ASBESTOS TESTING
Health care services for military veterans at the VA Medical Center in Portland

Contact information for military veterans to test for exposure to asbestos: Portland VA Medical Center, 3710 SW U.S. Veterans Hospital Road, Portland, OR 97239. Phone: (503) 220-8262 or (800) 949-1004.

Learn more about the dangers of asbestos exposure and decide if you should be tested. The following is a list of people at increased hazard of developing an asbestos-related disease:

• Those with breathing problems
• Individuals with protracted exposure to asbestos
• Anyone who thinks they have had extended exposure to asbestos
• Immediate family members of people who have worked in asbestos-related vocations, even if the individual who worked with asbestos has no obvious signs of exposure or respiratory issues.

Four specific diseases are associated with 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).

The warning signs of asbestos-related diseases are coughing, coughing blood, shortness of breath, chest pain and weight loss. Unfortunately, the tangible warning signs of asbestos exposure can appear up to 25 years after initial exposure. Annual or even semi-annual asbestos detection tests are recommended.

If you need more information from your doctor, don't be afraid to ask.It is important that the initial 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. Weitz & Luxenberg believes that all men and women who have participated in the United States Armed orces should receive the services they deserve. This includes compensation for deadly diseases such as mesothelioma.

Did you know there is no time limit for filing an asbestos lawsuit? Weitz & Luxenberg can help you receive compensation no matter when you were exposed. Simply fill out the form below to begin the process.

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