Asbestos is bad, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that. But most people don’t know the specifics about it or very much about mesothelioma which is the disease that it causes. First a little about asbestos. Chrysotile or white asbestos is the most commonly encountered form of asbestos, accounting for approximately 95% of the asbestos in place in the United States. Unfortunately you may now be doing research on asbestos because you have been diagnosed with the disease. The greatest percentage of people who were exposed to asbestos worked for a railroad (example: CSX, Norfolk Southern, Burlington Northern, etc.) prior to 1990. Sadly for those exposed it was no accident, the big railroad companies knew, since the 1930s, that asbestos exposure could result in cancer. Yet, they did virtually nothing to protect rail workers, from being exposed to these toxic fibers.
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But it’s not just railroad workers that have died from mesothelioma, many others including actors, politicians and musicians fell victim as well. Steve McQueen, Paul Gleason and Merlin Olsen who was a star defensive tackle in the NFL are just a few that died from mesothelioma. It can take between 15 to 50 years before you even notice symptoms of asbestos disease and before signs of asbestos exposure appear on a chest x-ray. That means you could be retired or working for another company before discovering that you have a cancer such as mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is an incurable form of cancer. In general to bring about an asbestos cancer claim, there should be medical records that include a positive chest x-ray showing scarring of the lungs along with a positive Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) and confirmation of clinical symptoms by a medical doctor (such as a pulmonologist).
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This is just a small amount of information on the dangers of asbestos and the deadly disease mesothelioma. If you are suffering from the disease it is imperative that you speak with an experienced railroad mesothelioma lawyer. Our team of railroad mesothelioma attorneys have handled numerous mesothelioma cases and we know the tricks and tactics utilized by the railroad industry to delay and drag out legitimate claims.
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