Mesothelioma In Ohio - Facts, Figures And Lawyers
Ohio has some of the highest mesothelioma incidences in the US, mainly because this state has a number of asbestos based industries in the area. According to federal government death certificates from 1979 to 2001 around 1,609 people have been killed by asbestos related diseases including mesothelioma in Ohio. Of this total it is thought that at least 1,000 people have died from mesothelioma alone.
Ohioans needs to be aware of the higher mesothelioma risk they face mainly because this cancer has no cure. However unlike other cancers mesothelioma does not respond well to treatment and most people who have this disease usually die within a year of being first diagnosed. While surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are the available options for a person, most people who develop mesothelioma by and large die from this disease.
There are two common types of mesothelioma, pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma affects the lining of the lungs known as the pleura, while peritoneal mesothelioma affects the peritoneum or the lining of the abdominal cavity. The only known cause of mesothelioma is asbestos exposure. Therefore if your or your loved ones have worked in an asbestos-based industry it is important that you have regular checkups because mesothelioma has a latency period of up to 50 years, only after which symptoms appear.
Mesothelioma in Ohio
A major reason for Ohio having a high mesothelioma mortality rate is because around 3,737 shipments or 445,321 tons of asbestos contaminated vermiculite went from Libby, Montana to 14 locations within Ohio between 1948 and 1993. The cities and towns that received Libby vermiculite include; Marysville, Cleveland, Port Clinton, North Bloomfield, Warren, Dayton, Barberton, Cincinnati and East Palestine. Four plants in Cleveland received this contaminated ore. Of the above mentioned locations more than 416,249 tons of the vermiculite was sent to a site in Marysville. This site has been listed by the federal government on its priority list of asbestos contaminated plants. The O.M. Scott & Sons plant on 14111 Scottslawn Road, Marysville, processed tons of vermiculite exposing both employees and their families to asbestos because the people who worked at the plant were not provided with protective clothing.
Below are the figures for the number of deaths, mortality rates (per million population), and years of potential life lost (YPLL) in Ohio State in the year 1999, in residents age 15 and over.
State : ohio
No of deaths: 131
Ranks : 5
Crude Mortality -Rate : 14.70 -Rank : 12
Age-Adjusted Mortality -Rate : 14.26 -Rank : 15
VYLL to life Expectancy -Total : 2,005 -Rank : 5 -VYLL/death : 15.3 Rank : 11
Late last year in September 2004, Ohio became the first state in the country to require medical criteria that needed to be met before an asbestos lawsuit can be filed by anyone. This ruling requires that the plaintiff first provide medical evidence proving that asbestos exposure played a substantial role in his/her illness. This ruling was basically enacted so that the courts can give priority to asbestos cases filed by people who are already displaying symptoms of mesothelioma.