Could Asbestos be the Cause of Your Cancer?

Asbestos was widely used in the United States with very little regulation in the 1900s. It wasn’t until the late 1970s and early 1980s that strict regulations began to be instated on the use and handling of asbestos.

During the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s, exposure often occurred on the jobsite while working with and around insulation and other materials that contained asbestos. Foundry workers, shipyard workers, boiler operators, chemical workers, insulators, millwrights, pipefitters, electricians, machinists, textile workers, factory workers, and construction workers (drywall, plumbers, roofers, welders) are among those who were regularly exposed.

Claims against asbestos bankruptcy trusts usually require that your exposure occurred for at least five years before the end of 1982. While the trusts have the power to extend that timeframe in the future, at present we can help those who were exposed for at least five years before 1982. Exposure can begin as early as age 16. For these reasons, we are able to help those who were born before 1959.

People who have come into regular contact with asbestos at work are at the highest risk of developing an asbestos related cancer. Common careers that place a person at risk of asbestos exposure include:

• Construction workers
• Demolition workers
• Drywall installers/removers
• Automotive manufacturers
• Mill workers
• Millwrights
• Firefighters
• Electricians
• Car mechanics
• Foundry Workers
• Steel/Iron Workers
• Railroad workers
• Insulators
• Pipefitters
• Shipyard workers
• Sheet metal workers
• Tile installers
• Military veterans
• Roofers
• Welders
• Painters
• Plumbers
• Longshoremen
• Steel/Iron Workers
• Boiler Operators
• Chemical Workers
• Machinists

Asbestos was heavily used on many job sites because of its heat resistant and chemical resistant properties. It was often used in factories, equipment, and machines before 1980. Many companies have acknowledged asbestos containing products were used at their facilities.

Examples of job sites containing asbestos products include:

• Air Force Bases
• Aluminum Plants
• Appliance Manufacturers
• Automotive Manufacturing Plants
• Brewing Companies
• Brickyards
• Chemical Plants
• Concrete Plants
• Construction Sites
• Farm Equipment Plants
• Food Processing Plants
• Foundries
• Glass Manufacturing Plants
• Munitions Plants
• Navy Ships
• Oil Refineries
• Paper Mills
• Power Plants
• Shipyards
• Steel Mills
• Textile Mills
• Other Industrial Manufacturing Plants*

*Workers at virtually every manufacturing facility were exposed to asbestos.

If you are unsure if you were exposed to asbestos, talk with us. Norris Injury Lawyers will examine your work history to confirm asbestos exposure.

While anyone who has been exposed to asbestos can develop asbestos-related cancer, the chances of a cancer diagnosis are especially high among smokers who have been exposed to the substance. As asbestos builds up in the lungs and creates scar tissue, the inflammation caused by smoking can increase the risk of asbestos-related cancer.

A study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine examined the developing lung cancer after asbestos exposure, comparing the likelihood of cancer in both smokers and nonsmokers. The study found that occupational exposure to asbestos caused a fivefold increase in lung cancer. Compared to non-smokers, smokers who were exposed to asbestos were 28 times more likely to die from lung cancer.

Being a smoker in the past or present does not exclude you from filing asbestos claims. We have helped many smokers receive asbestos claims payments.

During the 1900s, the industrial working class worked daily with or around asbestos-containing products. During installation, repair, and removal of these products, microscopic fibers became airborne and could stick to their skin, hair, and clothing.

These workers would then unknowingly bring these fibers home to their families. Significant secondary exposure may have occurred when:

• Family members shook out and washed work clothes covered in asbestos fibers.
• Directly-exposed workers hugged family members before they had washed asbestos fibers from their hair, skin, or clothes.

Repeated, long-term secondary exposure causes the same cancers as primary exposure.