Occupational exposure to asbestos is known to cause several
distinct types of injuries. Generally, the longer a person is
exposed to asbestos dust and the greater the intensity of this
exposure, the more likely that person is to develop an asbestos-related
illness.
Individual susceptibility does, however, vary greatly. In other
words, some people can be exposed to a great deal of asbestos
over a long period of time and never develop an asbestos-related
injury. On the other extreme, some people can be exposed to
very little asbestos and suffer fatal asbestos related injuries.
All asbestos-related diseases have rather
long latency periods (period of time between the first exposure
to asbestos and the diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease)
ranging from 10 years to 30, 40 or more years. Even though a
person may have been exposed to asbestos many years ago, they
can still develop asbestos-related injuries. This is because
the human body can never entirely rid itself of ingested asbestos.
The asbestos continues to do its damage to the lungs and other
organs long after exposure has stopped.
In general, asbestos can cause two different types of illnesses:
» malignant diseases
(cancers caused in organs with which ingested asbestos
comes into contact)
» non-malignant
diseases (scarring processes of the respiratory tract).
Your Legal Rights
If you or someone you know is suffering from lung cancer and/or
lung disease asbestosis, mesothelioma or other asbestos related
diseases caused by asbestos or asbestos containing products,
you may be eligible to file a claim.
