Asbestos Exposure: California Packing Cancer Claims

The Mechanics of Asbestos Exposure

The natural breakdown of asbestos products and subsequent sawing or cutting of the asbestos creates dust and fibers that are inhaled and can lead to mesothelioma and other severe forms of lung cancer. Unlike some other ingested toxins which may be flushed from the body over time, asbestos fibers usually remain embedded in the lungs. 

When asbestos fibers are released into the air, they can be trapped in the lungs and cause scarring and inflammation. 

Secondary exposure is also possible through fibers traveling on a California Packing worker’s clothing. Due to health concerns, all new uses of asbestos were banned in July 1989.

Frequency of Asbestos Related Illness

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) all consider asbestos a known carcinogen.

Each year hundreds of California men and women are diagnosed with lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis and mesothelioma—asbestos-related illnesses potentially due to past asbestos exposure. The vast majority of those who develop lung cancer and mesothelioma worked in an environment where asbestos was present. Workplaces like California Packing may have been filled with toxic materials, and employers may have failed to warn of the serious health risks of the job.  Examples of Asbestos related illness include:

• Angiosarcoma
• Mesothelioma Cancer
• Asbestosis
• Lung Cancer
• Adenocarcinoma
• Pulmonary Fibrosis
• Esophageal Cancer
• Colon Cancer

Adenocarcinoma Lung Cancer & Asbestos Exposure

Although adenocarcinoma lung cancer is associated with smoking, studies indicate exposure to asbestos may cause this form of deadly cancer. Inhaling asbestos fibers at the workplace over months or years put individuals at high risk for developing adenocarcinoma lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis. In terms of duration or dose, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has concluded that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos.

Mesothelioma & Asbestos Exposure

Mesothelioma is a serious illness that has been linked to asbestos exposure in medical literature with a latency period of 20-50 years after being first exposed to asbestos. A diagnosis of mesothelioma and lung cancer is overwhelming news for the individual and their family.

Most deaths from malignant mesothelioma in the United States are the result of exposures to asbestos decades prior. However, the continuing occurrence of mesothelioma deaths among persons under the age of 55 suggests ongoing occupational and environmental exposures to asbestos fibers, despite years of action by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) aimed at limiting asbestos exposure for much of the last 40 years.

To consider ways to assist in paying for medical expenses, you may talk to Attorney Joe Lyon  for information on asbestos exposure, treatment and compensation. Filing an asbestos exposure lawsuit helps to raise the awareness of job safety, while also securing the financial compensation available to workers through multiple sources.

Symptoms of Lung Cancer & Mesothelioma

California Packing workers may not show signs of illness for decades after exposure. When symptoms do appear, cancer may already be in a late stage. Seek medical assistance if you develop the following symptoms:

• A persistent cough
• Coughing up blood from the lungs
• Persistent chest pain
• Difficulty swallowing
• Trouble breathing
• Swelling in the neck or face
• Loss of appetite
• Unexplained weight loss
• Fatigue
• Anemia