Manufacturing company BASF Catalysts is facing an asbestos cancer lawsuit brought by a widow who lost her husband to an asbestos lung disease.

Florida plaintiff Carmen V. is suing BASF Catalysts and their associated business partners on behalf of her deceased husband, Pedro R., and their three children. Pedro died of mesothelioma in May 2014. The asbestos lawsuit claims Pedro was never informed of the risk of the disease or other asbestos related cancers from his occupation.

Pedro worked as an autobody repairman and filler from 1959 to 1998. He was employed in several different autobody shops throughout his time of employment, where he worked with auto-body fillers manufactured and sold by the defendants. The fillers were made with talc powder that allegedly contained asbestos.

Pedro was diagnosed with mesothelioma on April 01, 2014, and died a little over a month later.

Carmen’s lawsuit alleges that at no point in time did BASF Catalysts provide protective equipment or implement work safety precautions to minimize asbestos exposure.

Asbestos related cancers are often diagnosed at a latent stage of prognosis and leave patients devastated upon the news, as there are often very few treatment options available for patients diagnosed in later stages.

Overview of Asbestos Lung Disease Complications

Medical researchers first became concerned with asbestos-related cancers in 1935, when researchers found similar and alarming findings in multiple studies.

In 1986, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration proclaimed asbestos lung cancer to be the greatest risk for American employees who worked with the fibrous material.

Manufacturing companies began mining asbestos fibers in the 1800s, after finding it to be an effective and economic insulation material. The height of its popularity was during World War II, when shipyards and navy vessels used a variety of asbestos insulation, piping, and other building parts.

While asbestos is now highly regulated and is harmless when undisturbed, the fibers pose serious health risks when released into the air. Victims either inhale or swallow the fibers, which then become embedded in the lungs or stomach.

Asbestos lung cancer kills approximately 4,800 people per year, which accounts for 4 percent of all lung cancer fatalities. Both mesothelioma and asbestos lung cancer are asbestos lung diseases, but they differ in physical characteristics and environmental risks.

While asbestos lung cancer attacks the organ itself, mesothelioma attacks the mucus lining of the lung. Mesothelioma is caused specifically by asbestos exposure, while asbestos lung cancer could also be attributed to environmental exposures like smoke or tobacco.

The Asbestos Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 5:16-cv-00001-JSM-PRL filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.