Mesothelioma Lawyers Blog
A former boiler room worker died of an “all too familiar” way — mesothelioma, a coroner in England said recently.
Mesothelioma in Massachusetts and elsewhere is a fatal illness, and it’s not just a problem in New England. Other countries, England included, also has had many reports of mesothelioma that have lead to deaths.
Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers have seen many relatives of clients die. We have also met many people who have suffered because of mesothelioma and die as a result of it.
Asbestos in Massachusetts has put many people at risk of its harmful effects. That’s because many homes throughout New England, as well as factories, boiler rooms, mills auto parts companies and other locations were built using asbestos in parts of the buildings. Because it was affordable and fire-resistant, it was the material of choice in many common products and industries.
Exposure to asbestos can lead to mesothelioma, a fatal form of cancer that is rarer than other cancers such as breast, colon, mouth, lung and prostate. Sadly there is no known cure.
According to the Reading Post in England, a 71-year-old man, who worked in boiler rooms, died recently after having been exposed to asbestos as a member of the Merchant Navy and while working at a power station.
His son called him a “devoted family man.” The area coroner concluded that it was exposure to asbestos during his working years that led to his death. He said he had rarely seen mesothelioma spread as far and as quickly as it had in this man’s case.
Many people who spent decades dedicating their lives to a company to make a living wage found out later in life that their health was at risk because of the asbestos in the parts or equipment they worked with or around. It is a form of cancer that has been researched for decades, but not with the same vigor as the more popular and common forms of illnesses.
In many cases, their companies, or companies that manufactured products used in their field of work, knew that asbestos was dangerous and did nothing to stop using it. And despite learning that workers were getting sick as a result, many bosses chose profits over health and didn’t tell their employees. Years and decades later, the dedicated employees found out that they were now closer to death because that knowledge wasn’t spread.
Research has shown that the median life span after a person is diagnosed with mesothelioma is about 12 months. That’s a short time to live after finding out you are set to die. That’s what makes the cancer so devastating — it takes decades to develop and then kills within months of discovering it. Let’s hope the cancer can get more exposure to help people in the future.
Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers provides representation for victims exposed to asbestos who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma in Boston and throughout Massachusetts and New England. Call (617) 777-7777 for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights.
More Blog Entries:
Women Have Better Chance of Fending Off Peritoneal Mesothelioma in Boston: November 13, 2011
Railroad Sued By Employee Exposed to Asbestos, Fears Mesothelioma: November 1, 2011
Additional Resources:
Devoted family man died from asbestos exposure: November 30, 2011