Mesothelioma In Alabama - Facts, Figures And Lawyers
Known as the "Yellowhammer State", Alabama has had a number of mesothelioma cases in the last few years. In fact most states in the country face a very viable threat from mesothelioma, as prior 1980 asbestos was commonplace in the heating and construction industry, in shipyards, in asbestos mines and mills, in power houses and in factories and plants of asbestos products.
So what is mesothelioma? And how is it affecting American society today? Mesothelioma is a lethal and deadly cancer caused by the inhalation of asbestos particles from various asbestos related products such as insulation, fire retardant material, and on construction sites as many buildings use asbestos based products. This malignant cancer usually begins in the pleura or peritoneum and can then spread to the rest of the body. The pleura are the lining of the lungs, while the peritoneum is the lining of the abdominal cavity.
A very aggressive form of cancer which can often be fatal within a year of being diagnosed, mesothelioma is only caused by asbestos exposure and nothing else. People who work in dockyards, shipyards, power plants, factories, on construction sites and in mines, are more than likely to contract this disease. The worst thing about mesothelioma is that it symptoms can lie dormant for up to 50 years before appearing and causing serious damage to a person's lungs or stomach. At the moment there is no cure for mesothelioma, and most patients have to go for intensive chemotherapy or radiation therapy to fight this disease.
Another scary fact about this cancer is that you do not even need to work in an asbestos filled environment to develop this disease. If you have a loved one or a family member who works in this kind of an environment, there is also a risk that you can develop mesothelioma because your family member can bring home asbestos particles on their clothing or on their person and you can come into direct contact with it.
Mesothelioma in Alabama
Although not very common in Alabama, many Alabamans do have a risk for developing this disease especially if they have worked in an asbestos exposed environment. Before the enactment of asbestos related workplace laws i.e. before 1980, many people were unknowingly tricked in to believing that it was acceptable to work in this kind of an environment without any kind of protection. However now thankfully Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set up limits for acceptable levels of asbestos exposure in the workplace, and people who work in an environment that has asbestos around now wear protective equipment to negate their chances of exposure.
For years, many native Alabamans who have worked in foundries, steel ills, car manufacturing companies, sandblasting companies, welding and construction companies and in asbestos mining and milling, have been exposed to deadly asbestos particles and fumes and it is only now its consequences are being felt.
Below are the figures for the number of deaths, mortality rates (per million population), and years of potential life lost (YPLL) in Alabama State in the year 1999, in residents age 15 and over.
State
No of deaths Ranks
Crude Mortality
Rate Rank
Age-Adjusted Mortality
Rate Rank
VYLL to life Expectancy
Total Rank VYLL/death Rank
Alabama
33
20
9.46 34 9.35 37 525 20 15.9 8
What these figure actually show is that though the death rate of Alabamans from mesothelioma is not that high, the people of this state still face significant threat from this disease.
If you think that you can sue your organization for compensation for knowingly having exposed you to asbestos and other carcinogenic substance it is important to contact your lawyer immediately as the Statute of Limitation with regards to mesothelioma litigation is 12-24 months. You can also sue if a family member of a loved one who has already passed away from this cancer. However, again the time limit for filing a case is 12-24 months.