyone who has worked in asbestos-related trades, even if the person who worked with asbestos has no noticeable symptoms or difficulty breathing

In general, there is a group of diseases that result from asbestos exposure: lung cancer, asbestosis (a serious, chronic, non cancerous fibrous hardening and scarring of the lungs), mesothelioma (a cancer of the thin membranes lining the thoracic and abdominal cavities and surrounding internal organs), and pleural plaque and thickening (scarring of the lining of the lung). The main indicators of asbestos-related diseases are coughing, coughing blood, shortness of breath, chest pain and weight loss. Unfortunately, the tangible signs of contact with asbestos can appear up to 25 years after initial exposure. Annual or even semi-annual asbestos detection tests are recommended.

Don't be afraid to question your doctor about your health.It is vital 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 those who have participated in the United States Armed Forces should receive the services 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 mesothelioma.

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

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