Chicago Asbestos and Mesothelioma Law Blog

In an effort to prevent individuals from suffering the harmful effects of asbestos exposure, states have enacted laws governing the safe removal and disposal of asbestos materials. In addition to individual state laws, safety regulations related to asbestos materials are also governed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and covered under federal laws such as the Clean Air Act.

In accordance with state and federal asbestos laws, building owners are required to notify the appropriate state agencies if asbestos materials are discovered. Likewise, upon the removal of any asbestos materials, building owners are required to hire licensed professionals to safely remove and dispose of all asbestos. Failure to comply with state and federal asbestos laws puts workers and members of the public at risk of asbestos exposure.

Many Americans work at jobs that carry a certain amount of risk. A truck driver could be involved in a serious traffic accident, a nurse could sustain an injury while lifting a patient and an office worker could trip and fall over boxes obstructing a walkway. Some jobs are obviously more dangerous than others and carry more risks of injury and exposure to dangerous materials and chemicals. In many cases, however, employees are not fully aware of such risks and unknowingly may endanger not only their own life but also those of loved ones.

A woman recently filed a lawsuit against several companies affiliated with her husband's former employer after she was diagnosed with mesothelioma. According to the lawsuit, the woman's husband was employed for years at an insulation company. During the course of the husband's employment, he was unknowingly exposed to dangerous asbestos materials.

For anyone, a cancer diagnosis is a life-altering and likely devastating experience. In many cases, however, most types of cancer can be effectively treated and eradicated utilizing treatment options such as radiation, surgery or chemotherapy. In cases where an individual is diagnosed with mesothelioma, treatment options are largely ineffective. Rather, those diagnosed with mesothelioma are usually told they have a matter of months to live and are left to live out the remainder of their days as best they can.

Mesothelioma is an especially aggressive form of lung cancer for which there is no known cure or effective treatment. As a result, individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma usually die within a matter of months. Unlike many types of cancer that have numerous causes, the origins of mesothelioma are traced exclusively to asbestos exposure.

Today medical researchers tirelessly work to find new and more effective treatment options for cancer patients. While great strides have been made with regard to treatment options available for many types of cancer, individuals who develop the deadly lung cancer known as mesothelioma typically die within months of being diagnosed. In nearly all cases in which a patient is diagnosed as having mesothelioma, the cancerous cells developed as a direct result of exposure to asbestos materials.