Even if Your Exposure to Asbestos may have been Decades Ago, no Fight is too Late
Nellie Kershaw was a British national who, in 1917, worked at the Turner Brothers Asbestos Company, a factory in Manchester, England, where she spun raw asbestos fiber into yarn. In 1924, just seven years after being regularly exposed to the mineral asbestos, she died. The identified cause of her death was fibrosis of the lungs.
Asbestosis is one of the known causes of fibrosis of the lungs (also called pulmonary fibrosis), a condition wherein the lungs get scarred, causing these to thicken and lose the ability to transmit oxygen into the bloodstream. Fibrosis of the lungs is an irreversible lung injury that makes breathing harder as the lungs continue to deteriorate and weaken overtime.
A formal inquest revealed that Nellie Kershaw’s lungs were extensively scarred by particles of various shapes, most of which had sharp angles – particles that were identified as asbestos fibers. Though Nellie was the first to be formally diagnosed as having suffered from asbestosis, a chronic lung disease caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers, there were so many others who died before her due to exposure to the same mineral; many of these people were asbestos miners.
Asbestosis is just one of the fatal effects of the mineral asbestos. Two other known serious effects of asbestos are lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare, but deadly type of cancer that affects the cells surrounding the lungs and other organs.
About 2,000 – 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the U.S. every year and it is seen in people who got exposed to asbestos regularly. Widespread exposure to asbestos happened from the 1940s to the late 19th century, when millions of workers got exposed to thousands of tons of asbestos during the time of the Second World War. These people were shipyard workers and U.S. Navy personnel, whose work involved the building of U.S. battleships, steam engines, boilers, steam turbines, and other ship equipment and facilities.
Due to the very long dormancy period of mesothelioma, which is about 20 to 40 years (some even more) after first exposure to asbestos, majority of those diagnosed with this illness are already in their senior years. Majority of mesothelioma victims are already retired, while many of the companies that allowed their workers to be exposed to this deadly substance no longer exist – some have already been bought by larger firms, while others have ceased operations after declaring bankruptcy – a result of the hundreds of claims lawsuits filed against them by the victims or victims’ families.
Mesothelioma is a deadly cancer and companies which exposed their workers to asbestos should be made morally and legally responsible for the injury and the suffering they caused in their workers.
As explained by the law firm Williams Kherkher, “Mesothelioma, a rare cancer affecting the lining of the body’s internal organs, is almost exclusively caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers. Asbestos is found all over the world and was a popular material used in many different industries, primarily for its ability to conduct and control heat. Because it is so easily mined, it was formerly one of the leading minerals used for construction, production, and insulation. Sadly, even after the dangers associated with this mineral were identified, asbestos was still used in a number of industries before it was widely banned in 1979.”
The U.S. government is now very much aware of the dangers of asbestos, and U.S. courts know how this mineral has caused in thousands of workers a deadly, incurable cancer that has not only caused tragic financial effects in affected families, but which has also denied these same family the quality of life that they deserve and have a right to enjoy.
If you are a victim of asbestos, though the illness may consume you, it does not mean that should let it consume your family’s quality of life too. Find a really good lawyer who has the skill, experience and dedication if fighting for your right and the rights of your family. Though your exposure to asbestos may have been decades ago, no fight is too late if it can still save you and your family, at least from the financial burden it has caused.
