From the latter years of the nineteenth century, to the early years of the twentieth, asbestos was a favored material in the construction industry. It is an excellent fire resistant material, it has high electrical resistance, and it was cheap and easy to use. Unfortunately it was not appreciated at the time that asbestos fibers posed a severe health risk to workers. The fibers can easily become airborne, and, once inhaled into the lungs they cannot be expelled on account of their size. The fibers are also sharp and can penetrate body tissues. Asbestos is therefore now best known for its health legacy for the workers, many of whom now face painful and fatal diseases. Asbestosis and mesothelioma claims have been made in civil courts around the world; many companies involved in the industry have filed for bankruptcy, and some have also faced criminal charges.
Asbestos is now known to cause asbestosis, mesothelioma, various other cancers, and pleural plaques. Asbestosis is a lung disease. It was first reported medically in the Nellie Kershaw case (England, 1924). The body produces an acid to try and dissolve the asbestos fibers lodged in the lungs. Eventually the acid scars the lung tissue, often to such a degree that respiratory failure results. The condition can take 10-20 years to develop after exposure to asbestos.
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelial lining of the lungs and chest cavity, or of the peritoneum or pericardium. The only known agent causing mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos fibers: unlike other lung cancers it is not associated with smoking tobacco. The disease can take 20-50 years to develop, and the prognosis is extremely poor, with most patients dying in less than twelve months.
There are also several other types of cancers which can be linked to asbestos, although they may have other causes as well. These include other forms of lung cancer, as well as cancers of the kidney, larynx and gastrointestinal cancers. For these other asbestos related cancers reports suggest latency times of 15-30 years.
Pleural plaques are less serious than asbestosis and mesothelioma. They are a localized fibrosis of the pleura (part of the lungs). At one time the UK courts decided to award compensation for asbestos workers with pleural plaques, but the decision was overturned on appeal, the case eventually reaching the House of Lords.
This decision seems to have accepted the insurers' argument that pleural plaques were merely a marker for exposure to asbestos, rather than an injury requiring compensation. At the current time pleural plaques are not an actionable injury in the UK.
Nevertheless asbestosis and mesothelioma claims are accepted by courts in most jurisdictions. These cases include the record breaking tort case in the United States, a class action with over 600,000 claimants and 6,000 defendants.
The earliest legal suits occurred in the UK in 1929, only five years after the very first death from asbestosis to be described in medical literature. When Nellie Kershaw, a textile worker, died in 1924, her case was linked by experts to asbestos exposure at her workplace. This highly influential case led to a UK government enquiry, establishing the dangers of asbestos exposure for the first time.
Another possibly important case, which this time involves mesothelioma claims, was the case of Michelle Campbell, who contracted the disease through contact with a relative's work clothes.
Asbestos is now known to cause asbestosis, mesothelioma, various other cancers, and pleural plaques. Asbestosis is a lung disease. It was first reported medically in the Nellie Kershaw case (England, 1924). The body produces an acid to try and dissolve the asbestos fibers lodged in the lungs. Eventually the acid scars the lung tissue, often to such a degree that respiratory failure results. The condition can take 10-20 years to develop after exposure to asbestos.
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelial lining of the lungs and chest cavity, or of the peritoneum or pericardium. The only known agent causing mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos fibers: unlike other lung cancers it is not associated with smoking tobacco. The disease can take 20-50 years to develop, and the prognosis is extremely poor, with most patients dying in less than twelve months.
There are also several other types of cancers which can be linked to asbestos, although they may have other causes as well. These include other forms of lung cancer, as well as cancers of the kidney, larynx and gastrointestinal cancers. For these other asbestos related cancers reports suggest latency times of 15-30 years.
Pleural plaques are less serious than asbestosis and mesothelioma. They are a localized fibrosis of the pleura (part of the lungs). At one time the UK courts decided to award compensation for asbestos workers with pleural plaques, but the decision was overturned on appeal, the case eventually reaching the House of Lords.
This decision seems to have accepted the insurers' argument that pleural plaques were merely a marker for exposure to asbestos, rather than an injury requiring compensation. At the current time pleural plaques are not an actionable injury in the UK.
Nevertheless asbestosis and mesothelioma claims are accepted by courts in most jurisdictions. These cases include the record breaking tort case in the United States, a class action with over 600,000 claimants and 6,000 defendants.
The earliest legal suits occurred in the UK in 1929, only five years after the very first death from asbestosis to be described in medical literature. When Nellie Kershaw, a textile worker, died in 1924, her case was linked by experts to asbestos exposure at her workplace. This highly influential case led to a UK government enquiry, establishing the dangers of asbestos exposure for the first time.
Another possibly important case, which this time involves mesothelioma claims, was the case of Michelle Campbell, who contracted the disease through contact with a relative's work clothes.
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