If you are considering filing a mesothelioma lawsuit then your first
step is the most important one you will take. And that is making the
firm decision that you are going to stand up for your rights and hold
the company that caused your illness accountable for their actions.
It may be hard to imagine and it might seem unbelievable, but if you
have mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, and your job
involved your being exposed to asbestos, then the company that you
worked for probably knew there was a very good chance that you and other
employees would contract an asbestos-related disease.
And even though they were aware of it and could have provided protective
clothing and breathing apparatus, they chose not to. It apparently was
more important to them to increase their earnings by not spending the
money that they should have in order to protect you from the potential
job hazards.
Manufacturers and their insurance companies have known about the dangers
associated with asbestos for more than 100 years. The United States
Bureau of Labor Statistics published a report in 1918 that noted that
there were an unusually high percentage of deaths of workers in the
asbestos industry.
And Aetna Insurance said that asbestos was "incurable" in a 1934
Attorney's Textbook of Medicine. The insurance company went on to say
that disability typically followed exposure to asbestos and that the
disability was followed by death.
Information about asbestos-related diseases started to pile up over the
next 40 years Companies that were the giants of the asbestos industry
were well aware that the inhalation of asbestos fibers led to
asbestosis, lung cancer, and death.
Yet, instead of helping their employees they instead chose to "sweep
this information under the rug." They just would not commit to the extra
expenses that would have been involved with changing their procedures
and making it safer for their employees to do their jobs.
Then, in the 1970s, the United States government began to get more
involved. Government agencies attempted to educate the public about the
dangers associated with asbestos. The government established guidelines
for companies to follow. The US government warned companies that they
should provide protective gear that would better protect their
employees.
Yet these warnings, for the most part, fell upon deaf ears.
Internal correspondence, memos, and reports from that era show that even
though some manufacturers and companies knew about the dangers
associated with inhaling and/or swallowing asbestos fibers they instead
chose to continue to use asbestos without protecting their workers.
If you have had enough and have decided to stand up for your rights and
hold the company that caused your illness responsible for their actions
then you should consider filing a mesothelioma lawsuit.
by: Wendy Moyer
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