Nearly a Century after First Asbestos Lawsuit, Litigation Continues

Though humans have used asbestos since prehistory, the building material didn’t really come into its own until the nineteenth century, when industrialization led to widespread demand and use for the mineral. However, that widespread use has caused substantial fallout, and has sown the seeds for continued issues.

Up until the Industrial Revolution, the mining and use of asbestos was small scale and artisanal. The fireproof fibers made asbestos a rare novelty, a trinket of kings. But with the advent of industrial-scale mining and manufacturing, the once rare material came into widespread use.

Asbestos consists of silicate fibers, microscopic hair-like fibers of a glass-like material. It occurs naturally in the earth as a fibrous mineral. Its glass-like properties make it an ideal insulator from both heat and electricity. During the Industrial Revolution, these properties were in demand, and asbestos was used for electrical insulation, fireproofing and thermal insulation.

However, evidence of the hazards of working with asbestos rapidly became apparent. The fibers from asbestos can accumulate within the human body, particularly within the lungs. Asbestos can cause physically scar and inflame and scar the lungs, causing a condition called asbestosis. Asbestosis produces similar symptoms to emphysema, including pain and trouble breathing. Additionally, asbestos fibers can cause chromosomal damage and promote the development of cancer, including lung cancer and asbestos mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the chest cavity, often mistakenly called a lung cancer. Mesothelioma is very rare — except among people exposed to asbestos. Most cases of lung cancers and asbestos mesothelioma have very poor outcomes.

People encounter asbestos in a number of ways. Individuals at virtually every stage of asbestos manufacturing have suffered from the health effects of this mineral. Asbestos exposure has affected miners who dug asbestos out of the ground, manufacturing workers, and end-level consumers. These health effects have impacted numerous industries, including shipbuilding, construction, and other manufacturing sectors.

In the United States, victims of asbestos exposure have successfully filed suit against various sectors of the asbestos industry. The earliest asbestos exposure lawsuits were first filed in the late 1920s. However, a turning point in asbestos litigation came in the 1982, when a retired boiler maker named James Cavett won $3.8 million in a civil suit against the asbestos industry. At the time, this was a record for civil litigation.

If you or someone you care about suffered from asbestos-related illness, you’ve almost certainly been through a trying ordeal. The diseases associated with asbestos exposure are chronic, terminal illnesses. Further, it may be difficult to pinpoint the source of asbestos exposure, since it can take decades for these illnesses to fully manifest. When facing such challenges, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed, or even depressed. But you need to remember that regardless of the challenges you’re facing, you still have rights, and there are steps you can take to regain a measure of control over your situation. You can start by visiting the Mesothelioma Asbestos Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Investigation. Here, you can enter information about your situation for a legal review by a trained expert with a background in this type of litigation. From this free initial consultation, you can receive additional guidance on the best steps to take in your exact situation. 

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