Asbestos lung cancer

Diagnosed with Lung Cancer? Did you Work with Asbestos?

“While other law firms shy away from fighting asbestos companies on behalf of lung cancer patients who smoked and were exposed to asbestos, our firm has consistently disproved the commonly held perception that only tobacco companies can be held liable for lung cancer.”--Perry Weitz, Founder, Weitz & Luxenberg P.C.

Asbestos lung cancer is primarily an occupational disease. According to one estimate, about 4,800 people die from asbestos lung cancer every year in the U.S. Many people assume that the only cause of lung cancer is smoking. However, in many cases, people are diagnosed with lung cancer because they worked with asbestos products or were otherwise exposed to asbestos several decades ago. Smokers or former smokers who were exposed to asbestos are at much higher risk for developing asbestos lung cancer.

How does Asbestos Cause Lung Cancer?

Asbestos can be present in the environment in the form of tiny fibers that cannot be seen by the human eye. These fibers can be inhaled. Once inhaled, they can become trapped in the lungs. Decades later, asbestos fibers can lead to the development of lung cancer.

Asbestos was used in many everyday products such as tiles, roofing shingles, gaskets, brake pads and insulation material. Asbestos had commercial appeal because of its physical characteristics; it is flexible, strong and heat resistant. Even though many companies knew of the serious bodily harms that asbestos can cause as far back as the 1930s, they continued to use asbestos because it is cheap. The desire for profit motivated many companies to hide the dangers of asbestos. As a result, many people who worked with asbestos products did so without any protective equipment such as respirators. Retired workers suffering from asbestos lung cancer can often recall being covered in asbestos dust at the end of the work day.

Asbestos Lung Cancer Threatens Household Members of Asbestos Industry Workers

Household members of asbestos industry workers often washed the work clothes of the worker. Those clothes were contaminated with asbestos dust. Handling those clothes exposed household members to asbestos who in turn developed asbestos lung cancer. This type of asbestos exposure is known as secondary exposure.

Those with Asbestos Lung Cancer Have Suffered Injustice: Weitz & Luxenberg Lawyers can Help

Asbestos lung cancer is a disease that could have been avoided if companies in the asbestos industry had valued human life enough to warn of the dangers of asbestos. Thousands of deaths that occur in the U.S. alone as a result of asbestos lung cancer could have been avoided had the asbestos industry provided workers with protective equipment to prevent asbestos exposure. Family members who passed away to asbestos lung cancer would have had longer and healthier lives had they not experienced asbestos exposure.

Weitz & Luxenberg asbestos lawyers have provided financial assistance to many people suffering from asbestos lung cancer by filing lawsuits against asbestos industry companies. The firm has been specializing in asbestos lung cancer cases since 1986. Weitz & Luxenberg clients include former mechanics, construction workers, electricians and others who worked with asbestos products.

If you have been diagnosed with asbestos lung cancer, you can confidently turn to the lawyers of Weitz & Luxenberg. If you have a valid case, we can help you obtain financial assistance to pay for medical expenses and support of loved ones. Let us join you in the fight against asbestos lung cancer. Complete the form on this page.