Mesothelioma Continues to Affect U.S. Workers and Their Families

Even though the use of asbestos was banned in the early 1980s, Americans are still impacted from the manufacturers’ use of this product with asbestos-related illness, says Joseph W. Belluck, a New York attorney who represents clients with mesothelioma. Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer primarily caused by exposure to airborne asbestos fibers affecting the lining of the lungs, is often not diagnosed for 30 or more years after exposure.

“Many myths surround the dangers of asbestos, the chief of which is that the problems with asbestos exposure have ended,” says Belluck, a lawyer with Belluck & Fox LLC in New York, NY. “Asbestos is still all around us in many products in our homes, and people continue to be exposed to asbestos because of its presence in our lives.”

When asbestos-containing materials are disturbed during home repair, such as remodeling or demolition activities, microscopic fibers become airborne and can be inhaled into the lungs.  In addition, many types of trade workers have been exposed to asbestos, including shipyard workers, factory workers, pipefitters, sheet metal workers, plumbers, laborers, machinists, mechanics, powerhouse workers and electricians, and are at risk of mesothelioma.

“In fact,” Belluck added, “asbestos is so toxic that mesothelioma has been diagnosed in family members of workers who brought asbestos fibers home on their clothes.”

“One misconception is that anyone made ill by asbestos in the past would have been diagnosed a long time ago,” Belluck said. “But we know, and the EPA confirms, that symptoms of lung disease caused by asbestos show up many years after exposure.”