EXPOSURE TO ASBESTOS
Asbestos-contaminated home driveway caused mother’s death, new book alleges

Exposure to asbestos can occur from dusty home-driveway materials.

The personal injury law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the rights of workers and community residents since 1986. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients injured by job-related asbestos exposure.

DRIVEWAY EXPOSURE TO ASBESTOS

September 18, 2009 - According to her son, an Australian woman’s death from malignant mesothelioma (the deadliest of asbestos-related cancers) developed after the family’s home driveway was laid down with asbestos-contaminated construction materials.

“We put down an asbestos driveway and that certainly would be a contributing factor and we wouldn’t be able to deny that or go away from it,” said John Boyle, the deceased woman’s son.

Her husband worked for James Hardie, a building materials manufacturing company in Sydney, Australia, previously involved in the distribution and mining of asbestos-containing products, the leading cause of mesothelioma cancer.

Some 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with mesothelioma in the next decade, according to government health agencies.

Book tells of driveway exposure to asbestos

Mr. Boyle’s report about a home-driveway asbestos exposure emerged in a new book by Matt Peacock titled “Killer Company.” The book details the James Hardie company’s involvement with asbestos and the firm's desire to prevent employees from understanding its health risks.

Thousands of asbestos-tainted driveways

According to a former James Hardie engineer interviewed for the book, thousands of driveways may have been built using leftover asbestos-containing materials, since the James Hardie company encouraged its workers to take remaining asbestos waste home.

According to the engineer, driveways, garage floors and sidewalks were constructed with the waste, commonly used as a substitute for concrete.

The truth about asbestos

Once in the home, toxic asbestos particles can be inhaled or ingested into the body, where they can become lodged in the lungs and other organs.

Overtime, usually a decade or two, such an exposure can develop into a fatal asbestos-related disease, including lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma.

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

Time to seek justice

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and seek a free case review to determine your eligibility for compensation, please notify us through the communication form below. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, lost wages, and suffering.

Weitz & Luxenberg works on a contingency basis, so there is no cost to you until we win a settlement or a verdict.