Years of Life Lost Due to Asbestosis
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) continually investigates asbestosis and other asbestos-related deaths, such as mesothelioma. CDC conducts their studies in order to follow trends, identify problems, and give recommendations. The CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)gathers information about deaths from occupationally related respiratory diseases, such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. This information is then shared with and utilized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to review and update safety regulations and policy.
Recent findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Society shows persons with asbestosis die prematurely and lose valuable years of life due to the disease. Asbestosis and mesothelioma are primarily cause by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is now widely known to be a toxic mineral that was once used widely in industries such as:
- construction
- ship and boat building and repair
- plumbing
- automotive mechanics
- military
Asbestos fibers are invisible to the naked eye and causes serious, fatal diseases when inhaled. Once inhaled, asbestos fibers can become lodged in the lining of the lungs or abdomen, causing scarring and inflamation. Symptoms appear decades after exposure and cause difficulty breathing and lead to diseases such as
- asbestosis – a scarring of the lungs that makes it hard to breathe
- mesothelioma – a cancer affecting the membrane of the lining of the lungs or abdomen
CDC looked at death reports of persons age 25 – 65 years old between 1968 and 2005 whose cause of death was asbestosis. In the near forty year period, there was an overall total of 25,413 deaths caused by asbestosis. This number is likely to be lower than the actual number, as asbestosis is not always listed as the underlying cause of death due to other presenting factors.
Of all the records looked at, almost 90% of asbestosis deaths occurred in persons who were younger than 65 years old. Researchers pointed out that this does not even include the number of years of life where the quality of life is drastically reduced due to the disabling nature of the disease.
CDC studies show that deaths caused by exposure to asbestos continue to occur at rates that justify and ask for more research and prevention. The studies also show that asbestos related deaths are occurring more and more in younger people. They strongly urge the need for continued efforts in preventing and eliminating exposure to asbestos.
If you or someone you know has been exposed to asbestos or diagnosed with asbestosis or mesothelioma, you may need the help of experienced, caring mesothelioma attorneys. Asbestos lawyers can help you know your legal rights, explore medical treatment options, and get the financial compensation needed to cover medical costs and lost of potential earnings due to the disease.
The Mesothelioma lawyers at Clapper, Patti, Schweizer & Mason, with offices in the San Francisco Bay area, offer help to victims suffering from mesothelioma and asbestosis. They are one of the only groups of mesothelioma lawyers that exclusively handles asbestos related cases and help those who have been specifically diagnosed with asbestosis or mesothelioma. For more than 25 years, this has been and continues to be their specialty.
Their mesothelioma clients face tremendous financial, emotional and physical challenges and difficulties in their lives. Their job as attorneys who specialize in mesothelioma and asbestos canceris to fight to make the clients’ lives easier and bring them justice. Because they understand the stress and difficulty families struggling with asbestosis or mesothelioma face, they make extra effort to make the lawsuit process trouble-free for clients. The client comes first, and it is important to them to make their mesothelioma clients’ lives simpler rather than more complicated.
