Asbestos is a mineral fiber that occurs in rock and soil, asbestos is known for its strength and heat resistance. Originally considered to be harmless, asbestos has been used in a wide range of manufactured goods and construction materials for many years. Therefore, many people have been exposed to Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma.
These days, most people understand how dangerous asbestos is. Unfortunately, until 1989, many people who had been working around asbestos for years were unaware of asbestos risks for much of their working life. Asbestos has not yet been banned in the United States, its use is regulated, but it is still used in products today.
Exposure to asbestos has been associated with several potentially fatal illnesses, the most serious of which is malignant mesothelioma.
While asbestos was originally thought to be safe, it has now been proven that exposure to asbestos can cause several potentially fatal illnesses such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, and asbestosis. Lesser known asbestos related medical conditions that can possibly be due to asbestos exposure are esophageal cancer, cancer of the larynx, oral cancer, cancer of the stomach, colon and kidney. Every year thousands of people suffer from diseases related to direct asbestos exposure, household asbestos exposure or bystander asbestos exposure.
2 Things You Didn’t Know about Asbestos
Unfortunately most of the asbestos related diseases are not curable, the three primary diseases related to asbestos exposure, Asbestosis, Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma, are usually fatal.
Until 1989, asbestos was used in many industrial and construction products such as roofing shingles, millboard, paints, floor tiles, pipes and furnace insulation materials.
Once asbestos was classified as a known carcinogen, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) imposed strict regulations on its use in commercial and industrial products and began to ban asbestos in certain other products. Unfortunately, many of the companies producing asbestos products were well aware of the hazards which asbestos posed and continued to expose workers and laborers to the harmful asbestos fibers.
Construction workers and utility workers have the type of jobs that usually expose people to airborne asbestos particles on the job, and are the employees most likely to develop mesothelioma. Family members of asbestos workers can also inhale the fibers and develop these illnesses as well.
To protect workers and the public from harmful exposures, the EPA and the Rhode Island Department of Health enforce strict regulations on any activities involving asbestos.
Asbestos is not considered harmful unless it is releasing fibers or dust into the air where they can be inhaled or ingested, the most common way for asbestos to enter the body is by breathing.
Asbestos fibers can become trapped in the lungs, or, if swallowed, in the digestive tract. Once the asbestos fibers are trapped in the body, the fibers can cause serious health problems.
Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma
Asbestos cancer is more commonly known as mesothelioma, mesothelioma is a malignancy that occurs in the lining of the lungs, abdomen, and heart.
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that may not occur for many years after initial exposure to asbestos, however, once it occurs it is a very aggressive form of cancer.
Mesothelioma is always attributed to asbestos exposure, and approximately 200 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. Approximately 2 percent of all miners and textile workers who work with asbestos, and 10 percent of all workers who were involved in the manufacture of asbestos-containing gas masks, are diagnosed with mesothelioma.
People who work in asbestos mines, asbestos mills and factories, and shipyards that use asbestos, as well as people who manufacture and install asbestos insulation, have an increased risk of mesothelioma. People who live with asbestos workers, near asbestos mining areas, near asbestos product factories or near shipyards where use of asbestos has produced large quantities of airborne asbestos fibers are also at an increased risk for mesothelioma.
Illnesses due to asbestos exposure can be difficult because the symptoms may not show up for many years after exposure and the symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, or chronic cough, are similar to other non-asbestos related respiratory diseases.
Asbestos Abatement in Rhode Island
To protect the public from exposure to carcinogenic airborne asbestos, the Rhode Island Department of Health maintains asbestos removal programs and sets the standards for asbestos removal in Rhode Island; the Department of Health also certifies and oversees people and companies who are in involved in asbestos abatement. Asbestos abatement consists of waste disposal, the handling of asbestos, and the removal of asbestos. Rhode Island has strict regulations on how asbestos material is removed and disposed of.
Statute of Limitations on Mesothelioma and Asbestos Lawsuits
Rhode Island has a unique set of laws that could impact your ability to file a claim. Rhode Island has statute of limitation laws that restricts the time frame in which mesothelioma victims and family members can file a lawsuit
R. I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-12 et seq. provides the statute of limitations for personal injury cases in Rhode Island, and asbestos-related cases must follow the same statute as personal injury lawsuits. Plaintiffs must file within three years from the date of the victim’s death for a wrongful death lawsuit. For asbestos-related illnesses, plaintiffs must file their lawsuit within three years from the time the disease was diagnosed or within three years from the date the illness should have been reasonably discovered.
Mesothelioma has only one cause: asbestos exposure, you owe it to yourself and your family to find out if you qualify to receive compensation by consulting the Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. in Providence.
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With more than 40 years of experience in personal injury law in Providence and beyond, our top-rated law firm is an unbeatable choice when your life has been devastated by Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma. State law imposes time limits on filing a claim. Don’t risk losing your right to a monetary award. Call the Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. today to schedule a consultation, at absolutely no cost to you. Call now (401) 751-8855.
