Weitz & Luxenberg Highlights Risks of Asbestos-related Lung Cancer--What the Public Needs to Know

Weitz & Luxenberg (www.weitzlux.com) would like to inform the public of the risks of lung cancer from asbestos exposure. CancerCare predicts that lung cancer will account for 15 percent of cancer diagnoses and 29 percent of all cancer deaths this year. While it is common knowledge that cigarette smoking is the leading cause of the disease, the public is rarely informed that asbestos exposure can also cause lung cancer. According to a study compiled by the Environmental Working Group, approximately 5,000 people die from asbestos-related lung cancer every year in the United States.

This is of great concern to Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., which through its extensive experience with asbestos-related lung cancer cases, has seen that many of those grappling with the disease are often unaware that they have legal recourse. Additionally, the National Cancer Institute states that the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person’s risk of developing cancer of the air passageways in the lung.

“The public should know how dangerous asbestos is and how exposure to it can multiply a person’s likelihood of developing lung cancer, particularly if that person smokes,” said Joseph P. Williams, a trial attorney with the Asbestos Litigation unit.

A history of success in asbestos litigation
Weitz & Luxenberg has many notable successes in fighting for those who have been harmed by asbestos. In May, the firm obtained a jury verdict of $37 million for two smokers with lung cancer who had been exposed to asbestos (Index Nos. 100016/99 and 113583/05, New York Supreme Court). The defendant was Robert A. Keasbey Company, a former insulation contractor and distributor of asbestos products. In 2006, the firm secured a $25 million jury verdict in a trial against DaimlerChrysler AG for a New York City brake reliner who lost his right lung to mesothelioma.

Asbestos is in many everyday products
Asbestos invades people’s homes and workplaces through everyday products such as floor and ceiling tile, insulation, brake pads and boilers that contain the carcinogen. People who are most at risk include those who worked with asbestos more than 10 years ago. This is because asbestos-related diseases have a long latency period. Boiler-making, automobiles, construction and textiles are some of the many industries that have exposed workers to the carcinogen, causing untold numbers to die of asbestos-related lung ailments such as mesothelioma, a cancer that is almost always caused by breathing in asbestos fibers.

Household members of asbestos workers should get tested
It is equally crucial for the household members of such workers to get tested for asbestos diseases. The family of an exposed worker is at risk for secondhand contact by inhaling the asbestos fibers that the worker brought home on his or her clothes.

It is important to keep in mind that disturbing an asbestos-containing product by hammering or cutting it, for example, can cause the release of asbestos fibers. When inhaled, those fibers get trapped in the lungs and can result in lung cancer decades later. It is therefore essential for those who have been exposed decades ago to get tested for asbestos diseases as soon as possible.

Weitz & Luxenberg is a leading plaintiffs' law firm that has represented people affected by mesothelioma for over 20 years. Men and women diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure may be entitled to compensation from the companies responsible for their disease. If you would like a free consultation or more information about your legal options, please complete the form on this page, and a representative of our law firm will contact you as soon as possible.