Asbestos History
The Link Between Mesothelioma and Asbestos
Well over a century ago, asbestos
was seen as an ideal building material, it was an excellent insulator,
fireproof, and relatively inexpensive. During the twentieth
century, some 30 million tons of asbestos was used in the construction
of industrial sites, office buildings, schools, shipyards homes,
and everyday items such as ironing boards, dryers, toasters, and
low-density insulation products. Beginning at the turn of
the 20th century, researchers began to see a correlation between
the unusually large numbers of deaths and lung problems in asbestos
mining towns.
In the 1930's, numerous and well-known
medical journals published scientific studies that linked asbestos
to cancer. In 1935, the American Journal of Cancer published "Pulmonary
Asbestosis: Carcinoma of the Lung in Asbesto-Silicosis." In 1955,
scientists confirmed what they had long suspected; there was a unmistakable
connection between the ingestion of asbestos fibers and the development
of certain forms of lung cancer (what later came to be known as
mesothelioma).
Despite the growing evidence of asbestos’s
health risks, manufacturers and companies continued its use for
many of their projects. In all likelihood, these manufacturers were
aware of the potential health risks but choose to ignore them. These
same companies also ignored using safer alternative materials like
fiberglass that were then being developed. Unfortunately, the victims
were, for the most part, men of working families who had no knowledge
of the potential health risks they faced.
The first lawsuits against the manufacturers
and companies responsible for asbestos related cancer were brought
to suit in 1929. Since then, numerous lawsuits have been filed against
those responsible for asbestos use and proliferation. Many if these
cases have resulted in large settlements for victims and the families
of victims of mesothelioma.
Contact us
If you or someone you know has suffered from Mesothelioma caused
by the dangers of asbestos. |
