Mesothelioma Risk Factors

Serious illnesses such as mesothelioma are one of the risk factors of asbestos exposure

If you have been exposed to asbestos fibers, you are likely concerned about how this exposure may affect your health. If you came in contact with asbestos containing products in an occupational setting, you are among the many people who have had this unfortunate experience.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has indicated that working with asbestos is one of the major risk factors for developing mesothelioma. A history of asbestos exposure at work is reported in about 70 to 80 percent of all cases.

Why asbestos exposure was prevalent

Asbestos has been mined and used commercially since the late 1800s. Use of asbestos increased dramatically during World War II. Therefore, since the early 1940s, millions of American workers have been exposed to asbestos dust.

Initially, the risks associated with asbestos exposure were not known. However, an increased risk of developing mesothelioma was later found among shipyard workers, people who work in asbestos mines and mills, producers of asbestos products, workers in the heating and construction industries, and other tradespeople.

Risk factors for direct exposure on the job
We now know that workers in many diverse industries, including those in construction trades, plumbers, electricians, and brake mechanics faced frequent exposure to asbestos dusts. Plumbers and other tradesmen routinely used asbestos insulation materials, exponentially increasing the risk that electricians, welders, and carpenters working on the job sites with such insulation materials would also breathe in airborne microscopic asbestos fibers.

Mechanics working on asbestos brakes and clutches on cars, trucks, trains and other vehicles still face asbestos exposure risks because the carcinogen is still used on brake and clutch components. Tragically, home mechanics working on their own cars also breathe in asbestos dust.

Military veterans, particularly those who served in the U.S. Navy and also civilian shipyard workers, also faced significant exposure to asbestos. Asbestos containing materials were used in virtually every area aboard military ships, including engine rooms, pump rooms, boiler rooms and magazine rooms.

Secondary exposure risk factors for mesothelioma

Many people have been stricken with asbestos diseases despite the fact they never worked directly with asbestos-containing products. Families have come forward with stories of a relative who worked in an industry with daily exposure to asbestos. These men would return home after a long day at work, unaware that their dusty work clothes and car interiors were contaminated by asbestos. Their wives and children faced exposure by shaking out the work clothes before doing the laundry, cleaning the car, or even giving Dad a hug after the end of a long work day.

In addition, men and women in countless professions who worked in office and other professional buildings where asbestos materials had been used to build, repair or insulate building pipes and boilers, are also at risk of developing mesothelioma. Our lawyers have represented school teachers, maintenance workers, telephone installation and repair technicians, truck drivers and employees of retail stores whose work caused them to be exposed to flaking asbestos dusts on the job.

Smoking and other risk factors for mesothelioma

Some asbestos disease patients worry their illness was related to smoking. Smoking does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma. However, the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person's risk of developing lung cancer.

It is therefore important to know that lung cancer patients and their families do have legal options if their loved one smoked and developed an asbestos-related disease. In addition to cancer, some asbestos disease patients may be diagnosed with chronic health problems such as pleural plaques disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asbestosis.

Legal resources
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, we can help you seek justice for your illness and file an asbestos lawsuit on your behalf.

Please complete the form on this page for a free and confidential review of your potential asbestos lawsuit or request a free copy of our asbestos sourcebook.

A Weitz & Luxenberg representative will contact you as soon as possible.