Texas Asbestos Lawyer, Asbestos Lawsuits in Texas

Every year, ten thousand people die and thousands more become ill as a result of asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is a material that was historically used as an inexpensive and fire-retardant building and insulating material. In the last hundred years, asbestos products were used in the construction of homes, churches, hospitals, schools and government buildings. Asbestos is made up of microscopic fibers that can easily become airborne and inhaled into a person’s lungs. The most common ailments suffered by exposed persons are (1) asbestosis, the irreversible scarring of the lungs caused by inhalation of asbestos fibers, and (2) mesothelioma, an incurable form of cancer conclusively linked to an affected person’s previous exposure to and inhalation of asbestos fibers.

The health risks associated with asbestos are not new discoveries; however, full disclosure of the information about these risks, and regulations of the asbestos manufacturing process, are recent developments. For at least 80 years, asbestos manufacturers in the United States have been aware of the health risks posed to persons exposed to asbestos, including the fact that long term exposure increased the chances of illness and death. Since the 1940s, asbestos companies have known that long term exposure to airborne asbestos fibers was scientifically linked to serious respiratory problems, including lung cancer.

Nonetheless, until recently asbestos companies suppressed, and systematically withheld, information about the health risks. The decision to withhold this information was not only negligent, but it recklessly exposed the companies’ employees, the employees’ families, consumers and members of the public to the harmful, often deadly, risks associated with asbestos. In the 1980s did the United States government begin to regulate manufacturing processes involving asbestos but, it was too little, too late, for the millions of people already exposed airborne asbestos fibers.

The harmful effects of asbestos exposure are not immediately apparent and, once exposed, there is little than can be done to predict, or prevent, the onset of medical problems in the future. You may have been exposed 20 or 30 years before you begin to experience any problems. Moreover, harmful exposure is not limited to manufacturing. You may have been exposed because of a careless employer or landlord. You may have been exposed because of your proximity to the improper removal or disposal of asbestos during the renovation or demolition of a structure which was constructed with asbestos building materials. You may have purchased building materials made from asbestos. Whatever the reason, you are not to blame for your exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos related diseases like asbestosis and mesothelioma are very expensive to treat and result in painful, protracted illnesses and death. If you believe that you or someone you know has ever been exposed to asbestos dust or fibers, or have been diagnosed with a disease like mesothelioma, you need to immediately seek legal representation. A texas asbestos lawyer can assist you in preserving your rights and seeking financial compensation for medical treatment, as well as your pain and suffering, from the people or entities responsible for your illness.