Asthma

Work-related asthma affects more than two million workers in the United States

Work-related asthma can be either new-onset asthma that develops due to repeated or long-term exposure to irritants in the workplace or pre-existing asthma that gets exacerbated at the workplace. New-onset asthma or occupational asthma occurs in about 15-30% of asthma patients. It is commonly associated with certain occupations that handle textiles, animal care, manufacturing and processing, automobile repairs, and refining operations that expose workers to dust, hazardous chemicals, and fibers that cause lung problems. Additionally, some people who already have asthma may be exposed to triggers such as allergens, irritants, and extremes in temperature or humidity at the workplace. Individuals with work-related asthma are symptomatic at work and tend to improve when they are away from work. More than 250 agents have been identified as workplace triggers that lead to occupational asthma.

Work-related asthma comprises up to 20% of adult asthma cases. Out of the work-related asthma cases, about 20-27% consist of patients with pre-existing asthma that get aggravated at the workplace and up to 80% are new patients who develop asthma because of workplace exposure. According to the American Lung Association, occupational lung diseases are the most common form of work-related illnesses. If you have been diagnosed with asthma after long-term asbestos exposure and your chest X-rays show fibers in your lungs, call us to see if you have a case.

Asthma misdiagnosis and asbestos exposure work history

Misdiagnosis is common among asbestos exposure victims. As the symptoms of most asbestos-related lung diseases are almost similar to other common lung conditions, we strongly advise individuals with a history of asbestos exposure – particularly smokers – to undergo a biannual medical examination, which will help prevent late detection of any unfortunate condition that has developed. The symptoms of pleural mesothelioma stage 1 are similar to those caused by asthma and are likely for the early stages of pleural mesothelioma to be wrongly diagnosed as asthma. A characteristic symptom caused by stage 1 pleural mesothelioma is a feeling of slight to moderate pressure in the chest, which is a result of fluid build-up within the lining of the lungs. All the other symptoms are not specific to mesothelioma, but if you have been exposed to asbestos material in the past, it is better to consult a mesothelioma specialist as early as possible. Diagnosing the condition at an early stage will drastically improve your prognosis. You will have several treatment options if you have been diagnosed at stage 1 mesothelioma because the disease will be confined to just the lung lining and will be easily removable through either surgery or chemotherapy alone. For this reason, we encourage you to always seek a second opinion, preferably from a specialist in asbestos-related diseases.

In addition to jeopardizing your treatment and prognosis, asthma misdiagnosis can also lead to recovering less amount of compensation than that you are entitled to because the financial compensation is mainly decided on the basis of the severity of your disease. Our lawyers can help you file a claim if in addition to asthma you can also prove that you have asbestos fibers in your lungs.

If you lost a family member who was suffering from asthma, see if they qualify for compensation

Numerous victims of asbestos exposure avoid seeking legal assistance when they are alive because of many reasons including the fear of going through a long process to receive compensation. Generally, individuals diagnosed with asthma are reluctant to file a claim because they think their illness is not severe enough to claim for financial compensation. However, a lawyer specialized in handling asbestos exposure cases would have been helpful in recovering the rightful compensation from one or multiple asbestos trust funds if the victim also presented with Fibers in the lungs.

With more than three decades of experience in handling asbestos litigations, our attorneys will evaluate your case and try to recover as much compensation as your departed family member was entitled to receive. The only documents you will need to provide us are the victim’s work history and medical records. We will completely handle major aspects of the legal process and your involvement will be quite minimal. If the products manufactured by the company at which your family member worked were responsible for their diagnosis, then you will be eligible to receive money from the asbestos trust fund that was set up by the employer.

However, it is important to file a wrongful death claim within the statute of limitation period, which is 1-3 years and depends on the state you belong to. Therefore, it is necessary to seek legal assistance as early as possible for a successful outcome.

At Environmental Litigation Group, P.C., we have represented over 230,000 asbestos victims and we are willing to help you, too. Our standard fee is a 40% contingency fee, which means we only collect the fee when we are able to recover money for our clients. If we do not collect anything, our clients are not out any money out of pocket.