There are many different materials and chemicals that people in Washington and Oregon work with during their jobs. Some of the materials may be used for years, but as advances occur, other materials may be developed or found to be better for a particular purpose. Other times materials stop being used because they are found to be harmful to people. One of these types of materials is asbestos. This was a commonly used material in buildings and ships as it is heat and flame resistant. However, it is also found to cause different types of cancer.
Asbestos causes cancer when people inhale it or ingest it. Typically, this occurs when the asbestos is removed or broken up and dust is created and then breathed in. While we are well aware of the health problems that asbestos inhalation can cause now, people did not realize this many years ago when it was commonly used and many people working in construction or in shipyards may have inhaled it. One common type of cancer people develop from asbestos inhalation is mesothelioma.
Latency of mesothelioma
The unique aspect of mesothelioma though is that it does not usually develop for many years after people inhale it. Generally, mesothelioma does not develop until 20 to 50 years after people inhale it. So, people may be diagnosed with it today even though they stopped working with it a long time ago. The likelihood that a person will develop it does not go down over time either. Even if exposure stopped decades earlier people can still develop mesothelioma.
There are many people who develop mesothelioma in Washington and Oregon. Many of the people used to work in the shipyards where asbestos exposure was common years ago. Like other forms of cancer, mesothelioma can have devastating effects on people and even be fatal. People who worked in shipyards and other industries may have been unnecessarily exposed or not provided the proper protective equipment when working with it. People in this situation may be entitled to compensation due to this unnecessary exposure. Experienced attorneys understand the uniqueness of how mesothelioma develops and may be able to help one receive what they deserve.
