PDF - Diagnosed With Mesothelioma?

why should I care about
MESOTHELIOMA?
... or, what do I need to know
about occupational exposure
to asbestos and how it
causes cancer?
www.AsbestosLaw.com
1-888-MESO-FIRM
1-888-637-6347
Local interest in local safety
danger
asbestos
... because mesothelioma
(and other asbestos-related
diseases)
f
o
So3me
will kill your FRIENDS
... and most of us don’t even know
what mesothelioma is!
I
f that seems a melodramatic, we apologize. But, given that one out of every
125 American men over the age 50 who
die this year will do so as the result of an
asbestos-related disease, we’re serious about
this and want to get your attention.
Asbestos kills thousands more people than
skin cancer each year, and nearly as many as
are killed with firearms. Asbestos diseases
overwhelmingly affect older men.
That’s why we’re here. To tell you
about this epidemic and help find the
resources you and your friends or family will need.
“They never told
us how dangerous asbestos
exposure could
be. Thank God
for Richard Dodd
and his law firm.
They kept digging and now,
the work they’ve
done will help
keep us safe.”
~ John Fisher
Retired
steelworker
from Alcoa’s
Rockdale
Operations
IMPORTANT NOTICE
for those who have received asbestos settlements in the past: Texas law now allows
those who develop asbestos-related
cancers (mesothelioma, lung, gastrointestinal or throat cancer) the have a
new claim even if they settled claims for
asbestosis or lung plaque in the past. If
you are less than pleased with your
past non-cancer representation and are now faced
Just last year, Cappolino
cancer, call us for
professional inDodd Krebs LLP won a critical
sight.
ruling in Texas that gives injured
Alcoa workers their day in court.
Industry knew
“...if you have
enjoyed a good
life while working
with asbestos
products, why
not die from it?”
— 1966 Bendix
Corporation letter
“... just as certain as death and
taxes is the fact
that if you inhale
asbestos dust you
get asbestosis.”
— 1958 National
Gypsum Memo
but chose hide,
conceal and
deceive
Today, it’s common knowledge
that exposure to asbestos can have
some ugly and long-lasting effects,
but, up until the 1970s, such wasn’t
the case.
In fact, few who toiled in the heat
of America’s aluminum smelters
like Alcoa Rockdale, Alcoa Point
Comfor, Reynolds Gregory, or any
of the thousands of other workplace sources of asbestos exposure
– had any idea that they were being
exposed to the powerful carcinogen
every day.
sworn testimony of Dr. Thomas Bonney,
Alcoa’s lead industrial hygienist (Sept. 2003)
Q: In the 1950s, did you or anyone at ALCOA Rockdale tell the employees working around asbestos-containing products that there were articles in the literature
linking cancer to asbestos exposure?
A: I did not personally tell them, but we certainly sent
copies of the digest ... to all the plants.
Q: Did that digest go to the actual workers in the potroom, the people in the plant working around asbestos?
A: We wouldn’t bore them with that.
Q: I’m sorry, what?
A: We wouldn’t bore them with that, the information in
the digest ...
As told by the anguishes of today,
workers had no idea that their
sweaty work clothes were saturated with asbestos-contaminated
dust and they were taking that dust
home to expose their wives and
children.
Through extensive and tireless
research, we now know that America’s industrial concerns knew about
the hazards of asbestos and had
known since early in the century.
They just didn’t share that knowledge with employees who worked
with it, nor with the families who
bought asbestos products and used
them in their homes.
“Not only are
we violating the
existing regulations concerning
clothing by not
providing such
clothing and
laundering it,
but we are also
failing to protect
our employees
and the families
of our employees
from asbestos
exposure.”
— 1974 Exxon memo
What is
mesothelioma?
Simply put, mesothelioma, which is commonly referred to as
asbestos cancer, is an
aggressive lung cancer
caused primarily by the
inhalation of microscopic asbestos fibers.
The disease attacks
the mesothelium, a
protective, two-layered
membrane that covers the internal organs
of the body including
the lungs, heart and
abdominal organs.
Between these layers, the cells produce
fluid, which allows easy
movement of the heart
and lungs within the
chest cavity. The layer
that covers the lungs is
called the pleura, and
the layer that covers
the heart is called the
pericardium. The peritoneum lines the abdominal cavity.
Mesothelium also
lines our reproductive
organs. Mesothelioma
can affect any of these
cells, but is usually seen
in the pleural or peritoneal mesothelium.
The most commonly
diagnosed form of this
cancer is pleural mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma takes
anywhere from 20 to
50 years to develop,
which is why older men
are usually the victims.
However, a few
recent cases involv-
“KEEP THIS INFORMATION MOST
CONFIDENTIAL”
By the late 1940s, asbestos
manufacturers, industries that used
significant amounts of asbestos in
their operations and their insurance
companies all acknowledged — at
least to themselves — that asbestos
caused lung cancer, asbestosis and
mesothelioma.
Rather than adopt safety standards, switch to safer products or
protect their employees, these companies went to extraordinary lengths
to hide the truth about asbestos from
workers, the public and the press.
Worker health was not actively
monitored, and decisive information
on the dangers of asbestos was held
secret.
In some cases, companies interfered with and even rewrote scientific study results, restricted key
information on asbestos hazards to
management while keeping it from
workers, and deliberately failed to
label or altered labels on products.
A 1949 Exxon document illustrates
the point. The document lists the diseases from asbestos exposure under
the banner, “COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL: Not For Publication In
Present Form.”
Asbestos diseases are latent, taking
decades to appear after initial exposure. This latency period allowed
companies to use workers for decades, knowing they were being injured or perhaps even killed by their
work, yet also knowing that the men
and women on the job would have no
warning that they might die from the
job exposure.
For companies like Alcoa, Exxon,
Union Carbide, DuPont, and Dow,
withholding this information was
relatively simple — workers would
not ordinarily think of asbestos risks
— and concealing information was
a very effective way to continue
production and reduce compensation
payouts.
As a memo from Johns-Manville’s
medical director to corporate headquarters described it, “... this disease
is irreversible and permanent so
that eventually compensation
will be paid to each of these men.
But, as long as the man is not
disabled it is felt that he should
not be told of his condition so that
ing September 11th
World Trade Center
first responders and
clean-up crews show
that high concentrations
of asbestos may cause
the disease much more
rapidly.
Who Gets
Mesothelioma?
Because of their work
history, men between
the ages of 50 and 70
who were employed in
asbestos-laden environments are the most
affected.
Because asbestos is
microscopic, identifying
an “asbestos-laden environment” is not easy,
sometimes requiring
hours of professional
research.
Though women
have a lower rate of
the disease, cases of
second-hand exposure
has prompted increased
diagnoses.
Occupations most
associated with mesothelioma are workers
at aluminum smelters, shipyards and rail
roads.
There are many less
obvious occupations
like drywall or home remodelers. For instance,
actor Steve McQueen,
musician Warren Zevon,
Jordan Hamilton, Pres.
Jimmy Carter’s press
secretary, each died
from mesothelioma.
Sometimes, professional insight and
research are required to
identify exposure sites.
In some instances,
entire towns have been
adversely affected by
the presence of asbestos fibers in the air.
For example, in Libby,
Montana — site of a former vermiculite asbestos mine — hundreds
have died of mesothelioma and it’s not over.
the Effects of
mesothelioma
The invasion of the
mesothelium is devastating. Like with any
cancer, the devil is in
the details.
Mesothelioma, in
general, is a very painful
disease because it is
he can live and work in peace and
the company can benefit by his
many years of experience.”
In other words, American
companies knew for decades that
exposure to asbestos could kill
their employees, the people who
live in the communities around
their plants and their customers.
Their own internal memos betray the depth of their knowledge
yet, instead of moving to protect
their employees, their families
and the rest of us, they deliberately chose to keep us in the dark.
Companies like Alcoa and W.R.
Grace were well aware of the dangers of exposure to asbestos in the
late 1940s and early 1950s.
Despite this, despite medical
research that documented confirmed links between exposure
and dangerous cancers, despite a host of state and federal
regulations designed to protect
workers and the general public, these companies neglected
to take even the simplest safeguards and even denied knowledge of the dangers until the
mid 1990s.
An ongoing epidemic - and why
you should pay attention to it
It can take 20 years or longer
for symptoms of mesothelioma
to appear.
Since many of these companies neglected to protect their
employees or the general public
as late as the early 1990s, there
is good reason to believe that
the number of annual asbestosrelated deaths in this country
has not peaked, nor will it for
another decade or more.
The vast majority of the victims
are men over the age of 50. But,
the wives and children of these
people could also have suffered
heavy exposure to asbestos and
many are unaware of the threat.
Further, the disease is very
difficult to diagnose, only one
of the reasons a mesothelioma
usually not diagnosed
until it's in an advanced
stage. For this reason,
the symptoms are typically quite serious.
Many diagnosis are
made after death and it
is believed that mesothelioma has killed many
without being named
the culprit. such deaths
are usually blamed on
pneumonia or other lung
cancers.
In general, victims of
mesothelioma die within
18 months of diagnosis.
Early diagnosis is
important. Annual checkups are recommended
for those with heavy
exposure. A physician
can help with questions
regarding personal help.
Much progress has
been made through
research and trials.
Techniques involving
visible tumor removal and
then killing the hidden
affected cells. Chemotherapy wash is now
being used after tumor
removal.
Hope is essential.
Who's to Blame?
Employer and manufacturers chose not to
warn of the dangers and
chose not to protect employees. This senseless
American tragedy is the
result of GREED.
Though the dangerous
properties of asbestos
and asbestos products
have been known for
decades, the race for
corporate profits was run
with heads turned away
from worker safety.
It wasn't until public awareness of the
dangers were revealed
in the 1970s that many
employers began cutting back on the use of
asbestos products and
began providing protection like respirators.
As unbelievable as
it may seem, many
companies —including Alcoa, Exxon, Dow
Chemical and Union
Carbide — had to be
regulated into protecting
their workers and workers’ families.
diagnosis is called a death sentence. However, early detection
grants victims of mesothelioma
cancer a greater range of options.
Finally, while most people are
aware of the threats tobacco
poses, few know about the result
of exposure to asbestos ... and
some companies would just as
soon keep it that way.
And this is why it is important
to raise awareness of the long
term dangers of exposure to asbestos.
For more information, visit
www.mesotheliomanewsjournal.org.
If you or a loved one has been
diagnosed with mesothelioma
or asbestos-related lung
cancer, please give us a call.
We can help you find the
resources you need to fight this
painful and expensive disease.
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Cappolino Dodd
Krebs LLP is a civil
trial litigation law firm.
We are litigators
and skilled advocates,
focusing on complex
personal injury cases
involving asbestos
poisoning, birth injuries
(cerebral palsy), dangerous drugs, truck
wrecks, car wrecks
and defective products.
Our skilled civil trial
litigation and personal
injury attorneys have
more than 95 years of
combined experience.
We pride ourselves
on customer service,
resourcefulness,
knowledge of the law,
and attention to detail.
The members of our
firm actively aspire to
champion for the rights
of individuals, families
and small businesses
with the goal of achieving a successfulrecovery or settlement.
www.AsbestosLaw.com
Cameron and Port Lavaca
1-888-MESO-FIRM
1-888-637-6347
IF YOU’VE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH
MESOTHELIOMA
We can help you find the
resources you need and
will work as hard for your
family as you do.
we want to help!
Local interest in local safety
1-888-MESO-FIRM • 1-888-637-6347
www.AsbestosLaw.com