Showing posts with label mesothelioma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mesothelioma. Show all posts

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

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

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.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

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