Asbestos

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral, which for generations was employed in both commercial and residential settings for a myriad of uses generally associated with the mineral’s recognized tensile strength.

The prolific use of asbestos in these settings has exposed thousands of individual workers and their families to this toxic agent. Between 1940 and 1970, approximately 27.5 million individuals were=a estimated to have suffered potential asbestos exposure. Over one billion square feet of asbestos-containing insulation can be found in nearly 200,000 buildings in the United States alone. It has also been estimated that nearly one million individuals have been exposed to asbestos arising from asbestos brake and clutch work. And the exposure continues as buildings with asbestos are demolished or renovated,

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer associated almost exclusively with asbestos exposure. Millions of people in the U.S. have been exposed to asbestos, and it is estimated that 3,000 people are diagnosed with Mesothelioma annually. Inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers become embedded in the lungs and abdomen and, over the passage of time, even decades later, can cause this deadly cancer to first materialize. and long before the person exposed is even aware of a medical problem.

Inhalation or ingestion of asbestos fibers can cause many other diseases and a wide array of health problems and symptoms apart from Mesothelioma including lung cancer, esophageal cancer, larynx cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, cancer of the kidney and non-cancerous asbestos-related diseases include asbestosis, pleural plaques, and pleural thickening.

A person who has been diagnosed with asbestosis (a non-cancerous scarring of the lungs) is at an increased risk of developing Mesothelioma in the future.

Asbestos Exposure

Workplace asbestos exposure occurs over a wide range of job sites and trades. Some sources estimate that at one point there were over three- thousand uses of asbestos ranging from mining and milling to shipbuilding and repair, and building construction.

Hazardous exposures to asbestos may have also occurred from atmospheric release off-site releases from the mining, milling and manufacture of asbestos products. Such releases may have exposed residents in nearby communities. According to estimates, off-site release from construction sites has resulted in environmental asbestos levels approximately 100 times greater than the levels that naturally occur in the environment.

Additionally, exposure to unsuspecting family members at home may occur through clothing contaminated at the workplace, and worn or brought home by a family member working with asbestos containing products at the job. Other non- occupational exposure to asbestos are believed to occur through the release of fibers from existing asbestos-containing surface materials, such as those in schools, residences and public buildings.

Roberta Ashkin has represented thousands of asbestos workers and members of their families for injuries related to dangerous asbestos exposure in the workplace and the home throughout New York State and other jurisdictions nationwide.

Call us to discuss your case at (646) 779-8520.