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Written by George Cassady
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What Is It?Filing an asbestos claim is possible for many people living in the United States. Asbestos is a harmful toxin found in construction materials. During the later part of the 1800's and the beginning of the 1900's, this product was found in many homes and was even considered to be one of the best types of material available for the construction of homes, stores and virtually any other building. Users used it because it was a good fire retardant and it has a high electrical resistivity, making it a safe product to use. Additionally, it was easy to use and was cheap to buy. Unfortunately, what they did not realize was just how harmful this product actually was.
The material in the constructions was a good choice, but only for the building aspects. When the asbestos is disturbed and becomes airborne, people breathe it in, which is when it becomes highly dangerous to humans and animals. Asbestos fibers, floating through the air on construction sites (when the product was being installed or whenever it was being torn down or otherwise disturbed) enter the lungs. The lungs are unable to cough or otherwise rid the fibers. They remain there and over time build up to become cancerous or otherwise problematic for individuals. What's more, the fibers themselves are dangerous at the time of breathing them in because they are sharp. Their sharp sides are able to break into tissue, causing bleeding and scarring.
Those who have been exposed to asbestos in the past are likely to have the ability to file an insurance claim because of it. That's because a number of illnesses are attributed to asbestos. Asbestosis is the most common form of asbestos related illness. This type of disease is commonly found in workers of textile industries. The lung tissues are scarred. The body then develops an acid to try and dissolve the fibers. Over time the scarring and acid break down the lung's tissue, causing the lung's function to be impaired. It can take ten to 20 years, or more for this particular asbestos related illness to be evident, but the entire time the disease is worsening the individual's condition.
Mesothelioma is another of the asbestos caused illnesses. This type of illness is a form of cancer. The cancer develops in the lining of the lungs and in the chest cavity elsewhere. The disease is caused by the exposure of asbestos related materials. The pericardium, or the sac that holds the heart, can also become infected. Over time, the cancer develops unnoticed. It can take any place from 20 to 50 years after the initial exposure to the asbestos for the disease to be noticed. At that time, the life expectancy after diagnosis is only 12 months.
Cancer in general can also be caused by asbestos. The cancer may not be specifically in the areas of the body associated with mesothelioma, though. It can be found in other areas of the body including the gastrointestinal tract, the kidneys, the larynx and of course the lungs themselves. Cancers have different rates of mortality based on where they are located. It can take up to 30 years for the cancer to grow enough to e noticed by doctors after the initial exposure. Lung cancer is considered the most fatal of all types of cancer today.
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