Throughout the 20th century, tons of asbestos were mined in our country and put in thousands of everyday products. Asbestos was very inexpensive and was used as filler in many different products throughout many different industries. For example, asbestos was widely used in insulation, cements and other construction products.
There are a number of different jobs where workers were exposed to a large amount of asbestos on a very frequent basis. People who have worked as laborers may have an increased risk of developing mesothelioma cancer due to asbestos exposure on the jobsite.
The laborers, union workers and tradesmen, found in the shipbuilding, construction, and manufacturing industries are among those at the greatest risk of developing mesothelioma cancer.
These laborers often handled the day-to-day work on jobsites where asbestos exposure can occur. Normal job tasks may have required workers to handle numerous asbestos containing products including insulation, cement, drywall, bricks, roofing materials, and many more. When handling damaged asbestos products, asbestos dust released in the air can be inhaled or ingested. These asbestos fibers can build up in the body causing inflammation and scarring of internal organs that may lead to the development of mesothelioma cancer and other asbestos related diseases.
In addition to likely being exposed to a high concentration of asbestos, these labor workers were less likely to take preventative measures against asbestos exposure as they were often not informed of the dangers of the products they were working with. Laborers also had less control over work environments increasing their risk of developing mesothelioma.
Unfortunately, millions of people have been exposed to asbestos over the years. Only now are we able to see the disastrous effects of asbestos exposure in the workplace. Generally, it takes 10 to 60 years from the time of asbestos exposure until symptoms appear or mesothelioma is diagnosed.
Many of the companies have established trust funds to pay compensation to persons injured by asbestos.
If you have mesothelioma, or other asbestos-related injury, and wish to consult an attorney about your legal rights to compensation, CLICK HERE for a free consultation.
