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Asbestos is a very effective insulator and fire-retardant that can be found in homes, commercial buildings, and some products. Asbestos is dangerous when inhaled and could lead to mesothelioma and other serious medical conditions.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral but a known carcinogen. Although much has been learned about the dangers of asbestos, it still is found in a variety of products today.
Many buildings, including homes, were built with asbestos products in the 1940s to the 1970s. You could find asbestos in ceiling tiles, insulation, and textured coatings in ceilings and walls. Asbestos was commonly used in insulators for water and gas pipes inside of homes and buildings.
Older homes or buildings may still contain asbestos. Asbestos may still be found in the following:
Crews trained in safely handling asbestos-laden materials while using suitable personal protective equipment can remove asbestos.
Despite state and federal bans against its use in construction materials, you can still come across asbestos. People could breathe in microscopic asbestos fibers that embed themselves in the internal lining of the lungs. Many years or sometimes decades later, the embedded asbestos fibers could cause mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare and incurable type of lung cancer that makes the lung lining brittle, restricts breathing, and causes chest pain. Life expectancy is around one year to 21 months from diagnosis, although some patients can live longer.
Asbestos exposure could also cause other types of lung cancer or diseases that can be just as deadly as mesothelioma. Asbestosis, which is a non-cancerous type of lung disease, also might occur if you breathe in asbestos particles.
If you have mesothelioma or another illness caused by asbestos exposure, you should retain a lawyer to help build a case against the party that caused your exposure. You also need to obtain medical help and document your condition.
Your lawyer can build a case that shows how you were negligently exposed to asbestos and that the liable party violated their duty of care to protect you. A medical specialist can diagnose your condition and provide expert medical care. A medical specialist can help show that your medical condition was caused by asbestos exposure.
Your lawyer can help hold the defendant liable for damages. If you lost a spouse or close family member to mesothelioma or another asbestos-related condition, you also might be able to build a strong case.
If you are ill because of asbestos exposure, one of our experienced Wilmington asbestos lawyers at Jacobs & Crumplar, P.A. can help. Call us at 302-656-5445 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. Located in Wilmington and Millsboro, Delaware, we represent clients in Dover, New Castle County, and Sussex County.