A Mississippi man recently filed a lawsuit against his employer, the owner of a shipbuilding company, alleging that his diagnosis with malignant mesothelioma was directly caused by his exposure to asbestos at work.

He claims he had not been given adequate warning about the risks associated with exposure to asbestos, including asbestos related pleural disease, mesothelioma, asbestosis, other lung diseases, and more.

According to the plaintiff, Marshall W., his employer and the company, Avondale/Huntington Ingalls, along with the companies that manufactured the asbestos containing products to which he was exposed, had a responsibility to warn him about the risks of asbestos exposure and provide a safe working environment. Instead, they actively concealed these risks, he claims, leading to his asbestos related diagnosis with mesothelioma.

Marshall filed his lawsuit on April 25, 2018, on multiple counts, seeking damages to compensate for his injuries, pain and suffering, medical expenses, and loss of quality of life.

Background of Asbestos

Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that used to be popular for commercial purposes such as electrical or building insulation, as well as countless others. However, the material is now known to be hazardous, and regulations regarding the use of asbestos have been in place for decades. Asbestos exposure can cause several serious health problems, including mesothelioma cancer.

In many cases, malignant mesothelioma can take decades for symptoms to appear, so it is often diagnosed when it has reached its later and more dangerous stage of development. Even though the use of asbestos has been heavily regulated in the last few decades, this delay means that those exposed to asbestos decades ago are only now being diagnosed with life-threatening cancer.

Asbestos Related Pleural Disease

Exposure to asbestos comes with a number of risks, including mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung disease, other types of cancer, and asbestos related pleural disease.

Essentially, asbestos related pleural disease is a non-malignant disease caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. When inhaled, these fibers can scar the pleura—the membrane lining the lung and chest cavity. Extreme asbestos scarring can lead to the pleura membrane thickening, which can become what is known as “pleural plaques,” eventually causing shortness of breath and discomfort, even compressing the lung.

Asbestos related pleural disease is also referred to as asbestos related pleural effusion. Unfortunately, though symptoms of this disease are treatable, there is no permanent cure for the disease itself.

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with or died from asbestos related pleural disease or another asbestos disease after occupational asbestos exposure, you may be able to file a mesothelioma lawsuit.

While filing a lawsuit over asbestos exposure cannot take away pain and suffering, or bring a loved one back to life, it can help to alleviate the financial burden incurred by medical bills and lost wages.

The Asbestos Related Pleural Disease Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-04224-JCZ-JCW, in the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans in the State of Louisiana.