Texas: The Fifth Most Fatal Asbestos State in the U.S.

Texas has the fifth highest rate of asbestos-related deaths of all states in the nation, according to government figures recorded between 1979 and 2001.

At least 2,651 Texans died from asbestos exposure during this 22-year period. Government sources estimate the figure could be as high as 3,627. Broken down by city, Houston, Port Arthur, Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth and Galveston are the urban centers that were most affected.

There are six counties in Texas that are on the government’s list of the Top 100 counties in the country recording deaths due to asbestos. They are: Harris County, Jefferson County, Dallas County, Bexar County, Tarrant County and Galveston 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 Texas, at least 1,349 persons died of mesothelioma between 1979 and 2001, but that figure could be as high as 2,325, 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.

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.