Monday, March 24, 2008

Asbestos Attorneys

Several ailments are caused when a person inhales asbestos or comes in contact with it. Asbestos lawyers are attorneys who help individuals get compensation for damages suffered because of asbestos exposure.

In the US, asbestos attorneys have represented hundreds of people incapacitated by asbestos. These asbestos attorneys have been active in attaining extraordinary verdicts and payments on behalf of asbestos sufferers in many regions of the US.

The chief hazard from asbestos is from breathing asbestos fibers into the lungs. Asbestos dust is easily breathed into the lungs, since asbestos fibers are minute and smooth. Once inhaled, some asbestos fibers will stay in the body perpetually. Over extended periods of time, these fibers can give rise to lethal ailments like mesothelioma, other asbestos cancers and asbestosis.

Researchers have not settled on a safe level of contact with asbestos. Nevertheless, scientists and doctors have concluded that the larger and longer the contact with asbestos, the greater the chance of experiencing asbestos-connected ailments.

Asbestos attorneys understand that every case of asbestos exposure is different, and warrants personal notice. They follow every case with their enormous familiarity and experience of the asbestos industry. The attorneys also recognize that money will by no means sufficiently compensate a victim of asbestos exposure, but consider it important to bring these cases to court in order to have judgments passed against the companies which brought about damage to thousands of American workers and their families.

When choosing an asbestos lawyer, one should seek a law firm that specializes in asbestos cases and is dedicated to serving its clients. The attorney should perform as the advocate, taking charge of the case in an understanding, caring, specialized manner.

Asbestos Attorneys provides detailed information on Asbestos Attorneys, Asbestos Cancer Attorneys, Asbestos Litigation Attourneys, Asbestos Mesothelioma Attorneys and more. Asbestos Attorneys is affiliated with Asbestos Trial Lawyers

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Monday, March 17, 2008

Mesothelioma and Asbestos

Mesothelioma is an uncommon form of cancer, commonly linked with prior exposure to asbestos. In this disease, cancerous cells grow in the protective lining (mesothelium) covering the internal organs of the body. This disease is commonly located in the outer lining of the chest cavity and lungs (pleura). It can also be found in the lining of the abdominal cavity (peritoneum), or the sac that envelops the heart (pericardium). People who contract this disease have invariably worked on jobs that put them in close contact with asbestos.

One of the characteristics of mesothelioma is that symptoms can appear very late, sometimes 50 years following first contact with asbestos. Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma, the disease?s most common form, include discomfort in the chest and difficulty in breathing. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma, another form of the disease, include weight loss, abdominal swelling and pain. Blood clotting, bowel obstruction and fever are other symptoms of this type of mesothelioma. If the malignancy has spread to other body parts, then symptoms may include pain, face swelling and difficulty in swallowing food. However, it is important to remember that these symptoms are not exclusive to this disease; they can happen with other less severe conditions as well.

Over the past two decades, the rate of mesothelioma cases has gone up. Still, in the larger picture, it is a relatively rare cancer. The percentage of cases largely depends on the populations? exposure to asbestos. In the United States, it has been reported that that frequency may have hit the highest point at 15 per million in 2004. This trend is thought to continue in other parts of the world. Interestingly, mesothelioma is more common in men than women. The risk of this disease augments with age, but a person of any age or gender can be affected. About one-fifth to one-third of all mesothelioma cases are peritoneal.

Mesothelioma Asbestos provides detailed information on Mesothelioma and Asbestos, Mesothelioma Asbestos Diseases, Mesothelioma Asbestos Treatment, Asbestos Mesothelioma Cancer and more. Mesothelioma Asbestos is affiliated with Mesothelioma Diagnosis Support

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Friday, March 14, 2008

Asbestos the Silent Killer

An article about the history of asbestos and the potential future problems asbestos may cause. People fear that asbestos could cause an epidemic if it is not removed from places of business and homes quickly and appropriately.

Despite the fact the government banned the importation of blue and brown asbestos over twenty years ago and finally banned white asbestos in 1999, 3500 people currently die every year from asbestos related diseases.

Be it the lung choking ?asbestosis? or the cancer ?Mesothelioma? these diseases make asbestos the biggest industrial killer today.

In the 50?s and 60?s following World War 2, millions of tons of raw asbestos was imported into the UK to be made into building products and other industrial uses.

It was cheap, easy to mine and when added to various building products gave them extra strength and fire retardant properties.

Just what was needed to help the post war building boom.

However it was not until well into the sixties that it was discovered that the ingestion of its fibres caused terminal damage to peoples lungs.

All those people working in the factories using asbestos in their products had already been damaged by the microscopic fibres of asbestos. This was borne out by the climbing death rates in the late 80?s as it can take anything from 5 to 25 years for the asbestos dieses to kill you.

When the government brought in various bans on the importation and the using of asbestos in products they assumed by the turn of the new millennium there would be a fall in the number of deaths attributed to asbestos.

Unfortunately the exact opposite happened and the death toll continued to rise.

After some research the government found that because very few landlords or tenants of non-domestic buildings had bothered to have their building surveyed to find the whereabouts of any asbestos containing materials thousands of maintenance workers were coming into buildings and drilling holes or cutting out panels etc and disturbing the asbestos and on a regular basis breathing in small amounts of deadly fibres.

So as time went on they became infected and joined the numbers of people dying who had worked in the asbestos factories of the 50?s and 60?s.

Out of all this chaos was born the ?Control of Asbestos in the Workplace? legislation.

From May 2004 for the first time every owner or tenant, whoever was deemed responsible under the terms of leases, was legally obliged to have their premises surveyed and the position, quantity, condition and type of all ACM?s noted in a report form with a management plan to deal with the risk.

These reports would then be available to any employee or outside contractor who may want to work in the areas containing asbestos and following laid out ?Codes of Practice? take the necessary steps to minimise the release of harmful fibres into the atmosphere and subsequently into their lungs.

Simple precautions like not using power tools, wearing an appropriate face-mask, wearing throw away overalls and other very basic things will help stop the ingestion of deadly asbestos fibres.

Although this act will not immediately stop the death rate soaring to 10,000 deaths per year by 2020 eventually with the new knowledge and awareness of asbestos products contained in these reports we will see a decline in the death rate.

The message about asbestos is not to rip it out of buildings unnecessarily but to know of its whereabouts and manage it.

Only finally removing it under controlled conditions when it is damaged or disintegrating beyond reasonable repair.

Christopher Angus helps promote the following websites:

Printing Company
asbestos training
Oxford Double Glazing


Christopher Angus is a freelance writer and website promoter. He is available for hire.
Please contact him at chris (at) brilliantseo (dot) com

Christopher Angus is a freelance writer and journalist. He is available for hire and website promotion. Chris@brilliantseo.com He writes articles on behalf of clients for ?20.00 each ? These articles are then submitted to quality article directories

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Monday, January 7, 2008

Asbestos in Schools and the Workplace

So what is asbestos really all about? The following report includes some fascinating information about asbestos--info you can use, not just the old stuff they used to tell you.

Asbestos is a special kind of material that was used in building construction and other industries up to the 1980s. At that time, this material was found to be the cause of many health problems suffered by people working in asbestos mines and in the production of asbestos-containing products.

In spite of this, the Western Australian Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances carried out research and reached to the conclusion that the hazardous effects of asbestos are due to human negligence. Evidence shows that if the asbestos is left untouched, it does not pose any risk to health. It is not necessary to remove asbestos materials to prevent health problems.

There are many schools and workplaces that have been built at the time when asbestos was very popular. Contrary to what has been said, there are some occasions when asbestos material needs to be disturbed. For example, if the material is not in good condition due to weather conditions, or if there are modifications in the buildings, asbestos should be removed.

Now that we've covered those aspects of asbestos, let's turn to some of the other factors that need to be considered.

There are some procedures to follow when removal of asbestos material is pursued.

The asbestos removal must be directed by Contract Management Services and performed in agreement with the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations. Before asbestos removal works starts, meetings must be held between the project manager, school directives and stakeholders.

Removal tasks must not be performed while students and employees are at the school. Prior to the return of employees and students to school supervision of the work must be carried out.

I hope that reading the above information was both enjoyable and educational for you. Your learning process should be ongoing--the more you understand about any subject, the more you will be able to share with others.

Mesothelioma and Asbestos
Articles for Website ContentJames Mahony is the founder of Mesothelioma and Asbestos Information, A site dedicated to mesothelioma and asbestos information

Mesothelioma and Asbestos
Articles for Website Content
 

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Sunday, December 2, 2007

Are asbestos fibers visible to the eye ?

 If you are in the construction business or employed by an industry that uses products containing asbestos, you may wonder Are asbestos fibers visible to the eye? Generally asbestos fibers are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Asbestos becomes dangerous when it has broken down into small fibers and is inhaled. It is nearly impossible to detect the presence of asbestos without taking the material to a lab for testing. A lab technician will put the material under a microscope to search for asbestos fibers. Asbestos does not cause an immediate reaction. It will not cause you to cough, sneeze, or your eyes to water. You cannot see, smell, or taste asbestos. If you skin becomes contaminated with asbestos it will not burn or itch.

Asbestos related diseases have a very long latency period. This is the time frame from when you are first exposed to asbestos until you become ill. Most persons do not become ill for at least ten years after exposure and some not until over forty years later. Asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma are all asbestos related diseases. Asbestosis occurs when asbestos fibers enter the lungs. The body will naturally produce an acid to combat the fibers. However, this acid can cause scarring in the tissue of the lungs and in advanced stages breathing becomes more difficult and painful. Asbestosis was first documented in shipyard workers. Asbestos can also cause lung cancer. If a person smokes and is exposed to asbestos, they have a much greater chance of developing lung cancer. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that has only been linked to asbestos exposure. It is a cancer of the cells that line the peritoneum (area surrounding the abdominal organs) and the pleura (area outside of the lungs and inside of the ribs).

There is a lot of debate and controversy surrounding which types of asbestos is harmful. Some types of asbestos are thought to be more dangerous than others but all types of asbestos exposure should be avoided. Actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, crocidolite, chrysotile (white asbestos), and tremolite are all types of asbestos. Chrysotile is the type of asbestos most commonly used in manufacturing products.

Asbestos fibers are not visible to the eye. If you feel you may have been exposed to asbestos, the most common method for testing is a chest x-ray. The x-ray will not show the asbestos fibers but it can spot early signs of lung disease. There is no known cure for asbestos related diseases.
Jeff Lakie is the founder of Asbestos Resources a website providing information on asbestos

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