Mesothelioma Attorneys

Mesotheliom–a potent and usually deadly cancer that has been linked to asbestos exposure but that takes decades to develop–is the subject of increasing legal action, with dozens of law firms actively seeking plaintiffs to file suit against the companies that may have been responsible for their asbestos exposure. In fact, hundreds of thousands of injury claims, including many for mesothelioma, have pushed approximately 80 companies into bankruptcy. But it can be difficult to differentiate mesothelioma from other cancers–which can make treatment difficult, let alone litigation. To that end, researchers and clinicians have over the past five years looked carefully at what pathologic studies to undertake when a diagnosis of mesothelioma is suspected. This article will focus on that research.

Asbestos is a type of insulation material that was used widely in the past in the construction, ship building, automotive, and other manufacturing industries. The material is crystalline, and can splinter into tiny chards or dust particles. When these fibers have been breathed in, they travel through the respiratory path and can become lodged within the airways. The smaller fibers are able to travel to the ends of the small air passages and reach the pleura. The tiny bits of mineral cause physical damage to the mesothelial cells. The asbestos fibers irritate the mesothelial cells and this seems to trigger the healthy cells to begin reproducing, and a cancerous situation is created. In addition, the asbestos fibers cause injury to cells, which can result in lung cancer and/or asbestosis, which is the condition where healthy lung tissue is replaced by scar tissue. If swallowed, these fibers can reach the abdominal cavity where they have a role in causing peritoneal mesothelioma. (1)

There are three commonly used types of asbestos: white, brown, and blue. Brown and blue asbestos are most commonly associated with mesothelioma. The use of asbestos was very widespread after 1945, but the first symptoms of mesothelioma may not become apparent until 10 to 40 years after the initial exposure–which makes the disease very difficult to diagnose. Some studies have estimated that the peak in mesothelioma cases will be reached in 2010. (2) Peak use of asbestos was in the 1970s. Currently, epidemiologists estimate that around 3,000 Americans die each year from malignant mesothelioma, and another 7,000 from other cancers and conditions associated with asbestos exposure. Between 1979 and 2001, there were at least 43,000 deaths from mesothelioma. Advocates for mesothelioma patients say that this number is probably low, because mesothelioma often was misdiagnosed and only was tracked as a cause of death beginning in 1999. One study concluded that the disease may already have peaked in the United States, but other sources predict that mesothelioma deaths will peak in 2016 in the United States. This peak is expected to occur later in countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, which regulated asbestos use later than in the United States. Malignant mesothelioma affects three times as many men as it does women. (3)

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