Most people have heard of Warren Zevon, or at the very least heard some of his songs. Some of his more famous songs included “Werewolves of London,” “Lawyers, Guns and Money,” and, “Poor Poor Pitiful Me.” Many are aware that he died in 2003 from cancer, but it is not well known that he died of mesothelioma. He was only 58 years old when he died of malignant mesothelioma. His death also occurred a time in his life when he had decided to give up most his bad habits and live a healthy life. His son said he was living healthy and even taking dancing lessons when he first noticed the symptoms that would ultimately lead to his diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma.
As noted in a recent article from Best Classic Bands, he wants people to understand what mesothelioma is and who it can affect. As he says, most people who do not personally have a family member who has been diagnosed with it only know of the condition as something they see on late night commercials for lawyers fighting for clients with the deadly disease.
He also said that most people think all asbestos injury victims worked in mines or on ship yards, but his father basically worked as a musician his entire life and still died from malignant mesothelioma. That leaves the question of where he was exposed to the deadly asbestos fibers. As Zevon’s son notes, they fibers can be anywhere, and, despite what most people think, it is not even illegal to manufacture, import, and sell products containing asbestos to this day.
As our Boston mesothelioma injury attorneys can explain, the ban on asbestos that was imposed in the late 1970s was done through an executive action using the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). By the mid 1980s, the ban was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court on grounds that the EPA did not have such authority to enact and enforce such a ban, as that was function of Congress. While there are regulations in place that ban asbestos, if the material contains less than one percent of the deadly fibers, it can be sold as being asbestos free. As discussed in the article, there are brands of duct tape that currently contain asbestos, and these fibers can be causing people to develop malignant mesothelioma.
As part of his group’s outreach efforts, they want to make the general public aware of the dangers and risks of asbestos exposure in the present day and also get all levels of asbestos banned from being imported or sold in the U.S.
If you or a loved one is diagnosed with mesothelioma in Boston, call for a free and confidential appointment at (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
Warren Zevon’s Son Battles Asbestos for His Dad, July 10, 2016, Best Classic Bands
More Blog Entries:
New Effort to Strengthen Asbestos Litigation, June 28, 2016, Boston Mesothelioma Lawyer Blog