Mesothelioma Lawyer Blog

National Mesothelioma Awareness Day just passed and many communities throughout the United States celebrated the lives of loved ones who succumbed to this deadly and incurable form of cancer. This cancer continues to be linked to exposure to asbestos in New York, Washington D.C., Miami and elsewhere in the country.

Yet, people often think of asbestos as an old material no longer in use. Sadly, that's not the case. Not only is it still found in many old buildings, it is still being actively mined and exported and has never been officially outlawed in the United States. Our neighbors to the north in Canada still make plenty of money mining and exporting this clearly dangerous material to third-world countries, which are willing to put their people at risk, despite clear evidence that it kills.

New York mesothelioma lawyers have seen many clients who have died because of this painful and debilitating form of cancer. The most common cause is asbestos exposure working in plants, old factories, shipyards and while serving in the military.

Decades ago when asbestos was a popular material in this country for insulation, brake pads, piping and other fire-resistant needs, manufacturers continued to use the material, and failed to adequately protect employees, long after the hazards were known.

Many companies -- in an effort to save money -- refused to acknowledge the problem and didn't clean up their buildings, Instead, they simply left their employees at high risks of exposure. With a latency period of 30 to 40 years, those employees are now in retirement and being diagnosed with mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer that most often affects the lining of internal organs.

In the case of Canada -- and Russia, which is another large exporter of asbestos -- they know the risks and are mine the material for those entities still willing to buy it. Third-world countries -- such as India with a large poor population -- continue to use asbestos because of its durability and convenience.

According to the story out of Toronto, an asbestos mine that was set to close now has new life with $25 million to finance it from investors. The Quebec government is providing a $58 million loan guarantee to keep it going. One of those involved with the project tells the newspaper he is "not exporting death.'

Yet, the evidence suggests otherwise. The plan is to increase sales to $150 million within two years and $3.4 billion over the next two decades. Last year, Canada was almost completely alone in opposing a United Nations treaty that would have added asbestos to a list of hazardous materials restricted worldwide.

"Asbestos is causing death and it can be prevented by stopping the export of it," said Paul Lapierre, vice-president of public affairs for the Canadian Cancer Society. At least there are critics. But apparently their voice isn't as influential as the millions of dollars that will keep this plant in operation and continue to put people at risk.

Some call it borderline racist to be exporting asbestos to the poorest people in the world, who may not have the same information about the dangers of the product -- nor the power to stop it.

Officials supporting the move say that today's asbestos is tightly "bonded" and is much different than looser asbestos widely used as insulation. Either way, it's still asbestos, it can still come apart and it still poses a deadly risk for unsuspecting victims.

Continue reading "Despite Obvious Risks, Canada Still Large Exporter of Asbestos" »

A Broward County jury awarded more than $20 million recently to a man and his wife after the husband was exposed to asbestos and diagnosed with mesothelioma in Florida. Mesothelioma lawyers at The Ferraro Law Firm -- which serves clients in Florida, New York, Washington D.C., and nationwide -- were able to secure the large verdict on behalf of the victim and his family.

In this case, the 61-year-old man was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2008 after spending years working in an environment that contained Union Carbide Corp. asbestos.

The Ferraro Law Firm's Juan Bauta argued that the man was exposed to the asbestos while working with Georgia Pacific's joint compound, which contained Union Carbide asbestos. The victim did the work in 1974 and 1975. He never saw any warning labels on the buckets of Georgia Pacific joint compound and didn't know it contained potentially harmful asbestos.

"It is remarkable to me that Union Carbide did not attempt to try to settle this case rather than put the Garrisons through more than two weeks of intense trial," said Bauta, who acted as lead counsel. Attorney Case Dam, also of The Ferraro Law Firm, assisted in the victory on behalf of another mesothelioma victim in Florida.

Asbestos exposure can lead to a diagnosis of mesothelioma years and sometimes decades later, which makes it a unique form of cancer, for which there is no cure. Someone could have worked at a factory or older building or by using common products such as car brakes, piping and insulation that contained asbestos without knowing it.

For years, buildings and parts were built by using asbestos, which companies later discovered was harmful to employees. Yet getting it out of their factories and buildings is expensive. In many cases, businesses put their profits ahead of their employees' safety, exposing many to asbestos. Now retired, they get the terrible diagnosis. Regardless of where a patient lives when diagnosed with mesothelioma, he or she should immediately seek the qualified legal representation of an experienced mesothelioma law firm.

This victim was exposed in the 1970s and wasn't diagnosed until 2008. But once diagnosed, the median lifespan is only 12 months, an especially quick time frame for a cancer that takes so long to manifest itself through its common symptoms.

Typical symptoms are heavy coughing, chest pain, fluid build-up and other respiratory problems that can often be confused with other sicknesses. It is important to visit a doctor who specializes in mesothelioma if you experience the symptoms of mesothelioma and believe you may have unknowingly been exposed to asbestos in a prior job.

Asbestos isn't regularly used in the United States anymore. But it still remains in many older products and buildings, including schools and apartments. It is widely known that asbestos is dangerous. Yet many officials have ignored the warnings.

Continue reading "Ferraro Mesothelioma Lawyers Win $20 Million Lawsuit in Broward County" »

The United States Congress has set Sept. 26 as National Mesothelioma Awareness Day, which is a good step in making sure Americans know about this fatal cancer.

It sometimes takes an act of Congress to make people aware of the dangers of mesothelioma and the chief causes of asbestos exposure in Florida or elsewhere in the United States. As our New York Mesothelioma Lawyers have pointed out during the summer, many cities and states imported asbestos to be processed in plants, thus exposing countless people to this deadly material.

After exposure to asbestos, a victim can go about their life for decades before forming tumors lead to chest pain, fluid in the lungs and coughing. These symptoms often lead to a diagnosis of mesothelioma, which is rare, incurable and deadly. Once diagnosed, the median lifespan is 12 months.

And with the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 on our minds, it is relevant to point out a recent Mesothelioma Lawyer Blog that commented on a study's findings that firefighters who responded to Ground Zero after the terrorist attacks were more likely to get cancer than those who didn't.

Because of the toxins, including asbestos, that were released into the air following the collapse of the World Trade Towers, firefighters were exposed to extremely high quantities. This exposure led to firefighters who responded being 19 percent more likely to get cancer than those who didn't -- and that was only over an eight-year period following the attacks.

Asbestos exposure can lead to a diagnosis decades later, so there's no telling how many firefighters, police officers, construction workers and others may have been put at risk.

It's not just these people who could succumb to mesothelioma after asbestos exposure. Those living in old buildings may be exposed as piping, boiler equipment and insulation may have been coated with asbestos, putting occupants at risk. Older factories may have been made the same way and many consumer products, such as brake pads, floor and ceiling tiles and peat moss all may have contained asbestos.

While the United States has never officially banned asbestos from use, companies rarely use it anymore because of the documented effects on a person's health. It was used largely for its fire-resistant features and was used extensively by the U.S. Navy in ships and on shipyards.

So, as you can see, people from all walks of life and in any situation can be exposed to asbestos and suffer from illnesses, including mesothelioma. And given the relatively short life span after diagnosis, mesothelioma can be a devastating form of cancer. There is no cure and it can lead to a painful end. Ensuring that companies that used asbestos despite knowing the side-effects are held accountable is vital for families seeking justice.

Continue reading "National Mesothelioma Awareness Day is Sept. 26" »

A recent study links exposure to asbestos in New York following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and other chemicals in the air to cancer, including mesothelioma, Bloomberg reports.

Victims and relatives have long suspected that the thick smell in the air that lingered for months following the terrorist attacks in New York City has negative health implications for firefighters and other first responders following the attacks.

But it's not just firefighters, medics and volunteers who have been exposed to asbestos and can be diagnosed with mesothelioma. This can happen to just about anyone. Older buildings, factories and even parts, such as brake pads, insulation and floor and ceiling tiles were all made with asbestos years ago, meaning people today can be exposed without even knowing it.

Being diagnosed with this deadly and incurable form of cancer is devastating. Contacting a New York Mesothelioma Attorney once you are diagnosed is an important step in making sure a family is protected.

A study released recently by a UK-based medical journal reports that firefighters who responded to Ground Zero were 19 percent more likely to have cancer through 2008 than firefighters who didn't go at all. It is the first study to link cancer rates to first responders, Bloomberg reports.

The research studied 9,853 firefighters and included help from medical researchers in the Bronx as well as the New York Fire Department. The New York State Laborers' Health Fund reported that more than 50,000 people were exposed to chemicals at the site, by working to recover the dead and clean the site or surrounding buildings. That includes firefighters, police, construction workers and volunteers.

The study found that 27 people died of cancer from Sept. 11, 2001 to Sept. 11, 2008. The study excluded firefighters who were older than 60 in 2001 and anyone who had a previous cancer diagnosis. Federal legislators earlier this year passed a bill that would help rescuers and cleanup crews suffering from ailments, but the $4.3 billion that was earmarked closes in 2016.

Mesothelioma, however, is a slow-moving cancer that can take as many as 30 or 40 years to be diagnosed. Asbestos flakes that are ingested travel through the blood system and take home in the lining of major organs for years. They can sit unnoticed until they form tumors and lead to typical symptoms, such as coughing, fluid in the lungs and chest pain.

Once diagnosed, the average lifespan is 12 months. While it takes years and sometimes decades to develop, it stays hidden so long and leads to such a quick demise. Regular screenings for those who worked with old equipment or in old factories must be mandatory in order to ensure quickly catching the cancer. Our bravest workers, including firefighters and police officers, should be protected from this deadly illness, especially given their sacrifices on one of the worst days in America's history.

Continue reading "NYFD Could Have Been Exposed to Asbestos After 9/11 Response, Cleanup" »