Asbestos exposure in industrial settings

Believed to be an issue of the last century, asbestos exposure still affects former industrial workers today

Because it was abundant and cheap, and considered to be superior to other forms of insulation, asbestos became a valuable asset in numerous industries for centuries. Industries with high rates of risk when it comes to being in contact with asbestos:

• power generation
• manufacturing
• shipbuilding and repair
• chemical
• firefighting
• textile
• automotive
• asphalt
• construction
• coal mine
• paper
• and many others

Over 27 million industrial workers were unknowingly exposed to carcinogenic agents at their workplace, including asbestos. A considerable part of these workers is diagnosed with non-cancerous conditions such as pleural plaques, diffuse pleural thickening, pleural effusion, and rounded atelectasis that will lead to lung cancer, bronchial cancer, or mesothelioma 10-40 years later in life. Although the dangers of asbestos had been known ever since the 1930s, numerous asbestos manufacturers deliberately concealed the information from their employees for their own financial profit.

The potential for an asbestos-containing product to release airborne fibers depends on its degree of friability. Friable asbestos-containing products and materials can easily be crumbled or reduced to a powder by hand pressure, releasing fibers into the air. Asbestos that is tightly bound or sealed into the material is considered non-friable and will only release fibers if sanded, sawn, or drilled. Before the 1980s a lot of products were manufactured with asbestos by a high number of asbestos manufacturing companies. Many products and applications are still allowed to contain asbestos in small amounts and historic uses are prevalent today, continuing to pose a risk.

Former industrial workers with asbestos-related diagnoses are eligible for compensation from asbestos trust funds

Over the past 20 years, our team of experts has successfully filed asbestos trust fund claims for thousands of industrial workers and close family members. If you suffer from a disease as a consequence of occupational asbestos exposure, Environmental Litigation Group, P.C. can help you get the compensation you and your family have the right to obtain. We receive payment after compensation was recovered for our clients, a standard 40% contingency fee.

Our process is very simple: we need your medical records and a family member, or the victim to provide workplace information, you never go to court, we already have a lot of documentation and proof for similar cases. There are 60 trust funds established by bankrupt companies with $37 billion available for industrial workers exposed to toxins at their workplace. Any worker who presents asbestos fibers in their lungs will receive compensation. The amount of compensation you and your family can receive depends on factors like:

• disease severity
• the size of the asbestos trust fund in question
• the percentage they pay

We can expedite your claim with multiple asbestos trust funds in order to promptly obtain the maximum compensation in the shortest time possible with minimal involvement of you and your family. There is a time limit between 1-3 years to file your claim, so it is extremely important to take legal action as soon as you find out about your illness.

Asbestos screening for former industrial workers

Asbestos fibers have a rod or needle-like shape and your immune system cannot get rid of them. The damage caused by asbestos typically takes 10 to 40 years to manifest symptoms. When symptoms appear, they are often ignored or mistaken for the signs of other less dangerous health problems. Many workers are not even aware that they have been exposed to asbestos and have no idea what this mineral can do to their health. To ascertain whether a condition is a result of asbestos exposure, the doctor will take a detailed history to determine the patient’s exposure to asbestos, usually in the workplace, and usually for long periods of time.

Former industrial workers who already have been diagnosed with the following cancers are immediately eligible to apply for asbestos trust funds. They do not need to travel to our Birmingham, AL location, as we can handle everything over the phone with the help of family members. These cases have priority because of immediate eligibiliy.

• lung cancer
• throat cancer
• esophageal cancer
• bronchial cancer
• gastrointestinal cancer
• colorectal cancer
• mesothelioma

Regardless of the industry you worked in, if your employment history involves working with or around significant amounts of asbestos and you struggle with one of the following diseases, you will have to travel to Birmingham, AL, so that you can undergo a medical examination, which may involve pulmonary function tests and chest X-rays, to assign you a correct diagnosis, as misdiagnosis is very common among the victims of asbestos exposure.

• asbestosis
• pleural effusion
• pleural plaques
• pleurisy
• pulmonary fibrosis
• diffuse pleural thickening
• COPD
• emphysema
• chronic bronchitis
• lung spots
• lung nodules
• lung scarring
• tuberculosis
• asthma
• pneumonitis
• bladder cancer
• rounded atelectasis

Smoker or not, if asbestos fibers are detected in your lungs you are eligible for trust fund compensation

Many are reluctant to check on eligibility, falsely believing that they would not be eligible for compensation due to their smoking habit. When both asbestos exposure and tobacco use are involved, you can successfully file a claim, as the toxic fibers in your lungs can be seen on a chest X-ray and are the cause of your illness, smoking only exacerbates the damage, it does not cause it.

Secondary asbestos exposure among the family members of former industrial workers

Occupational exposure to asbestos was not limited to the workers themselves. It was common for industrial workers who were handling products that contained asbestos at the job to return home with asbestos dust on their clothes, as well as on their skin and hair, indirectly exposing their families to this toxic mineral. Women were mainly exposed to asbestos by regularly hand-laundering their husband's work clothes, whereas children were more likely to inhale asbestos fibers from their parent’s hair or uniform during a hug or a cuddle.

If you have a family member who had a high-risk industrial occupation in regard to asbestos exposure, and you experience one or more of the symptoms listed below, you may be a victim of secondary asbestos exposure and you can as well recover compensation from asbestos trust funds:

• shortness of breath
• persistent chest pain
• dry cough
• hoarseness or wheezing
• feeling weak and/or tired
• unexplained loss of appetite and weight

Environmental Litigation Group, P.C. files your asbestos claim

Since the early 1980s, many companies that manufactured or supplied asbestos-containing products have filed for bankruptcy after facing numerous asbestos lawsuits.

These companies claimed that they did not have enough money to sustain all the current and future claims, so filing for bankruptcy allowed them a level of protection from asbestos lawsuits. If you were exposed to asbestos decades ago and your old employer is out of business, you should speak to a knowledgeable legal expert about filing a claim for compensation. We can provide you with quality assistance.

Identifying the industry and location of your asbestos exposure is a necessary step to receive financial compensation from asbestos trust funds. The process of identifying asbestos exposure can be challenging because there are so many industries and occupations involved, particularly because asbestos diseases take decades to develop.

Our extensive database of job sites and asbestos product identification built over 25 years of specializing in asbestos claims allows us to successfully handle your case and maximize your compensation. Being familiar with many different industries, manufacturers, and products means we can efficiently and effectively identify all the asbestos-containing products that contributed to your asbestos-related illness. It’s a breadth of knowledge gained from years of experience helping those who were unfairly and unknowingly exposed to asbestos in the workplace.

Call 205.328.9200 Claim Evaluation