Charleston, WV—A couple is bringing suit against 66 companies, seeking damages in a mesothelioma case.
Richard H. Pullen, along with his wife Rebecca, claim that the companies failed to exercise reasonable care to warn him of the hazardous nature of the asbestos with which he worked.
All of the companies named in the lawsuit either manufactured, supplied or sold asbestos-containing materials.
Pullen has been diagnosed with two asbestos-related diseases, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Asbestosis is a chronic respiratory disease in which asbestos fibers cause scar tissue to form inside one or both lungs, leading to breathing difficulties. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer which is almost always caused by asbestos exposure. It affects fewer than 3,000 new patients in the United States each year, but is a fatal cancer that does not typically respond well to treatment.
Pullen is suing for damages related to medical treatment, great pain of the body and mind, embarrassment and inconvenience, loss of earning capacity, loss of enjoyment of life, and a shortened life expectancy.
Mesothelioma occurs when the asbestos fibers cause tumors to form on the mesothelium, which is a thin sheath surrounding and protecting the lungs. The mesothelium also produces a special fluid that helps the lungs, stomach and heart to move naturally and without friction. One of the symptoms of both asbestosis and mesothelioma is excess pleural fluid.
Although asbestos has been phased out of use, and is now only found in very small amounts in certain, highly regulated applications, the material can still be found in older buildings and commercial products. Additionally, the diseases that are associated with it may take up to 40 or even 50 years to fully develop within the body and become symptomatic, which means that many people could be living with these diseases without being aware of it. By the time mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases are diagnosed, it’s usually too late for curative surgery or other treatments to be effective, although palliative and pain-reducing measures can be undertaken.
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Friday, May 28, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Former Pipefitting Apprentice, Exposed to Asbestos as a Teen, Dies of Mesothelioma
Cheshire, UK—An inquest has heard that a pensioner, who was exposed to the mineral material asbestos some three decades ago, has died from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma.
Eric Jones, 71, had worked at a Warrington cotton mill as an apprentice for the now-defunct Armitage and Rigby. He was learning to be a fitter, and as part of his work he repaired the steam pipes which were attached to boilers. Jones routinely used a hammer to dislodge the steam pipes which were coverd in asbestos insulation, causing clouds of asbestos dust to fill the surrounding air.
Although it’s generally accepted that asbestos is safe when it is undisturbed, the airborne dust contains microscopic fibers which can be inhaled. Once inside the body, they lodge themselves in a special lining of the lung called the mesothelium, eventually causing the cells there to become malignant and leading the to cancer mesothelioma. Once the asbestos fibers have entered the body, there is no way to remove them or otherwise cleanse the affected tissues.
Jones had not experienced exposure to asbestos after leaving the cotton mill. He had survived two heart attacks and a bypass operation before succumbing to the mesothelioma cancer in March 2009.
An inquest heard that Jones died from exposure to the carcinogenic asbestos, and Deputy Coroner for Cheshire Janet Napier recorded the cause of death as industrial disease. Jones was 71 at the time of his death.
Affecting approximately 3,000 new patients each year in the United Kingdom, mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that is incurable. It generally claims its victims within two years of diagnosis, and can only rarely be treated with surgery. Other treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation, may help alleviate the symptoms of the disease for some patients; in other cases, their side effects are deemed too debilitating and patients opt only for pain management methods.
Asbestos has been heavily regulated since the 1980s, but it remains in existing structures, and generally will not be removed unless public health officials deem it to be a hazard. Special precautions, such as using respirators, wearing protective clothing, and disposing of asbestos materials in a particular fashion, must be taken when undertaking an asbestos abatement or removal project, and such a project should only be undertaken by trained and licensed professionals.
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Eric Jones, 71, had worked at a Warrington cotton mill as an apprentice for the now-defunct Armitage and Rigby. He was learning to be a fitter, and as part of his work he repaired the steam pipes which were attached to boilers. Jones routinely used a hammer to dislodge the steam pipes which were coverd in asbestos insulation, causing clouds of asbestos dust to fill the surrounding air.
Although it’s generally accepted that asbestos is safe when it is undisturbed, the airborne dust contains microscopic fibers which can be inhaled. Once inside the body, they lodge themselves in a special lining of the lung called the mesothelium, eventually causing the cells there to become malignant and leading the to cancer mesothelioma. Once the asbestos fibers have entered the body, there is no way to remove them or otherwise cleanse the affected tissues.
Jones had not experienced exposure to asbestos after leaving the cotton mill. He had survived two heart attacks and a bypass operation before succumbing to the mesothelioma cancer in March 2009.
An inquest heard that Jones died from exposure to the carcinogenic asbestos, and Deputy Coroner for Cheshire Janet Napier recorded the cause of death as industrial disease. Jones was 71 at the time of his death.
Affecting approximately 3,000 new patients each year in the United Kingdom, mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that is incurable. It generally claims its victims within two years of diagnosis, and can only rarely be treated with surgery. Other treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation, may help alleviate the symptoms of the disease for some patients; in other cases, their side effects are deemed too debilitating and patients opt only for pain management methods.
Asbestos has been heavily regulated since the 1980s, but it remains in existing structures, and generally will not be removed unless public health officials deem it to be a hazard. Special precautions, such as using respirators, wearing protective clothing, and disposing of asbestos materials in a particular fashion, must be taken when undertaking an asbestos abatement or removal project, and such a project should only be undertaken by trained and licensed professionals.
Source
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