Asbestos seemed a miracle during the industrial revolution. The naturally-occurring mineral had amazing properties: it is fireproof, makes a nearly-perfect insulator, and was inexpensive. However, it rapidly became apparent that it could prove life-threatening for those that worked with it. These asbestos workers have taken legal action through joining an asbestos class action lawsuit or mesothelioma class action lawsuit.

Asbestos is a silicate mineral, mined from the earth. At a microscopic level, it resembles tiny glass fibers. This material insulates against both heat and electricity. The fibers also cannot burn, even at the high temperatures of industrial processes. Asbestos started being used on a large scale during the industrial revolution, when its properties made it ideal for a wide variety of applications.

Almost immediately upon industrial-scale use, health risks became apparent. People who mined, machined, or otherwise worked with asbestos suffered from serious health issues. More than a century ago the first scientific studies noted that asbestos workers suffered from a new disease, called asbestosis. This disease was a scarring and inflammation of the lungs, caused by damage from the tiny fibers.

But more insidious diseases were eventually linked to the material. Various types of cancer were linked to asbestos, including lung cancer. But one cancer, mesothelioma, is most closely linked to asbestos. Though often mistakenly called a lung cancer, mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the chest cavity, or similar tissues in the abdomen and chest cavity. Mesothelioma has a very poor prognosis, with most patients dying within a few years. A small subset of mesothelioma patients can benefit from an aggressive regiment of chemotherapy, radiation, and invasive surgery. Such individuals may live for more than a decade — with a greatly reduced quality of life. Mesothelioma almost exclusively happens in people exposed to asbestos, though it often takes decades to manifest.

Lawsuits have been filed by the victims of asbestos-related illnesses. These asbestos class action lawsuits allege that various companies were aware of the risks associated with working with asbestos. Mesothelioma class action lawsuit claims seek the cost of medical care, and lost wages. Some civil actions also seek to provide surviving family members with the support they are losing as their family members die from asbestos-related illnesses. Mesothelioma class action settlements have claimed millions in settlements, and broken records for medical lawsuits.

Litigation against asbestos companies often takes the form of class action lawsuits. Class action lawsuits are a common type of mass tort or group lawsuit. In a mesothelioma class action lawsuit, a group of people allege that they have suffered similar harm at the hands of the same defendant. In a class action lawsuit, all of the individual claims are handled through a single lawyer or legal team. Group lawsuits like class action lawsuits are designed to save time, money, and resources for all parties involved. For example, the plaintiffs can pool their resources for the cost of the suit, the defendants only have to face a single lawsuit, and the court system only has to hear a single case.