Asbestos, which has been linked to cancer and other health problems, was widely
used in buildings until the 1970s. Ten thousand Americans die each year, almost
30 deaths a day, from diseases caused by asbestos. Asbestos kills thousands
more people than skin cancer each year, and nearly matches the number of people
that are slain in assaults with firearms.
Asbestos diseases have a 20 to 50 year latency period, meaning that a substantial
portion of individuals exposed in the 1960s and 1970s are just now showing up
as disease or mortality statistics.
Asbestos has been determined to cause gastro-intestinal cancer by the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA 1994), and the World Health Organization
International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO 1989). According to the OSHA
medical surveillance guidelines for asbestos exposure: "These studies have
shown a definite association between exposure to asbestos and an increased incidence
of lung cancer, pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma, gastrointestinal cancer,
and asbestosis" (OSHA 1994). Estimates vary for the number of asbestos-caused
GI cancers annually. The best national estimates average about 1,200 asbestos-caused
gastro-intestinal cancers per year (Nicholson 1982, Lilienfeld 1988).
For decades, the insurance companies and manufacturers knew about the health
hazards of asbestos, yet did nothing to protect their workers. In the 1930s,
asbestos manufacturers and their insurance companies knew that asbestos was
killing workers at alarming rates. In 1934, Aetna insurance company published
the Attorney's Textbook of Medicine, which devoted a full chapter to asbestos
exposure, noting that asbestosis was "incurable and usually results in
total permanent disability followed by death." By the late 1940s, asbestos
manufacturers, industries that used significant amounts of asbestos in their
operations, and their insurance companies all acknowledged internally that asbestos
caused lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Rather than adopt safety standards,
switch to safer products, or provide protections for workers, these companies
went to extraordinary lengths to conceal the truth about asbestos from workers,
the public and the press. In some cases company officials went so far as to
monitor the health of workers while deliberately withholding the results of
this monitoring from them. During the 1950s and 60s, companies were fully aware
of the potentially fatal consequences of working with asbestos, including its
ability to cause cancer, yet millions of workers were exposed to asbestos on
the job with virtually no health protections.
If you or someone you know has been harmed by asbestos exposure and wish to
find out more information about your legal rights, simply fill out the form
below or choose the state in which you would like to contact one of our attorneys.
After you submit your information, we'll match you with a lawyer in your area
who will contact you directly to discuss your legal needs.
Attorney Lawyer Network is a resource for contacting
Asbestos attorneys regarding your legal issues, including the
elements of a Asbestos lawsuit, the types of
Asbestos claims that can be filed, and how to choose a
Asbestos lawyer.
Florida Asbestos Attorneys
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