A man has filed a lawsuit after his exposure to asbestos allegedly led to mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

Plaintiff Ruben D. says he was exposed to a variety of asbestos-containing products when he worked in the U.S. Navy from 1950 through 1970. During that time, he inhaled and ingested asbestos fibers, dust, and particles by working on the shipyards.

A naturally occurring mineral, asbestos can be manipulated to give it a fluffy consistency. Even though it is soft and flexible, it’s strong and resists heat, electricity and chemical corrosion. It was once marketed as the “magic mineral.”

Exposure to Asbestos Known to be Hazardous

The exposure to asbestos lawsuit points out that medical and scientific studies since 1929 have made it clear that asbestos-containing products were hazardous to human health.

For decades, industry executives allegedly ignored warnings from the medical community that exposure to asbestos could lead to tiny fibers settling inside workers’ bodies. These tiny fibers can take anywhere from 20 to 50 years to fester, resulting in asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung cancer and other related ailments.

A shipyard worker is one of the occupations most associated with high levels of exposure to asbestos. Because of its heat resistance and insulating properties, asbestos was used to insulate pipes, boilers, and incinerators, which were often located deep in areas of the ship in poorly ventilated areas.

Although one in 500 shipyard workers was a shipyard insulator, every person working on the ships could be exposed because the particles were airborne as workers cut and worked with the material. Most of the time, asbestos dust was allowed to build up and be subsequently stirred up into the air.

The exposure to asbestos lawsuit alleges the asbestos products were “unavoidably unsafe, and failed to carry proper, adequate and correct warnings about their hazards,” which the defendants should have known.

Ruben alleges he was given improper and inadequate information regarding the true hazards of coming into contact with the materials he used daily. He claims he was denied the clothing and equipment that could have safely and sufficiently protected him from his exposure to asbestos.

The asbestos products arrived to Ruben “without adequate or proper handling instructions, face masks and/or respirators.”

The exposure to asbestos complaint goes on to call the shipyards’ conduct “unreasonable, careless, and negligent” in all aspects of asbestos production, distribution, fashioning, marketing and delivering.

The Navy used hundreds of millions of pounds of asbestos every year for decades. The government started taking asbestos threats more seriously in the 1970s and ordered the removal of asbestos materials from all ships. The large task has yet to be completed, but the goal is for all ships to contain asbestos-free insulation.

The Exposure to Asbestos Lawsuit is Case No. 3:17-cv-01988-AWT in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.