Louisiana asbestos lawyers

Helping Mesothelioma Clients Throughout Louisiana and Nationwide

Lawsuit For Asbestos Exposure

Lawsuit for Asbestos Exposure“Asbestos” describes a cancer-causing group of minerals that, when crushed, break into fibers. These minerals include chrysotile (white asbestos), amosite (brown asbestos) and crocidolite (blue asbestos). Because of its strength, heat and acid resistance, asbestos was once widely used in insulation, brake linings and many other commercial and residential products.

Contact us today to speak about lawsuit for asbestos exposure with an experienced Baton Rouge, Monroe, Lafayette, Lake Charles or New Orleans asbestos lawyer.

Asbestos as a Hazard

Asbestos use in the United States climbed steadily from its commercial introduction in the late nineteenth century then fell rapidly in the 1970s and 1980s. The widespread use of asbestos in industry and construction in the first seven decades of the twentieth century has resulted in an epidemic of asbestos-related diseases and deaths that continues into the twenty-first century.

As many as 27.5 million U.S. workers were exposed to asbestos between 1940-1979. Asbestos is still a potential hazard for an estimated 13 million workers in the United States in the construction industry and for workers involved in maintenance and repairs of buildings and equipment. This is true whether those workers were directly handling asbestos products or were simply in areas where asbestos products were being used. Further, workers carrying home asbestos on their clothing unknowingly exposed their loved ones to asbestos and unfortunately placed their family members at an elevated cancer risk, particularly for mesothelioma.

Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos exposure has been directly linked to more than 1,000 products. Most workers and their family members’ exposures have come from the use of asbestos in industrial and construction settings, as well as residential and commercial settings.

The major industrial and construction sources of asbestos exposure come from the use of insulation products on high temperature pipes and equipment. These products include:

  • Pipe covering came in rounded half-moon sections and was placed around pipes.
  • Block was similar to asbestos pipe covering, but it was a rectangular shape that was used for insulation around boilers, tanks and flat surfaces.
  • Cement or “mud” was a dry, powdery material that had to be mixed with water before it was applied to the pipe. It was used to fill in gaps when using pipe covering and block.
  • Packing was used to fill gaps in connections with equipment and to seal flanges or joints.
  • Gaskets were either pre-cut (in the form of circles) or sold in flat sheet and were used as a sealant in high temperature lines between flanges and other connections.
  • Furnace cement or mortars came in a dry or pre-mixed wet form and were used in furnaces or boilers to either hold bricks together or seal spaces.

Some major sources of asbestos exposure in commercial or residential settings include:

  • Corrugated sheets used in various buildings as a facing or a siding.
  • Ceiling and Floor tiles.
  • Fireproof spray insulation that was applied to beams and other areas in a building for fireproofing.
  • Wallboard used for various framing and sheeting operations.
  • Joint compound that was either a pre-mixed material or a white powder used as a sealing compound for the joints with asbestos wallboard.
  • Tape used when taping wallboard.
  • Roofing shingles and Roofing paper and felts

Who is at Risk for Asbestos Exposure?

If you suffer from mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, the attorneys at Waddell Anderman are here to protect your rights. We have extensive experience handling asbestos lawsuits for clients from Baton Rouge, New Orleans, throughout Louisiana and nationwide.

Contact us today to speak with an experienced Baton Rouge, Monroe, Lafayette, Lake Charles or New Orleans asbestos lawyer.

Currently, people who work in construction are the most at risk to asbestos exposure. Even though the material is not used in new buildings or plants, those who renovate and demolish older buildings, piping and equipment can be exposed to asbestos that was used in the construction of buildings and plants decades ago.

Most cases of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases arise because the victims were exposed years ago. At-risk occupations include:

  • Construction trade
  • Power plant workers
  • Oil refinery workers
  • Chemical plant workers
  • Shipyard workers
  • Railroad workers

Of course, you didn’t have to work at an at-risk job location to have been exposed to asbestos. Many people were exposed simply by using products that contained asbestos. Other victims accidentally inhaled asbestos-residue from a family member who worked in an at-risk environment. Regardless of how you were exposed, our attorneys are here to help you pursue fair and just compensation for the hardships you face.

Contact a Louisiana Asbestos Exposure Attorney

If you were exposed to asbestos at work, we are here to stand up for your rights. Contact us today to speak with an experienced Baton Rouge, Monroe, Lake Charles or New Orleans at-risk professions asbestos attorney. We offer free initial consultations, and we get paid on a contingent fee basis — you won’t owe us a thing unless we win results for you.