Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Asbestos ABC's - The Basics

Asbestos Law suits

By Deb Murray

What Is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a natural mined mineral. Its very nature, long, thin cotton-like fibers, make it a wonderfully useful material, but also make it deadly. The fact that it can be spun and woven just like cotton only served to ensure its widespread use. Prior to 1989, asbestos was used in drywall joint compound, textured wall treatments, vinyl floor tiles, ceiling tiles, roofing materials, including shingles, siding, certain types of countertops, concrete, bricks, and pipe and electrical insulation, in addition to many uses outside of construction.

Asbestos is still in use as a building material in China, India and other countries, but it has been banned for most uses in the United States since the late 1980's when its phase out began.

What Should You Do About It?

The form it is in, such as asbestos siding, may not harmful. However, the mere suspicion of it can scare away prospective buyers or kill your deal. Therefore, even if you only suspect that asbestos may be present, get it tested for and if present, get it remediated. Because asbestos was so widely used, many remediation services are available, but it must be done by a licensed contractor who specializes in asbestos removal.

There are two basic ways of dealing with asbestos: Removing it or sealing it so it cannot become airborne. Removal by a contractor licensed by the federal or state EPA is the gold standard. However, like many gold-standards, it is expensive. Sealing costs much less and may be appropriate under certain circumstances.

I would definitely not recommend this as a do-it-yourself project.

REMEMBER: Because of asbestos' hazard to health, once you are aware of it, you should get it remediated. Of course, once you are aware of a its presence, you will need to disclose it. This is another reason to correct problems before putting your house on the market, if it is gone, it can no longer be a problem.

Please email me at [http://www.fsbocomplete.com/askform_deb.html ]deb@fsbocomplete.com with your thoughts, comments, questions, or just to say "Hi".

Deb

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Asbestos Law suits

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Banning Asbestos

Asbestos Law suits

By Archana Sarat

Isn't it time Asbestos is banned completely?

The mining, manufacture and use of asbestos leads to a variety of diseases like fibrosis, asbestosis, asbestos warts, lung cancer, Pleural plaques, diffuse pleural thickening and the most dreaded disease, 'mesothelioma'. Asbestos has been in use right from the time of ancient Greeks itself. Even Romans and Persians have used it. It was used to make lamp wicks and was also woven into the clothing worn by the slaves.

The Greeks first realized that something was wrong with asbestos. They found that the lungs of slaves who wore asbestos woven clothes became diseased. It was only in the 1900s that the medical researchers woke up to the harmful effects of asbestos. In the 1930s, the diseases caused by asbestos were identified one by one. However, mesothelioma was identified only in 1940s. England was the first country that banned the mining, use and manufacture of asbestos. After this, USA banned asbestos. Though slow in efforts, Japan too banned the mining and use of asbestos. Developed countries have banned or at least severely restricted using asbestos. However, developing countries are not showing as much effectiveness in banning asbestos.

Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that is resistant to fire, resistant to chemicals and flexible. Thus, it is a very useful chemical for most people in the developing countries. Since they are ignorant about its harmful effects, they use it extensively. Thus the asbestos industry is one flourishing industry in most developing countries. The asbestos industries are owned by wealthy politicians or by media. So, they cover up research reports and do not release any information about the harmful effects of asbestos. Moreover, they even argue that scientific evidences about mesothelioma’s harmful effects are absent. So, this harmful chemical is being produced and used in a widespread manner in many developing countries like India and China, Though India has banned all other types of asbestos, it has not imposed any ban on white asbestos. In India alone, around I0000 cases of mesothelioma occur every year.

Another issue faced is that the latency period of mesothelioma is very high. That means, the time gap between exposure to asbestos fibers and the onset of mesothelioma may be even up to 20 to 30 years. So, people shift many jobs within this time period and so, they do not link mesothelioma to they’re working in or living near asbestos industry. Sweden is the first country to show a decline in incidence of mesothelioma after a ban on asbestos. It has around 20 cases per million population per year.

As mesothelioma has a huge latency period, medical researchers expect that a vast majority of people would suffer from mesothelioma between 2020 and 2040. In the developed countries alone, it is expected that more than a million people would die of mesothelioma in the next few decades. If this were the case in developed countries, then the situation in developing countries, which have neither banned asbestos nor given any occupational safety or precaution, is frightening.
A complete ban on the mining, manufacture and use of all types of asbestos, in all countries, is the best solution for this problem.

The writer is a research expert at a medical research firm.
Webmaster http://www.rarehope.com

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Asbestos Law suits

Monday, October 22, 2007

Asbestos Danger - Just What Is Asbestos, Anyways?

Asbestos Law suits

By R. Sharp

Unknown to most people, asbestos is a natural mineral which is mined like ore or similar substances. It is found in rocks around the globe, including the Canadian-U.S. border. It is also found in place like Africa and Russia. Often, when miners are trying to reach one kind of rock, they get asbestos instead.

Types Of Asbestos

There are a number of different kinds of asbestos. Amphibole asbestos contains small microscopic fibers that are like long, thin needles. Chrysotile asbestos contains tiny curly needles. Chrysotile asbestos is considered less dangerous than amphibole asbestos and is more commonly used nowadays.

What Makes Asbestos Such A Useful Material?

Asbestos really is an amazing material. They're an engineer's dream. Not only do they withstand extremely high heat, they also tolerate acid and electricity. Additionally, asbestos have an extremely long lifespan.

Moreover, asbestos doesn't seem to care what form it’s in. It can be woven into cloth, poured like powder, mixed into cement or formed into shapes such as bricks. It doesn't matter what form it's in. It also works as a natural insulator of electricity and heat.

Asbestos In Different Industries

Insulators use asbestos to protect newly-applied insulation to seal cracks while Welders used asbestos cloth to build box-like structures so the sparks from their torches wouldn’t fly around refineries and chemical plants. They wore asbestos gloves and used asbestos-containing welding rods. Sometimes they even took naps on stacks of asbestos cloth.

Foundry workers adorned themselves with aprons and gloves made from asbestos to protect themselves while pouring hot metal. Technicians in laboratories used asbestos protective clothing when they handled hot glass.

Bricklayers lined the interiors of boilers with asbestos-containing bricks called firebricks and anchored them in place with asbestos-containing mortar. Their helpers swept up the dust with push-brooms in a shower of dust. This was in an enclosed space.

Steel girders in industrial facilities and high-rise buildings were sprayed with liquid fireproofing materials, mixed with asbestos.

However, what many of these workers may not have known, is that inhaling asbestos fibers can lead to serious disease such as mesothelioma cancer.

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Asbestos Law suits

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Finding Asbestos Lawyers - 3 Resources

Asbestos Law suits


By Eric Head

Asbestos is a material made of fibers that can cause significant damage when inhaled in through the lungs. It wasn’t until later that it becomes apparent that the adverse effects of asbestos were causing serious illnesses, such as mesothelioma cancer.

As a result, there have been many asbestos lawsuits where the victim is filing suit against those responsible for placing the victim in the toxic asbestos environment. If you feel that you have suffered from exposure to asbestos, then the best option is to file a lawsuit. In order to do so, you must find a lawyer and that is where the following list comes in.

Below you will find a few listing of where to find a lawyer who specializes in asbestos related claims and lawsuits.

1. Refer to the Yellow Pages:

Take the time to open up the yellow pages and refer to the legal section that specializes in lawyers of different types. You will want to focus on finding lawyers that specialize in asbestos and mesothelioma cases. You may have to call more than a few of the Yellow Page ad listings to find a lawyer that best suits your needs.

2. Look online for an asbestos lawsuit lawyer:

The Internet is loaded with websites that provide directories for lawyers that specialize in all types of cases. The best bet is to do a search for “lawyer directory” or “lawyer listings” in one of the popular search engines such as Google.

3. Contact a law firm for referrals:

Another good strategy for finding a qualified asbestos lawyer is to set up an appointment or make a phone call to a number of law firms. Although it is possible that the lawyer you speak with is not a specialist in asbestos related lawsuits, the networking amongst lawyer provides a probable chance that the lawyer will know how to refer you to.

If you would like more information on how to find a dentist, be sure to check out the great resources and information at: http://www.find-dentist.org

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Asbestos Law suits

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

5 Facts About Asbestos Lawsuits - What You Should Know

Asbestos Law suits

By Eric Head

When you or your family has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or other asbestos related diseases, the first thing you should do is take legal action. Below is a concise list of information you should know when taking action.

1. Seek an asbestos lawyer immediately.

Due to the time constraints that are place on asbestos related cases, there is a statute of limitations involved. If you do not seek legal council immediately, the time that you have to file an asbestos lawsuit could expire.

2. Symptoms of asbestos related diseases do become immediately apparent.

It is very typical that when someone is exposed to asbestos related fibers or dust, the symptoms that they have contracted an asbestos related disease may not be apparent until many years after the initial exposure. We’re talking decades later.

3. Not everyone exposed to asbestos will get an asbestos related disease.

Remember that the most important thing for you to do is to get a formal diagnosis as to whether you have an asbestos related illness. If your illness is not a result of asbestos, then the case will inevitably be dismissed.

4. Can a close family member collect compensation from the victim’s death?

It is possible to get compensated if the close family member of yours died from an asbestos related illness. This would fall under the wrongful death suit. However, to collect compensation, the family member must file within the time limits of the particular state they are in.

5. Can any family member file the asbestos lawsuit?

Yes. A family member can file a lawsuit, especially in the case that the family member was in close contact with the person who contracted the asbestos related disease.

If you would like more information on Asbestos Law Suits, be sure to check out the great resources and information at: [http://www.asbestos-law-suits.org]http://www.asbestos-law-suits.org.

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Asbestos Law suits

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Asbestos Lawsuits - 3 Things You Should Know


Asbestos Law suits

By Eric Head

Asbestos related illnesses, most commonly mesothelioma cancer, are illnesses that result from exposure to asbestos fibers or dust. The problem with these illnesses is that the symptoms don’t always become apparent until years after the initial exposure (sometimes up to 20 years later).

Asbestos lawsuits result out of the fact that many of the victims were exposed to the harmful asbestos fibers during their residency in apartments, employment in a job that put them in direct contact, or a multitude of other situations where a person (the defendant) was responsible for exposing the victim (the plaintiff) to the cancer causing asbestos.

If you were diagnosed with asbestos illnesses or mesothelioma, it is important to get an attorney right away. Here is some legal advice for those seeking legal action:

Take Action Now:

Once you are diagnosed, don’t hesitate for a second. If you wait, you could surpass the statute of limitations and not be able to file an asbestos lawsuit. Find a lawyer who specializes in asbestos related illnesses, such as mesothelioma. Do this immediately, as the time limit varies for each state.

You Only Pay If You Win:

When you file an asbestos lawsuit, the majority of lawyers will not charge you unless you win the case. This is a major advantage to asbestos lawsuits. You have nothing to lose in taking the defendant to court to collect compensation for your loss of wages due to being out of work. Or for your medical bills that have accrued from seeking treatment for the illness.

Take Care In Choosing Your Lawyer:

Be sure to research the asbestos lawyer that you decide to represent you. It is recommended that you find a lawyer who has experience in dealing with asbestos related lawsuits.

You may want to shop around for a lawyer before deciding who to go with. Have a consultation with more than one lawyer to get a feel for which one seems to be the most experienced and knowledgeable about handling asbestos lawsuits.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com


Asbestos Law suits

Monday, October 15, 2007

Frequently Asked Questions About An Asbestos Law Suit

By Nathalie Fiset

Asbestos Law suits

Asbestos litigation is one of the longest-running and most expensive mass torts in the history of the United States. For those who do not know the term, "mass tort" refers to a class-action lawsuit. This means that a mass tort is a lawsuit which involves a group of people instead of just one individual.

Currently, asbestos litigations involve more than 600,000 people suing more than 6,000 claimants. If you are one of the people who think that a company has put your life in danger and who wishes to gain justice by bringing that company to the court, then there might be a few questions you want answered. Here is a list of the Frequently Asked Questions by people regarding Asbestos law suits:

How soon after I am exposed to asbestos should I file a law suit?

Many people are frequently unsure regarding whether or not the time is right to file an asbestos law suit. This may be because they are yet unsure regarding whether or not they will be able to claim damages. One of the best pieces of advice that people can give you would be to consult a doctor first. This is because exposure alone to asbestos cannot serve as grounds for litigation. You need to show that your health has been adversely affected by exposure to asbestos before you can start a law suit. An asbestos law suit should definitely have a strong base if it is to go far. You need to remember that some asbestos-related illnesses can be hard to diagnose. This means that you need to be very sure before you attempt to file an asbestos law suit.

If you have been exposed to asbestos but have not yet developed symptoms, then you should definitely try to monitor your health very carefully. Some asbestos-caused illnesses like mesothelioma actually only show about 20-50 years after the person has been exposed to the substance. Watch for any telltale signs of illnesses and then contact a doctor right away. This is because some states have a statute of limitations which prevents people from suing a company when a certain time period has passed after they learn about the disease.

What is a contingency fee?

If you plan to go ahead with an asbestos law suit, then you may be thinking hard about how to pay for it. Most firms actually understand how hard it must be to face the disaster caused by asbestos in your life and they do not want to further add to your burden by charging you for every hour of their advice. In fact, most firms today accept payment in the form of contingency fees.

What exactly are these fees? Well, a contingency fee is a fee that the law firm collects only after the case is finished. A contingency fee is actually based on the amount of damages that you will be receiving as this is often stipulated in contract as being a percentage of the total proceeds of the case.

You have to be careful when agreeing to contingency fees. Some firms take the contingency fees out of the gross proceeds of the case. That is, they take the agreed upon percentage out of the total amount and then subtract the legal fees from your share. This means you will only keep a very small percentage of your cash. Try to look for a firm which deducts the fees from the net proceeds. By doing this, they will bear an equivalent share of the legal fees that you have incurred during the case. If you wish to know the percentage which you might have to part with as a contingency fee, most firms actually charge 1/3 or 33.33 percent.

How much money do litigants get?

This question cannot really be answered without enough information regarding your case. The amount of cash which a company will be willing to part with in your case depends on the particulars of the case. Some people can be hurt because of the fact that the damages that a person receives in an asbestos law suit often depends on how important his or her case is in the light of other people's complaints. This is because to every person, especially those whose lives have been shattered because of their exposure to asbestos, their case is the biggest one.

What is the first step in filing an asbestos law suit?

Always consult a lawyer first. The lawyer will be able to help you by handling all of the details which you may need to complete in order to get on with the asbestos law suit. When you consult a lawyer, you would then be required to cooperate in the information-gathering process. That is, you would be required to disclose any information which is possibly relevant to the case. There are steps following these, but the two described above ought to get you started in an asbestos lawsuit.

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Asbestos Law suits

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