Throughout the 20th century, tons of asbestos were mined in our country and put in thousands of everyday products. Asbestos was very inexpensive and was used as filler in many different products throughout many different industries.
There are a number of different jobs where workers were exposed to a large amount of asbestos on a very frequent basis. People who have worked in asbestos mines may have an increased risk of developing mesothelioma cancer due to asbestos exposure on the jobsite.
Asbestos is the generic name for six naturally occurring minerals. These minerals can be found in certain rocks, which can then be crushed to extract asbestos. Throughout the 20th century, 3.3 million tons of asbestos were mined in our country.
Asbestos miners often blasted through asbestos containing rocks to crush down to gravel that could then be sifted for asbestos. This sifting process of shaking the mined gravel caused a high concentration of airborne asbestos dust that may have been inhaled by asbestos miners. Once this asbestos dust reaches the lungs it can cause tissue inflammation that may lead to mesothelioma cancer.
Unfortunately, millions of people have been exposed to asbestos over the years. Only now are we able to see the disastrous effects of asbestos exposure in the workplace. Generally, it takes 10 to 60 years from the time of asbestos exposure until symptoms appear or mesothelioma is diagnosed.
Many of the companies have established trust funds to pay compensation to persons injured by asbestos.
If you have mesothelioma, or another asbestos-related injury, and wish to consult an attorney about your legal rights to compensation, CLICK HERE for a free consultation.