Majority of asbestos injury patients in the United States can now file for an asbestos claim, to compensate them for the physical, psychological, financial and emotional suffering they have sustained due to their exposure to asbestos. An asbestos attorney is the best person to ask for advice when it comes to filing for an asbestos claim. It can get complicated at times, but knowing the basics will help you get through it, and ensure that you get the amount of money you deserve in your asbestos claim.
Filing for an asbestos claim originated from the fact that more people are getting diagnosed with asbestos-related injuries. Just so you know, asbestos has been used in construction of houses and buildings since the latter part of the 1800's. It was considered to be the best material there is because it is resistant to electricity, a good fire retardant, and remains to be a very cheap product. However, it was only during the early part of the 1900's when its harmful effects to humans was discovered, thus the filing for an asbestos claim. Banning and/or limiting the use of asbestos soon followed. But this did not stop many profit-hungry companies, which led to numerous health victims of asbestos. The only consolation that a person inflicted with an asbestos injury today is to file for an asbestos claim and pray that he or she will get compensated with the help of an asbestos attorney.
You ought to be aware that when asbestos fibers get airborne, they are easily inhaled by the people in the vicinity. Asbestos fibers are invisible to the naked eye and do not smell. They easily get to the lungs and remain there for decades until it progresses into a cancer called mesothelioma. It can also cause other illnesses like asbestosis, lung cancer, and cancer of other internal organs. Because of the latency of the disease, people who were exposed to it won't even know about it until decades later when they get diagnosed with a debilitating disease caused by asbestos. This is when an asbestos claim is usually made, and an asbestos attorney gets consulted about the options available for the victim.
Anybody who has been exposed to asbestos in the past should be able to file an asbestos claim. This is because there are many illnesses sprouting nowadays which are linked to asbestos exposure, asbestosis being the most common, and mesothelioma being the most fatal.
Asbestosis happens when asbestos fibers enter the lungs and the lung tissues get scarred. The body will keep producing a kind of acid to help break down the asbestos fiber but it never really does. The acid then causes the breakdown of the lung tissues causing impairment to the lungs. People who have worked in textile industries are the ones usually diagnosed with it. It is best to treat them now rather than wait for the injury to progress into something incurable and fatal like mesothelioma. Seek the help of an asbestos attorney and immediately file for an asbestos claim.
Mesothelioma, on the other hand, is a more severe form of asbestos injury. An asbestos claim for a disease such as this is consequently higher because it is more expensive to treat and manage. What happens is, the sac that contains the heart, called pericardium, becomes infected. This develops within 20-50 years and when it finally gets diagnosed, it is usually too late to treat. The patient can expect to live for 1 more year or two at best. With a situation as severe as this, an asbestos claim can be the only financial hope of the affected victims and their family.
Source : Asbestos wiki