Why should you take legal action if you are diagnosed of Mesothelioma?
The reason why millions of people around the world are suffering from mesothelioma is very simple to understand. The only reason for this is the sheer negligence of the asbestos industrialists to safeguard their immediate society from asbestos hazards. They knew that the mining, manufacture and use of asbestos could create a lot of harm to the lives of many people. However, the short-term economic gain that they reaped made them blind to the long-term ill effects posed by asbestos on the health of individuals. This negligence on their part has resulted in the deaths of millions of people due to mesothelioma. Also, many more millions will succumb to this disease in the coming years. The main classes of people responsible for this negligence are listed below:
a) Asbestos mine owners: These people did nothing to protect their employees. They knew that asbestos mining was hazardous to health but they displayed complete negligence.
b) Factory owners: When asbestos is manufactured, lots of asbestos dust and asbestos fibers are released into the atmosphere. When the workers inhale these, they react adversely with the mesothelium cells in the body. The mesothelium cells start to divide rapidly. They also outlive the other cells leading to tumors. These tumors may also spread throughout the body. This condition is called as mesothelioma. Though the industrialists were aware of all this, they did nothing to safeguard the employees and their families. Thus, the workers carried asbestos dust on their clothes home. This was inhaled by their family members who also succumbed to the disease. Even a little bit of asbestos fiber inhaled once is enough to lead to mesothelioma.
c) Materials Producers: Various materials using asbestos were produced. The owners of these factories were aware of the hazards of asbestos and the substitutes available. However, they did nothing to protect their workers.
d) Insurance companies: There was medical evidence that asbestos was harmful to health. Still, the insurance companies continued to insure the asbestos industry.
Knowledge about the hazards of asbestos:
During the early 18th century itself, the hazards of asbestos were confirmed. Research and studies were done but the results were silenced and dismissed. The Ancient Greeks, who were the first to discover asbestos, also found that the mineral caused harm. The slaves wove asbestos into their clothing. The Greeks found that the lungs of these slaves were damaged and they doubted asbestos to be the cause of the mischief. After that, in the recent past, there were lots of studies that confirmed that asbestos caused lung disorders. Since mesothelioma has a very long latency period between asbestos exposure and onset of disease, the connection between asbestos and mesothelioma was not confirmed till the 1940s. However before the end of the 1930s itself, all the other asbestos-related diseases like asbestosis, fibrosis and asbestos warts were recognized and named. Only after this, slowly, the countries started banning asbestos. UK was the first country to ban asbestos. USA followed suit. Japan had a late awakening. Countries like India and China have still not banned asbestos completely.
Concealment of research results:
Lots of research was done to confirm the hazards of asbestos. However, the rich factory owners and miners concealed the results of the research. They provided no safeguards to the workers. They had no protective clothing, masks or proper ventilation. They had no choice of deciding whether to continue to work in these hazardous companies or not.
The above paragraphs help us to realize the hazards of asbestos and the cause of mesothelioma. This clarity is essential for you to realize that contracting mesothelioma is a danger you are facing because of the evil seeds sown by those few industrialists. Thus, it is your right to sue those evil and selfish people. They have knowingly exposed their employees to the potential risk of mesothelioma. The patients can file claims against employers, asbestos manufacturers and all others who are involved in the mining, manufacture and distribution of asbestos. They are bound to compensate the innocent mesothelioma patients for medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional suffering, trauma, loss of quality of life and settlement for family members and dependents. Most of the mesothelioma lawyers don't charge any fees. They believe that the settlement given to you will bring a little comfort in this most difficult time and they do not want to spoil it in any way. Therefore, do not hesitate. It is in the best interest of all, if you file a case as soon as you realize you have mesothelioma.
