Many veterans are upset with how the VA health care system has dealt with the long-term and life-threatening side effects veterans are suffering due to asbestos exposure.

According to the Mesothelioma Center, the government failed to warn servicemen about the risks and now veterans who are suffering from asbestos exposure are having trouble acquiring important services for treatment.

Approximately 21 million veterans are living in the United States today. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there are 3,000 cases of mesothelioma diagnosed each year and 10,000 deaths occur each year related to asbestos diseases. The Mesothelioma Center suggests that nearly 30 percent of newly diagnosed mesothelioma patients are veterans.

According to the Mesothelioma Center, the military extensively used asbestos products throughout the 20th century. Asbestos is a toxic naturally occurring fibrous mineral. It was widely used to strengthen and fireproof materials. These qualities made the mineral extremely valuable to the various branches of the military.

Those in command failed to heed the early warnings of the Surgeon General for the Navy concerning the toxicity of asbestos and continued to use the substance. Now, 20 to 50 years later, veterans are suffering from the life-threatening consequences of asbestos exposure.

Navy Veteran Raul L. says  he feels as though the Navy has left him and his fellow former shipmates behind. He’s discouraged and says that the VA does not really want to help him. Raul, a resident of Texas, suffers from pleural plaques around his lungs, an asbestos related condition.

Asbestos exposure can cause several serious and deadly conditions such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, cancer in the lung linings, cancer in the abdomen linings, and cancer in the chest cavity. Product liability attorneys are looking for potential plaintiffs to bring asbestos mesothelioma lawsuits against various former employers and companies.

Mesothelioma lawsuits are being filed across the country against manufacturers and suppliers of asbestos containing materials. Asbestos mesothelioma victims have received significant funds from settlements and damage awards.

In some cases, the spouse of an asbestos victim will join a mesothelioma lawsuit as a co-plaintiff in order to bring a claim for loss of consortium. A loss of consortium claim cannot be brought on its own and must be linked to another lawsuit. Loss of consortium claims are brought for the loss of spousal intimacy.

Whether a person should bring an asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit is a decision that should be made on a case by case basis with the advice of a legal professional. A plaintiff may choose to bring a lawsuit individually or as a member in a class action lawsuit.

Each option can provide different benefits for the plaintiff. Individual lawsuits often provide the plaintiff with more autonomy over the case while class action lawsuits help spread the cost of litigation among the members of the lawsuit.