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Frequently Asked Questions about AsbestosQ: What is asbestos? A: A microscopic threadlike fiber, asbestos is a common mineral found throughout the world. It is mined and used in consumer products and construction materials because of its strength and flexibility and its heat-resistant properties. If asbestos becomes airborne and dustlike, it can be breathed into and lodged in the lungs. Asbestos particles in the lungs can cause terrible - even fatal - diseases, such as asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer, which can take decades to develop after asbestos exposure. Q: Who are the typical victims of asbestos disease? A: Most typically, victims of asbestos disease and injury are people exposed to high concentrations of asbestos in industrial settings over extended periods of time. Workers in the following industries and professions have been historically at high risk: asbestos mining; manufacturing of asbestos-containing products such as insulation, piping, and ceiling and flooring materials; shipbuilding; welding, plumbing, pipefitting, and steam fitting; railroads; building demolition; and construction. These occupational exposures have declined drastically since the 1970s when the federal and state governments started heavily regulating asbestos. |
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that there are asbestos containing materials in most of the nation's approximately 107,000 primary and secondary schools, and 733,000 public and commercial buildings. |
George & Sipes, LLP - Asbestos Lawyers in Indianapolis, Indiana
Asbestos is an insidious substance that can have dramatic effects on health 10, 20 or even 50 years after exposure. If you have been employed in a job in which were exposed to asbestos, you may have a significantly increased risk for cancer (mesothelioma) asbestosis, or other illnesses. The first thing you should do is get regular checkups by a doctor who is experienced with asbestos-related diseases. Second, you should contact a law firm that can represent your rights if you have been harmed by asbestos.
George & Sipes, LLP
"Litigating Today for a Better Tomorrow"
1-888-277-0500
If you have been injured as a result of exposure to asbestos, you need to contact an asbestos lawyer in Indianapolis, Indiana by calling our toll free number: 1-888-277-0500, or by filling out our online contact form.
George & Sipes, LLP
151 North Delaware Street
Suite 1700
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Toll-Free Phone: (888) 277-0500
Phone: (317) 637-6071
Fax: (317) 685-6505
E-Mail: Contact Us
*The law firm of George & Sipes, LLP, in Indianapolis, Indiana, represents clients throughout the state of IN, including Noblesville, Greenfield, Lebanon, Dansville, Martinsville, Franklin, Shelbyville, Evansville, New Albany, Bloomington, South Bend, Terre Haute, Fort Wayne and the counties of Marion, Hamilton, Hancock, Boone, Hendricks, Morgan, Johnson, Shelby, Lake, Allen, Vanderburgh and Vigo.
The following information will provide you with a better understanding of asbestos and its possible harmful side effects:
Asbestos - An Overview
Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that has been used as insulation and a fire retardant in a wide variety of products. Because of its durable, fibrous nature, asbestos can produce dust that, when inhaled, becomes deposited in the lungs. Asbestos in the lungs can cause or contribute to the development of illnesses including asbestosis (a fibrous scarring of the lungs) and mesothelioma (a malignant form of cancer in the lining of the chest or abdominal cavities).
Because of health concerns, all new uses of asbestos in the United States were banned in July 1989. That year, the EPA published the Asbestos: Manufacture, Importation, Processing, and Distribution in Commerce Prohibitions, the effect of which was to eventually ban about 94 percent of the asbestos used in the U.S. (based on 1985 estimates). Most asbestos uses established before that date are still allowed, but are now strictly regulated by the government.
Asbestosis Basics
If you have a history of asbestos exposure, you may be at risk of developing asbestosis, a noncancerous respiratory disease. Microscopic shards of threadlike asbestos fibers breathed into the lungs become lodged in the lung tissue. The body excretes an acid in response to the foreign object, causing scarring, or fibrosis. The scarring makes the lung tissue stiff and restricts its ability to expand and contract with breathing. Eventually the lung tissue becomes pockmarked. The disease can take years to develop after asbestos exposure.
Asbestos-Related Cancers
Exposure to airborne asbestos fibers increases the risk of developing two major cancer types: mesothelioma and lung cancer. Asbestos exposure also increases the risk of contracting other cancers such as stomach, gallbladder, larynx, and kidney. Cancer can take decades to develop following asbestos contact. Often the disease will manifest after retirement from a career that involved exposure to asbestos in an industrial workplace.
Legal Redress for Asbestos Injuries
In the past century, many thousands of people were exposed to harmful airborne asbestos fibers in industrial settings and through the use of asbestos-containing products and construction materials. Sometimes the dangerous, often fatal, injuries and diseases that can result are not manifest for decades after the exposure. Even now, people exposed decades ago are developing asbestos-induced illnesses, such as asbestosis and mesothelioma.
Common Aspects of Asbestos Lawsuits
Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral used in construction materials and consumer products for its fire-resistant and strengthening properties. When asbestos is released into the air in microscopic, dusty, and threadlike fibers, it can be breathed into the body and lodged dangerously in the lungs, where it can lurk for decades before producing severe, even fatal, disease.
Helpful Web Sites for Asbestos Information
National Cancer Institute
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (U.S. Department of Labor)
American Lung Association
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