Asbestos / Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer affecting the membrane lining of the lungs and abdomen. Malignant mesothelioma is the most serious of all asbestos-related diseases. Exposure to asbestos is the primary cause and risk factor for mesothelioma. Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked in jobs such as miners where they inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers, or were exposed to airborne asbestos dust and fibers in other ways. Washing clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos also creates a risk for developing mesothelioma

Asbestos has been used in the following types of jobs:

Insulators who worked with asbestos insulation;
Shipyard workers;
Navy personnel;
Plumbers, pipe fitters, and steam fitters, especially those who worked on ships;
Boilermakers who constructed boilers, which were often several stories high and filled with insulation;
Plasterers working with fireproofing spray on steel beams;
Electricians, mechanics, bricklayers, millwrights, carpenters, and other construction trades workers;
Steel workers, refinery and other industrial workers;
Maintenance workers and laborers in various industries.