Archive for the tag 'asbestos workers'

Asbestos Exposure

by Loz

Asbestos Exposure

Symptoms of lung cancer, asbestosis or other asbestos - related diseases may include chronic cough and hoarseness, wheezing, chest pain, weight loss, fatigue, loss of appetite, dysphonia, coughing up blood and shortness of breath. Mesothelioma lung cancer is usually associated with asbestos exposure. The real crisis regarding asbestos exposure in the workplace is not potential litigation but the number of victims who contract the deadly disease Mesothelioma.

People who contract the disease must be absolutely sure that the cause for the same was asbestos exposure and then take steps to get the right legal counsel. Second, is the long latency period between exposure to the cause of the disease, asbestos, and its onset. Currently, these asbestos cause a disease for which there is no cure; however, due to the amount of attention that this disease is getting, many top scientists and researchers worldwide are working to develop a cure for the disease.

Because of the devastating nature of the disease and because we are able to point to a single root source, asbestos exposure, there is significant reason for all individuals to take necessary precautions to avoid contraction of the disease. In conclusion, there many things that you have to do for prevent developing of asbestos related disease, but The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) could be very useful and a good start point. If you think that you may have an asbestos - related disease because you worked exposed to asbestos many years and you show any of the symptoms above mentioned, you should visit a specialist doctor to be explored by him and decide whether you need more exams or not.

Other important thing is to visit the doctor regularly to stay informed about your health, (but this one must be specialist in the disease) whether you work or worked in contact with asbestos at your job. Without writing a book, I wouldn’t have the space to detail every observation I’ve made during this period, but I can assure you that no contact with asbestos is without a possible adverse health consequence. There are many more instances of contact for which I don’t have the time to detail here, but basically, with the characteristics of the material, knowledge of where you may encounter the substance and many hours of observation (I’ve been in construction over thirty years), you too can make the same deductive conclutions that I have made.

So, I set out to try to logically deduce, with a knowledge of the physical properties of asbestos,when I encountered the substance as I attempted to clean every surface and item in every room of the house. Supporters of the bill propose to set up a 0 billion dollar asbestos compensation fund, but it is doubtful if even an all out effort this week will bring the bill to a vote on the floor of the US Senate. While the Asbestos Bill is unfair and serves to limit rights and remedies of victims in favor of multi-billion dollar corporations, you can take action to help defeat this bill.

Every major asbestos victims’ organization opposes this bill, while being supported by the corporate defendants who knowingly poisoned their workers and the public with asbestos and would receive billions of dollars in liability relief. It was estimated that approximately 10 million workers had been exposed to asbestos by the year 1978 and that by 1970 25 million tons of asbestos had been used in building work across the USA. Even if the ancient wisdom had been lost, insurance companies were refusing to insure asbestos workers, or charging higher premiums for them by the 1920’s.

In the 1920s the asbestos industry was aware of the damaging effects of asbestos, and yet they did nothing to protect workers or their families. Back in the 1920s, a large variety of medical articles showed that there was scarring on the lungs of asbestos factory workers. Become involved in the fight to keeps victims rights regarding asbestos litigation in the hands of the people.

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Malignant Mesothelioma At a Glance

Malignant mesothelioma (cancer of the mesothelium) is a disease in which cells of the mesothelium become abnormal and divide without control or order. It is a rare form of cancer that most frequently arises from the cells lining the sacs of the chest (the pleura) or the abdomen (the peritoneum). Malignant mesothelioma is closely linked to exposure to asbestos - a natural fiber that was once used in manufacturing a wide variety of industrial and household products. Workers involved in asbestos mining, milling and manufacturing are at the greatest risk for developing malignant mesothelioma. Also at high risk are shipyard workers, workers in the heating and construction industries, and other tradespeople. Family members and others living with asbestos workers have an increased risk of developing malignant mesothelioma, and possibly other asbestos related diseases as well. Cases of malignant mesothelioma have even included people whose only exposure was breathing the air through ventilation systems.

Although reported incidence rates have increased in the past 20 years, malignant mesothelioma is still a relatively rare cancer. Between 1973 and 1984, there has been a threefold increase in the diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma in Caucasian males. From 1980 to the late 1990s, the death rate from malignant mesothelioma in the USA increased from 2,000 per year to 3,000, with men four times more likely to acquire it than women. The actual rates may be even higher however, since it is possible that many cases of malignant mesothelioma are misdiagnosed as adenocarcinoma of the lung, which is difficult to differentiate from mesothelioma.

The average age of diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma is 60. The average survival time varies from 4 to 18 months, and death is usually due to infection or respiratory failure from the progression of the mesothelioma.

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Background and History

The history of mesothelioma started in the early 1900s. Mesothelioma history, just as in the discoveries of other major diseases, has a combination of science, politics, medical research and courage. Mesothelioma is a deadly disease that affects the lining of several organs in the body, most commonly the lungs. It is now known that asbestos exposure is the primary cause for this disease; however, for more than 100 years of asbestos mining and production, the link between asbestos and mesothelioma remained obscured.

Lung Disease and Asbestos
In the early 1900s workers at asbestos factories in Britain were experiencing an alarmingly high incidence rate of lung disease. The first reported case of asbestosis in a British asbestos worker occurred in 1906. By the late 1920s, the lung disease problems associated with asbestos mining and production were becoming well known, so much so that the British government commissioned a study in 1930. The study results showed that asbestosis was an occupational disease and was associated with asbestos exposure.
Mesothelioma and Asbestos
The link between lung cancer and asbestos was slower to emerge. While many asbestos workers were dying of lung cancer in the 1930s and 1940s, there was also high growth rate of tobacco use and a high incidence of tuberculosis. Unless an autopsy was performed, it was difficult to determine the exact type of lung cancer that caused death. During this time period, it appears that the asbestos industry officials made little effort to establish the link between asbestos and mesothelioma, even though considerable evidence suggested this link.

The South African Asbestos Mines
After World War II, asbestos mining in South Africa was growing rapidly. South Africa had plenty of cheap labor, and new technology was making asbestos mining much more efficient. Although a well known South African medical researcher noted in 1928 that asbestos exposure could cause danger, he attributed the dangers to asbestos processing, not mining. (South Africa did little processing of asbestos at that time.)
In 1948, South Africa commissioned the first chest and infectious disease hospital in the area of the asbestos mines. The hospital’s first medical superintendent, Chris Sleggs, was the first physician anywhere in the world to see a significant number of malignant mesothelioma cases. He noted the presence of atypical cases of lung disease in the wards. Most cases of tuberculosis recovered with treatment, but a few of the cases appeared to be resistant to the drugs. He began to investigate.
Chris Wagner, a medical researcher, became aware of the atypical lung disease in the mid 1950s. He started a research project to better understand the occupational hazards associated with the asbestos mining. Due to the efforts of Drs. Sleggs and Wagner, along with a third researcher, Ian Webster, by the late 1950s, the connection between mesothelioma and asbestos was well documented.
In 1959, these three researchers attended an international conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. They presented papers, based on their research, showing the connection between mesothelioma and asbestos. After the conference, they combined their data and submitted it to a prestigious British medical journal. Their data showed that of the 33 cases of pleural mesothelioma investigated by them, 32 had proven exposure to asbestos mining.

Causes of Mesothelioma

Asbestos exposure is by far one of the most common causes of mesothelioma. Over 50% of the patients have a history of asbestos exposure. This exposure could occur while directly handling the fibrous material, or it could occur through just environmental exposure.
There are numerous documented cases where patients contracted the disease due to living close to the asbestos mines or by coming in contact with asbestos when some of the fibers became airborne. Persons most commonly afflicted include shipyard workers, construction workers, automobile mechanics (particularly those working on brake linings), insulation workers, pipe and heater installation and flooring workers and roofers.

Also, for those who have had asbestos exposure and who smoke, the risk becomes exaggerated. Studies show that asbestos workers who also smoke are 55 times more likely to die of mesothelioma than nonsmokers without asbestos exposure.
Erionite
Erionite is a mineral that has a long, thin rod-like amphiboles structure. Exposure to this mineral has been associated with increased incidence of mesothelioma. Erionite exposure has a high mortality rate due to mesothelioma in Anatolia, Turkey.
Exposure to asbestos is the primary cause for malignant mesothelioma in most patients. If you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos, then you are at risk. There is no minimum level of exposure that is deemed safe. Insure that during your routine health care, you advise your doctor of previous asbestos exposure, particularly if you experience any chest pressure, shortness of breath, chest pain or coughing. While these symptoms do not indicate the presence of the disease, they are the most common symptoms and should be further investigated if you have had asbestos exposure.

Asbestos - The risks to health

Asbestos - The risks to health

In this second article in a series, we cover the health risks associated with asbestos exposure.

Exposure to asbestos can cause a number of health problems, including lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis and other types of cancer.

The Asbestosis is a chronic lung disease that can cough and shortness of breath even permanent damage to the lungs.

The mesothelioma is a very rare form of cancer in thin membranes that cover the chest and abdomen. Although very rare, it is also very serious.

People at increased risk for these diseases are those who asbestos, at any time during their life. But most people exposed to asbestos are not sick. Only those who were exposed constantly over a long period of time usually symptoms. Most of these people are usually those who have a job, they are forced to work, or to work with asbestos in the course of the day.

Since the beginning of 1940, millions of people have been exposed to asbestos. The first workers to show signs of health problems associated with asbestos have been those who have worked in the shipbuilding professions, the mining of asbestos and from the mills, in the manufacture of textiles from asbestos, the work, insulation, the demolition The workers, the workers and the walls dry fire brigade. Today is the improvement of the practical work and regulations are the asbestos exposure in these industries less likely.

While it is generally accepted that most people who are seriously ill who have suffered asbestos, the issue of long-term, there are cases of those who have only a short exhibition, which also became ill. The problem is, the diseases caused by asbestos may require 10 to 40 years to be reported. Thus, a child in the school at the age of 13 years may not develop symptoms until he or she is 50 years old.

There is also some evidence that the family members of those who work in areas in connection with asbestos diseases can be associated with asbestos because of asbestos fibers, which will be introduced in the House by the workers, shoes and clothing . This kind of exposure is paraoccupational exhibition. To reduce the risk that workers who are exposed to asbestos have to wash and change their clothes before returning home. It is also proposed that they first shower, if possible.

So, what’s the risk? Not all workers, the asbestos-related health problems. There is a lot to do with the nature of the exposure. Asbestos is enclosed and can probably not break in the atmosphere has less than a threat, asbestos, which are not boxed. Also, the general health status of the employee comes into play, too. A worker who has problems with the health or smoking more likely to suffer from diseases caused by asbestos. Also, the kind of workers exposed to asbestos, which has a major impact on the health of the employee. Certain forms of asbestos are dangerous than others, depending on the concentration and duration of exposure.

In our last article in this series we will be a round on the way to determine if you have a problem, health related to the asbestos and, if so, what to do about this issue.

Mesothelioma Asbestos Cover-Up

Asbestos - mesothelioma cover-up
The mesothelioma is caused by the ingestion or inhalation of asbestos fibers. The books Outrageous Misconduct: the dock asbestos industry, written by Paul Brodeur, Pantheon Books, New York, New York, 1985, and Asbestos: Medical and Legal Aspects, 4th Edition, written by Barry I. Cast Leman, Aspen Law and Business, Angel Wood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1996, and other information indicate that asbestos had knowledge that the use of asbestos in its products and its employees will cause serious health problems for the people in the future. Nevertheless, the companies continue to use asbestos and put the lives and health of their employees at risk. Here is a small selection of the events that have taken place with the company, have knowledge that asbestos was dangerous:

• 1918: Frederick Hoffman, a medical statistician for the Prudential Life Insurance Company, said in a division of the American Bulletin work that the companies in the life insurance as a rule refuse to cover asbestos workers in the health - which harmful Conditions for the industry. ”

• 1930: One of the main company of Johns Manville asbestos, a report in which only for the internal use of the company with details of all deaths and injuries medical workers, with the asbestos.

• 1932: A letter from the United States Bureau of Mines in the asbestos manufacturers Eagle Picher declared: “We know now that the dust of asbestos is one of the most dangerous dust in the man is exposed.”

• 1933: Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Physicians believe that 29% of workers in a work by Johns-Manville suffer from asbestosis. Johns Manville rule the complaints, the 11 employees on the condition that the attorneys of workers in the future not afford any new shares against Johns-Manville.

• 1934: The leaders of the Johns Manville and Raybestos Manhattan, re-write an article about the illnesses of workers with asbestos, one of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company doctor to minimize the danger of asbestos dust.

• 1936: A group of asbestos companies accept the promotion of research on the health effects of asbestos dust, but require that the companies have complete control over the dissemination of results.

• 1942-43: The president of the Johns-Manville explained that the leadership of another company were “a bunch of fools for notification of employees who had amiantose.” If one of those present to ask, “Would you say that you can tell me who are unable to work until they drop dead?” According to the statements of deposits, the answer was: “Yes. We save a lot of money in this way.”

• 1944: The Diary of Medical Association pointed out that asbestos is an “agent known or suspected to cause cancer professionals.”

• 1951: Asbestos companies of any reference to a cancer, the publication of research results they fund on the risk from asbestos.

• 1953: National Gypsum director for the safety of Indiana has written to the Department of Hygiene industry, and recommends that the plaster audio mixer with respiratory protective devices “because of asbestos used in the product.” Another company official noted that the letter “was full of dynamite,” and urges that the letter was returned to his goal. A note for the files found that the company “to successfully quit,” the letter changed. ”

• 1989 and 1991: 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ban on asbestos and most of its use, but, in 1991, asbestos companies win federal authorities, a procedure that lifts the ban on the EPA asbestos.

• 1999: The Florida Supreme Court rules that Owens Corning voluntarily chosen information on the hazards, with the company of asbestos products. The Supreme Court of Florida, describes as a “total disregard for the safety of the people, a large number of people, their lives in danger, the risks.”
As already mentioned, the above measures by these companies are only a small selection of the many measures that the use of asbestos, in disregard for the safety of their employees, and other innocent victims. The companies, which have recklessly ignored the health of the public and its own employees, the goals of our dispute
Unfortunately, the millions of people have been exposed to asbestos over the years. It is only now that we are able to see the disastrous effects of exposure to asbestos at work.

As with other types of cancer, a quick diagnosis is important for effective treatment of Mesothelioms. If you think you may have mesothelioma and you worked with asbestos in the past, you can use your doctor about this fact.

It is known that asbestos is dangerous, and many of these companies ignored the danger to the health of their employees. If you or a too expensive a mesothelioma was diagnosed in the last five years, you should have the advice of an experienced lawyer mesothelioma, so you know your rights, according to the law. The attorneys, based on past experience in these cases and won major prizes for their customers in the best position to help you or your beloved.

What have the company of known asbestos mesothelioma

The industry, the asbestos caused much suffering to many families in violations of the striking evidence that the risk from asbestos is dangerous and often deadly. The suffering could have been prevented, because the asbestos companies knew a lot more than that to the public on the subject. The companies, the protection of the industry is larger than the lives of their employees.

Back in the years 1920, a large number of medical have shown that the scars on the lungs, the asbestos workers of the company. This evidence was shown during the autopsy of workers. Asbestos companies had knowledge of it, but he has chosen to ignore the facts, because the reaction of the audience at this information would kill the industry of asbestos.

Further studies in 1930 have shown that the asbestos and youth protection workers of the company were in fact dying of lung diseases and cancer. There was sufficient evidence to secure an undeniable link between exposure to asbestos and development of mesothelioma. Unfortunately, the companies agreed that the overwhelming evidence and in a series of letters between asbestos. In this letter, the State and Heads of Government have demonstrated the extent to which the company is prepared to go to secure their own interests to protect. These letters were distributed, in the years 1930, the so-called “Sumner Simpson Papers.” In these words, the asbestos some executives were statements such as “the less as asbestos, we are better. 1940, tries to prove that asbestos exposure was harmless to save, and The industry of asbestos. Studies have shown that the exact opposite. They have shown that the risk from asbestos is in fact quite harmful, or even fatal. On the basis of these studies, which tried to force scientific societies, to change their conclusions.

Asbestos had full knowledge of the possible damage caused by asbestos exposure. The scientists, and studies have confirmed that there is a direct correlation between exposure to asbestos and an early death. Asbestos companies first try, the knowledge and the silence of the scientists who conducted the study, the harmful effects of asbestos exposure. Once the information on asbestos is ripe for the public, these companies have tried to deny that knowledge is simply that the people are working for products, which contain asbestos, are suffering. The companies have denied knowledge of the disputes. The mere fact of the matter is that the products that contain asbestos, often cause serious injuries and deaths. For this reason, the mesothelioma very valuable and are not frivolous. Lung disease, lung cancer and mesothelioma all come from the asbestos exposure. Many lives could be saved if the companies that asbestos were prepared to communicate information they have access to.