A widow has filed a paper mill lung disease class action lawsuit against the company her late husband worked for claiming that the company was responsible for his exposure to asbestos and subsequent death.

Plaintiff Nellie T. is filing this paper mill lung disease lawsuit on behalf of her husband, Alton T., who died in 2014.

Alton was employed by International Paper in Moss Point, Miss. This mesothelioma lawsuit claims that Alton “worked with and around asbestos-containing materials, including but not limited to pumps, valves, chemical processing equipment, evaporators, dryers, gaskets, packing, insulation, dryer felts and other asbestos containing materials.”

When he worked for International Paper, according to the complaint, Alton T. was a maintenance mechanic and laborer from 1953 until about 1997. He was also employed as a fork truck operator.

Alton’s widow claims he developed paper mill lung disease as a result of his exposure to asbestos in the products with which he worked on a regular basis. This exposure led to his development of the mesothelioma that eventually took his life, Nellie claims.

Asbestos-Related Diseases

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is mined from the earth. It has been a beneficial part of many products throughout the greater part of the last century because of its ability to insulate and to be a fire retardant.

However, it is also a known carcinogen. Asbestos, left as is, is not harmful to humans. But, when it is disturbed, microscopic asbestos fibers can be inhaled. When this happens, those fibers lodge themselves in the lungs and cannot be exhaled.

Initially, this does not do much outward damage to the individual who has inhaled the asbestos fibers. But, when the fibers have been in the lungs for a long period of time, they cause inflammation. This inflammation leads to the development of certain asbestos-related diseases.

Some of these asbestos-related diseases include asbestosis, a benign illness, as well as certain types of deadly cancers. Asbestosis is a chronic lung disease that is characterize by scarring and long-term inflammation of the lungs from asbestos exposure. Its symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, wheezing and pain in the chest.

Certain cancers are also associated with long-term asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma, which is the cancer of the lining of the lungs or internal organs, is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos.

Mesothelioma is very deadly and is often not discovered until it is in its later stages. Asbestos-related cancers often lay dormant for many decades. By the time that patients understand they are sick, it is often too late. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people die in the U.S. each year from mesothelioma caused by asbestos.

Asbestos lung cancer is also a deadly disease caused by exposure. A person who is exposed to asbestos but who also smokes has an increased chance of developing this type of cancer.

This Paper Mill Lung Disease Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-00019-LG-RHW in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.