DANGEROUS OCCUPATIONS
Like any seaman, a waterman risks mesothelioma through asbestos exposure

January 14, 2009 - A waterman applies his trade on ships, where the ever-present threat of asbestos exposure exists below deck. And like any seaman, a waterman is vulnerable to asbestos-related diseases that include lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma.

Watermen are river workers who transfer passengers across and along rivers and estuaries. The profession goes back to colonial days. Waterman is also a term used for professional boatmen who work on the water and harvest seafood, especially on the Mississippi and around the Chesapeake Bay.

In the 19th century, traditional watermen shied away from the considerable risks of boiler explosions or fires that were involved with early steamboats, preferring instead to gain financial success through the freedoms of crewing all sizes of sailing freight boats.

As time went by, the danger of fire at sea increased, leading to greater use of asbestos aboard all boats, especially during WWII. Because combat conditions exacerbated the danger of fire, asbestos was used in nearly every part of virtually every ship built during the war. Afterwards, the use of asbestos never stopped aboard boats. As a result, virtually every sea-going vessel constructed between 1940 and 1980 was laden with asbestos.

Yesteryear and even today, boats below deck tend to be very poorly ventilated and enclosed environments, usually smothered in asbestos. Consequently, thousands of seamen (and watermen) have died and continue to die from the ravages of asbestos diseases.

Has asbestos been banned yet?

Despite the potentially fatal health consequences associated with asbestos exposure, asbestos is still imported and used in the United States for its insulation properties in homes, on boats and in factories. The United States imported and used an estimated 1,820 tons of asbestos in 2007, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Medical authorities estimate that in the next decade more than 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with the deadliest form of asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma. This disease is most often the result of industrial workplace exposure to asbestos – and usually contracted through employers’ blatant disregard for the health and safety of their workers.

Time to seek justice!

That’s why people diagnosed with mesothelioma and their family members have strong cases in court. Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of workers for 25 years – longer than most law firms in the nation. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and seek FREE legal guidance and answers to your concerns, please notify us through the communication form on this page. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, future and past lost wages for your family, and damages. There is no cost to you until we win a settlement or a verdict.