For many years, workers have mined the natural mineral asbestos up from beneath the surface. It was used for centuries as part of a building material until it was discovered to be hazardous. Asbestos is known now to cause many different diseases and cancers, like lung disease, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Many different types of workers are exposed to asbestos in their jobs, thus are at a higher risk of obtaining a disease. If you are an employee and asbestos exposure has caused you to fall ill, you may be entitled to compensation from your employer. Carpenters, bricklayers, electricians, mechanics, insulators, drywallers, plumbers, furnace workers, United States Navy workers, roofers, building inspectors and shipyard workers are a few of the top job fields that are exposed to asbestos. If you or someone you know has or is currently worked/working in any of the listed industries, there is a very high chance that some asbestos fibers already have had the chance to enter your lungs. This is especially true if you have been repeatedly exposed to the mineral asbestos over a long time frame.
Exposure may not always lead to visible symptoms immediately. Typically, most individuals have symptoms that occur ten to thirty years after they are exposed, and in rare cases some do not even develop their symptoms until 40 years later. Asbestosis is a horribly painful disease that occurs in the lungs and is caused by exposure to asbestos. It is often characterized by shortness of breath or difficulty when breathing. This usually coincides with tightness in the chest or a feeling of pressure. A dry cough that does not subside is also a symptom. Victims of asbestosis have wider and rounder looking fingers. This is a term dubbed “clubbed” fingers. Mesothelioma and other lung diseases are characterized by symptoms such as weight loss, cough, profuse sweating, fever, sore throat, swelling in the face and arms, difficulty when breathing and swallowing, fatigue, and pain in the chest. Peritoneal mesothelioma is a very serious form of mesothelioma and signs include all of the above listed symptoms as well as vomiting, pain in the stomach region, nausea, swollen abdomen, constipation, and weight loss.
Although it is now known that asbestos is very dangerous to one’s health, many workers who are exposed to it are completely unaware of its symptoms. If you or a loved one has worked in a field where exposure to asbestos was made, you should immediately get screened by a doctor to make sure you did not contract any illness related to it. Speak with an experienced legal professional today such as the personal injury lawyer that locals trust