Many parties often to blame for asbestos exposure

Victims of diseases that are related to asbestos exposure are among those who truly understand how difficult their illness can be. Often times, a person who was exposed to asbestos had no idea how dangerous it was to be breathing in the airborne fibers at the time of exposure. They were often never warned about the health risks or provided with protective equipment.

It can also be devastating because it can take decades for a person to start developing symptoms. Often times, diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis are not diagnosed until it is too late for certain treatments to be effective.

Another reason that asbestos-related diseases are so upsetting is there are generally many people who are to blame for the exposure.

Asbestos-related diseases typically develop after a person has been exposed to asbestos for a significant amount of time and at concentrated levels. Victims often learn that they were exposed to asbestos over the course of many years, during which they may have worked at numerous jobs in numerous positions. This means that there were often multiple sources of exposure, yet no one took to the responsibility of warning workers about asbestos.

It is for this reason that the negligence of multiple parties is often cited in asbestos-related lawsuits. Recently, for example, a woman and her husband named 42 parties in a lawsuit they filed after the husband was diagnosed with asbestosis. The man reportedly worked in many trades for over nearly 35 years where he says he was exposed to asbestos. The buildings in which he worked during those years were contaminated with asbestos and he was never made aware of this.

They filed a lawsuit and name 42 premises owners, employers and other parties as being responsible for his devastating disease. The lawsuit cannot undo the man’s tragic diagnosis, but an award of damages can help him and his wife cope with the financial costs of his disease and can help take care of his wife after he is no longer able to do so.

Source: The West Virginia Record, “Ohio couple name 42 defendants in asbestos suit,” Kyla Asbury, June 6, 2013