November 17, 2009
According to recent reports, asbestos exposure kills more workers in Quebec than any other cause. This year alone 61 out of 104 workers who have died due to work-related causes in Quebec province have lost their lives to asbestos-related illnesses.
The worker’s compensation board of Canada also reports that deaths from asbestos exposure, mainly due to the development of mesothelioma, have increased in this portion of the country by 67% over the last 15 years. All of this news is quite alarming and unsettling seeing as much like America, Canada made it illegal to be using asbestos in building materials decades ago.
Quebec reportedly has a “zero tolerance” policy in terms of asbestos exposure. This policy was put in place years ago when it was discovered that asbestos is linked to several lung-related illnesses and cancers. However, the French-province of Quebec and Canada as a whole have recently been criticized when it was found that they export 175,000 metric tons a year of chrysotile, which is a form of asbestos. This cancerous substance is reportedly exported to poor countries and Quebec has become known for having the country’s only existing asbestos mine.
Ban on Asbestos Put in Question
As in the United States, asbestos was banned in Canada during the late 1970s, but it can still be found in old buildings and homes. Asbestos exposure is known to cause the rare form of cancer known as mesothelioma, as well as other diseases. Second-hand exposure has also proven to be harmful. This mean employees who work with and around asbestos can bring asbestos fibers home on their clothing or in their hair, and unknowingly expose family members.
No cure has been found for mesothelioma or many of the other health related issues that can come from asbestos exposure, but taking preventative steps and knowledge about the risks can help assure you that exposure will be avoided.
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Posted by Dave Austin
November 13, 2009
A man from Texas recently filed an asbestos lawsuit against 38 defendant corporations, alleging that his illness from asbestos exposure was wrongfully caused.
The plaintiff, Cleveland J. Savoy was employed as a carpenter, where he claims he was exposed to products that contained asbestos.
Carpenter Claims Wrongful Exposure
Savoy claims the defendants named in the asbestos lawsuit failed to test the products with the toxic substance before they were introduced into the stream of commerce.
He states that the defendant companies were negligent by failing to warn people of the dangers of the products which he was using on a daily basis.
He also states the companies continued to manufacture these products even after they became aware of the risks and dangers associated with asbestos.
38 Companies Named as Defendants
Some of the defendants named in the lawsuit are A.O. Smith Corp., A.W. Chesterton Co., American Optical, Ametek, Babcock Borsig Power, and Bayer Cropscience.
Savoy also claims in the asbestos lawsuit that due to his trust and reliance on the companies, he has suffered great physical pain and mental anguish. He says he has also lost wages, sustained disfigurement and physical impairment, and has incurred medical costs.
Exposure to asbestos has been known to cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other health complications that can be life-altering.
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Posted by Dave Austin
November 10, 2009
A man from Tennessee recently filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against Du Pont along with 20 other companies for the death of his mother. The man believes that his mother’s sudden death from mesothelioma was due to secondhand asbestos exposure. The man’s father was reportedly employed at Du Pont and the plaintiff believes it was due to the asbestos fibers carried home on his clothing
Roger Neely claims in the asbestos-related lawsuit that his mother, Ruby, died from mesothelioma earlier this year due to his father’s exposure to asbestos while at work. Neely states that Du Pont, and the other companies named in the suit, failed to warn her father about the danger of working with and around asbestos and as a result the asbestos was brought home on his clothing without his knowledge of any risks.
Asbestos Lawsuit Claims Secondhand Exposure
The plaintiff’s father, Lively Neely, was reportedly employed at the DuPont Plant in Old Hickory, Tennessee for nearly 20 years. During his career at the plant, Neely was reportedly unknowingly exposed to asbestos. When he returned from work Ruby supposedly handled his clothing, which is how the secondhand exposure occurred.
The lawsuit claims that DuPont and the contractors that worked w the plant knew about the risks linked to asbestos but failed to warn their workers or give them protection to prevent asbestos exposure.
Lively Neely’s life also taken by an asbestos-related illness in 1980.
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Posted by Dave Austin
November 3, 2009
A woman who reportedly developed mesothelioma due to washing her grandfather’s clothing when she was growing up has been awarded $20 million. As a result of washing her grandfather’s clothing, which was infested with asbestos since he was an insulation worker, the woman developed mesothelioma.
The mesothelioma lawsuit was filed by Jocelyn Farrar, 57, who works as a nursing professor at University of Maryland. Farrar claimed in the lawsuit that she developed mesothelioma, which is a fatal form of cancer due to second-hand asbestos exposure. Her grandfather reportedly carried the asbestos fibers home on his clothing that she washed each day.
Plaintiff’s Grandfather Victim of Workplace Exposure
John Hentgen, Farrar’s grandfather, worked with asbestos-laden insulation from Georgia Pacific Corp. during the late 60s. More than 40 years later, Farrar was diagnosed with mesothelioma and argued that the insulation manufacturer was responsible for her unexpected illness. As a result of her mesothelioma part of her lung had to be removed.
Just last week, a Baltimore City Circuit Court jury awarded Farrar $20,272,000, citing that Georgia Pacific was responsible for cancer. The award includes $18.5 million for non-economic damages, $1.6 million for lost wages and earning capacity, $97,000 for past medical expenses, and $75,000 for future medical costs she will be forced to pay for treatments.
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Posted by Dave Austin
