Symptoms and Treatment of Asbestosis – Best Mesothelioma Lawyer Info
Every year, two to three thousand people receive the distressing diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma, a rare type of cancer affecting the lining of the lungs. With no cure available and post-diagnosis survival time averaging one to two years, most mesothelioma patients feel devastated. In addition, many of them have a hard time accepting their mesothelioma diagnosis due to the unspecific symptoms of this disease. Often, the only pleural mesothelioma symptoms patients experience are shortness of breath, chest pain and cough. These signs are associated with a variety of respiratory conditions, including common cold, bronchitis and pneumonia. In the majority of cases, both the patients and the doctors suspect one of these conditions instead of mesothelioma. As a result, malignant mesothelioma diagnosis is often delayed with patients receiving the bad news only when the disease is at an advanced stage.
Another factor making malignant mesothelioma diagnosis very difficult is the considerable time lag between exposure to asbestos (the most common cause of mesothelioma) and the onset of the symptoms. In the vast majority of malignant mesothelioma cases, patients do not notice any signs of lung problems until after 30 to 40 years of being exposed to asbestos. In some cases, patients are asymptomatic for up to 60 years following direct contact with asbestos. As a result, most people fail to recognize their persistent cough and increasing shortness of breath as the signs of a deadly cancer.
While today asbestos use is strictly regulated to minimize human exposure to this dangerous substance, until the 1960s asbestos was used heavily for a variety of purposes. Not realizing the grave danger of asbestos exposure, laborers were handling asbestos on a daily basis without any protection. As a result, they inhaled millions of microscopic asbestos particles that became embedded in their lung tissue, posing a risk of causing mesothelioma many years down the line. Some of the most heavily affected groups were asbestos mine laborers and Navy shipyard workers who used asbestos as an insulation material for ships built during and after the World War II. As a result, thousands of mesothelioma cases have their origins in mining towns such as Libby, Montana, and major naval centers, such as San Diego, California. In fact, numerous recently documented mesothelioma cases involve San Diego asbestos exposure victims. Another area of workers who were needlessly exposed to asbestos were concrete workers in the 1930s when this harmful component was mixed with a type of soft concrete for use in building construction. Today, professionals, including any top Los Angeles concrete contractor, would never use this material due to its potentially fatal side effects. Regardless, the danger still exists since many older homes still contain older concrete. Due to this fact, many contractors require their workers to don special masks, goggles and suits before removing any older concrete and installing new driveway pavers, stamped concrete or patio pavers.
Sadly, asbestos exposure has been linked not only to malignant mesothelioma but to several other dangerous diseases, including asbestosis. The latter condition also affects the lung tissue; however, it is not a cancer. Patients suffering from asbestosis have microscopic asbestos fibers embedded in their lung tissue. Because asbestos fibers are foreign objects, the body typically attempts to remove them. However, due to the sturdiness of asbestos fibers, the immune system fails at removing these particles. As a result, asbestos particles remain in the lungs, becoming covered with scar tissue – the sign of the body's unsuccessful attempts to destroy them. The scar tissue gradually expands, making breathing increasingly difficult. With no cure available, asbestosis progresses to the point where it causes lung failure and/or heart failure, leading to death.
In cases whereby families can prove that their loved ones developed asbestosis or mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure, they might be able to hold the responsible parties financially liable for their suffering through personal injury litigation. An experienced, compassionate lawyer can guide them through the process of proving that the negligence of asbestos mine owners, shipyard managers or construction supervisors was the cause of asbestos exposure responsible for the onset of mesothelioma or asbestosis. Many of these cases are settled for a considerable amount of mesothelioma compensation as the responsible parties prefer not to face a public jury trial.