Asbestos – From Great Discovery to Harmful Effects

Asbestos is a family of naturally occurring silica compounds. These substances form fibers with shapes and sizes that are found throughout the earth. This group of minerals can be separated into thin threads. These fibers are not affected by heat or chemicals and do not conduct electricity. Four types of asbestos have been used commercially:

• Chrystolie (white asbestos)
• Crocidolite (blue asbestos)
• Amosite (brown fibers)
• Anthophyllite (gray fibers)

All of these fibers are known to break down easily into a dust compound of tiny particles that floats in the air and sticks to clothing. Further, these fibers can be easily inhaled and cause serious health problems.

Asbestos was first mined in the United States in the late 1800’s and during World War II its use was significantly increased. Asbestos has been used in a variety of industries and more than 5,000 products contain or have contained asbestos. Some of those products have included:

• Cement sheet and pipe products
• Ceiling and floor tiles
• Crayons(containing talc)
• Roofing Materials
• Heat and Fire resistant fabrics
• Industrial filters for beverages
• Artificial ashes and embers for use in gas-fired fireplaces

In the late 1970’s, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of asbestos in wallboard patching compounds and gas fireplaces because of the release of the asbestos into the air when these products were being used. In 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned all new uses of asbestos; uses that were established prior to that date were still allowed. The EPA has also taken the step to establish regulations that require school systems to inspect for asbestos damage and to eliminate or reduce exposure to school occupants. In August of 2000, the EPA urged consumers to limit the amount of exposure to vermiculite-containing garden products.

Asbestos is a carcinogen and thus exposure can increase the risk of several serious diseases. These include:

• Asbestosis
• Lung Cancer
• Mesothelioma
• Other cancers(larynx, gastrointestinal tract, and kidney)

Asbestos causes changes in the membranes that surround the lungs. When asbestos is inhaled it causes a slow like build up of scar like tissue. Asbestosis is a chronic lung ailment than produces shortness of breath, coughing and permanent lung damage. Mesothelioma is cancer of the membrane that surrounds the lung and other internal organs.

Most everyone has been exposed to asbestos during some time of their life, however, those that become ill because of asbestos exposure typically are individuals who have been exposed to it on a regular basis. There have been cases though of individuals who have become ill after only a short period of exposure. Typically those who become ill do not show signs or symptoms for some time after exposure, this can be from 10 to 40 years after exposure. Many studies have found that those who have regular asbestos exposure and smoke are at an even greater risk for the development of cancer.

There have been reported cases of family members of those who have worked around asbestos becoming ill from secondary exposure. These cases have involved Mesothelioma and are referred to as paraoccupational exposure. In order to reduce this secondary exposure, workers have been encouraged to shower and change clothing before leaving their place of work.

Diagnostics that are used to diagnosis asbestos exposure illnesses come from chest x-rays and CT scans. A chest x-ray alone cannot diagnosis these illnesses but it can detect early signs noted with these diseases. Symptoms that should prompt an individual to seek medical treatment are:

• Significant weight loss
• Blood in the fluid coughed up from the lungs
• A chronic cough or a change in the cough pattern
• Pain in the chest or abdomen
• Prolonged hoarseness
• Difficulty swallowing

Please contact our office if you would like more information on this topic including an in-house presentation on this topic.

Services that we can provide related to cases that involve asbestos exposure are:

• Review and interpret relevant medical records
• Organize, tab and paginate medical records for easy reference
• Prepare medical chronologies of the medical events before and after diagnosis
• Summarize and translate medical records
• Identify causation issues
• Assess damages and injuries
• Construct written reports for attorney-client use
• Research applicable medical and nursing literature for interpretation into case analysis
• Analyze the validity of medical and nursing literature used by all parties
• Identify and locate experts needed for the case
• Prepare questions for deposition or trial examination
• Prepare medical aspects of interrogatories and requests for production

References:
National Cancer Institute(2003). Asbestos Exposure: Questions and Answers. Retrieved November 2006 from www.cancer.gov/PDF/Factsheet/fs3_21.pdf

MedicineNet(2006). Asbestos. Retrieved November 2006 from www.medterms.com/script/main/alt.asp?articlekey=2360.

MedicineNet(2006). Asbestos Related Disorders. Retrieved November 2006 from www.medicinenet.com/asbestos_related_disorders/article.htm

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