The Tennessee Valley Authority was a symbol of controversial New Deal politics. It was a publicly-owned corporation created to improve employment in the Tennessee Valley, a region in the South particularly hard-hit during the economic collapse that defined the end of the 1920s and beginning of the 1930s. However, in the modern era, it is coming under scrutiny for a new reason: asbestos lung cancer lawsuits.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral. The mineral consists of millions of tiny, interwoven, glass-like fibers. The glass-like material of these fibers resists melting, even at the temperatures of heat-intensive manufacturing and machining processes. Additionally, the fibers trap air, making them superb insulators. These properties led to widespread use of asbestos, starting during the industrial revolution and continuing until the 1970s and 1980s, when various governments banned the use of asbestos and asbestos cancer lawsuits began to crop up. The link between asbestos exposure and serious diseases like mesothelioma are well-documented, and have been so for nearly a century.

The Tennessee Valley Authority’s benevolent mission unfortunately intersects with asbestos lung cancer lawsuits. The TVA did all sorts of major public works, chiefly aimed at building up infrastructure in the rural Tennessee Valley and related areas. A major focus was hydroelectric dams and malaria control. Other TVA activity included improving farmland and farm infrastructure. The Tennessee Valley Authority undertook many construction projects at a time when asbestos was still seen as a very useful building material.

Since asbestos-related illnesses like mesothelioma and lung cancer may take decades to manifest, asbestos cancer lawsuits are often filed decades after the initial asbestos exposure. For example, mesothelioma almost never occurs less than 15 years after exposure to asbestos, though this particularly aggressive cancer almost exclusively occurs in asbestos-exposed persons.

Government workers are a major faction in asbestos lung cancer lawsuits. Tennessee Valley Authority workers join people working in the Navy as technicians or shipbuilders as a population frequently exposed to asbestos. Asbestos mesothelioma lawsuits have been filled against government employers who exposed federal employees to asbestos fibers including Tennessee Valley Authority workers and Navy shipyard workers.

Asbestos lawsuits seek compensation for asbestos-related illnesses from the parties that allegedly exposed workers. These asbestos exposure lawsuits, sometimes in the form of lung cancer or mesothelioma class action lawsuits, can be from anyone directly exposed to the material, or their family members. Workers who develop diseases from asbestos may sue the employer who exposed them for ultimately putting them at risk for asbestos-related illnesses. Additionally, their families may file, either due to economic hardships and the wrongful death of their loved ones — or due to indirect asbestos exposure. Indirect exposure may occur when a person who works with asbestos comes home with asbestos fibers stuck to their clothes and skin. When working with asbestos, it is almost impossible to avoid carrying these microscopic fibers.

In general, Asbestos Lung Cancer lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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