It's an unfortunate fact of life that some jobs render people more vulnerable to health problems than others. This is particularly true of mesothelioma. While today's employers and business owners may be more sensitive to the dangers of asbestos and other lung-cancer-causing work conditions, the information just wasn't available to workers thirty years ago, nor, frankly, was the consideration for workers' health in many of these situations. Also, while work conditions may be safer these days, workers in certain occupations still remain more vulnerable than those in other lines of work. While every employee who was regularly exposed to asbestos without taking the proper precautions remains vulnerable, some career choices are more commonly linked to mesothelioma, including:
Miners
According to exhaustive research, miners' risk of developing mesothelioma increased by three percent every year they spent working in an iron ore mine. Only in recent years has commercial asbestos been removed from the mining operation. As it takes mesothelioma a long time to develop (usually between 10 and 50 years), it has been very difficult for miners to pursue damages in mesothelioma cases.
Construction Workers
Asbestos remains a threat to construction workers. Additionally, workers who installed it during middle of the 20th century, as well as workers who removed it since discovering its dangers, all had very high exposure rates. Asbestos can still be found in old fireproofing, roofing, vinyl flooring, pipe and boiler insulation and some roads and cement-sheet products.
Shipbuilders
Asbestos was used extensively in ships built before 1980 and can be found in the insulation of doors, walls and engines. Other jobs that were found to be high-risk include auto mechanics, building inspectors, carpenters and many others.
If you have contracted mesothelioma due to years of working in a hazardous environment, whether you were a miner, construction worker, shipbuilder or any other type of worker, you deserve justice and compensation; talk to an attorney today who can help you navigate the complicated legal system and hold those responsible for your injuries or illness accountable.
With nearly half a billion dollars' worth of settlement and verdict money for our clients, Lombardi and Lombardi, P.A. is uniquely qualified to champion your rights. We have nearly 40 years of experience getting our clients the justice and damages they deserve. Contact us today.