An asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit recently won $3.5 million for a woman who claimed that seven different companies caused her mother’s death through asbestos exposure.

Plaintiff Ramona B. says that although her mother was never directly exposed to asbestos, her father would come home every day covered in asbestos fibers, which her mother would inhale while doing the laundry.

Ramona remembers her mother washing her father’s work clothes every day, the asbestos mesothelioma lawsuitsaid. He worked primarily at the ARCO Cherry Point Refinery. It was there that he was exposed to large amounts of asbestos that was contained in the insulation made by Brand Insulations.

The asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit alleged that his clothing was covered with asbestos, which her mother was exposed to after her father returned home: “My mom would shake out the big bits of dust, the asbestos that is harmful you can’t see it, you can’t smell it,  you can’t taste it,” Ramona said.

While ARCO provided four showers at their refinery, this was insufficient to handle hundreds of workers after a shift. Instead of waiting for hours, Ramona’s father would come home. ARCO also reportedly did not provide laundry services.

Ramona’s father later died of multiple causes allegedly including  asbestosis. In February 2014, Ramona’s mother began to show signs of mesothelioma, a cancer in the lining of the lungs. The asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit was filed after this. Ramona’s mother died before the closing arguments.

Defendants in this asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit included ARCO, Brand Insulations, Kaiser Gypsum, Hanson Permanente Cement, Metalclad Insulation, Metropolitan Life Insurance, and Union Carbide. Brand was the only defendant to not settle with Ramona prior to the jury hearing which awarded her $3.5 million.

Asbestos Exposure

Many individuals may be in danger of asbestos exposure without fully realizing it. Many workplaces and homes built before the year 2000 may have been made with asbestos containing products. Individuals who work in ship yards, in the construction field, or in factories may experience asbestos exposure. Second-hand asbestos exposure is also a danger, as shown by this asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit.

Asbestos has the ability to be undetected in the body for years, even decades. Some individuals develop mesothelioma or lung cancer 40 years after initial asbestos exposure. It is because of this distance that it is sometime difficult to prove that the mesothelioma or lung cancer was caused by asbestos.

Countless asbestos mesothelioma lawsuits have been filed across the county primarily accusing manufacturers of products that contained asbestos without proper warning or against employers who did not provide adequate protection from the asbestos exposure they encountered at their work place.

Asbestos is no longer used in modern products. While it was claimed to be a safe, effective insulator for decades, it has long been suggested to lead to potentially deadly cancer.