Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. would like to highlight a sobering statistic: In 2009, over 219,000 people were diagnosed with lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. For over 13,000 of those people, their cancer was caused by exposure to asbestos or another pollutant. In response to the ongoing danger of asbestos exposure, Reps. Steve Cohen (D-TN), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Louis Capps (D-CA), Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Betty Sutton (D-OH) have sponsored a Congressional proclamation declaring the first week of April 2010 National Asbestos Awareness Week.
"There is great need for continued research, education and assistance for people with asbestos diseases," said Joseph Patrick Williams, an attorney in the firm's Asbestos Litigation Unit. Williams applauded the ongoing efforts of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), which holds its sixth annual conference this month.
"We hear from Navy veterans, construction workers, boiler tenders, and many others who are now facing serious asbestos-related illness many years after they were exposed," Williams said. He pointed to the death of former Variety columnist Army Archerd in September 2009 and the passing of National Football League Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen in March 2010. Both men succumbed to mesothelioma, a cancer which as yet has no cure, though medical treatments have been improving.
How we can help
Weitz & Luxenberg has been helping people to recover monetary compensation for asbestos related illnesses for over 20 years. Last year, the firm obtained a $2.16-million settlement for the family of a New York City construction worker who died of mesothelioma; in 2008, our attorneys secured $16.25 million in a case involving the first successful asbestos verdict against a dental supply company, and in 2007, Weitz & Luxenberg achieved a $37 million asbestos verdict in two lung cancer cases in a reverse bifurcated trial. People who have been harmed by asbestos may contact the firm to learn more by visiting http://www.weitzlux.com.
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Weitz & Luxenberg P.C.
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Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart, the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis.
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to the dust and fiber in other ways. Washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can also put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking. Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma.
The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss. The diagnosis may be suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan, and is confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies. It allows the introduction of substances such as talc to obliterate the pleural space (called pleurodesis), which prevents more fluid from accumulating and pressing on the lung. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. Research about screening tests for the early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing.
Wikipedia
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to the dust and fiber in other ways. Washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can also put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking. Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma.
The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss. The diagnosis may be suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan, and is confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies. It allows the introduction of substances such as talc to obliterate the pleural space (called pleurodesis), which prevents more fluid from accumulating and pressing on the lung. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. Research about screening tests for the early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing.
Wikipedia
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