Asbestos is a material at first thought to be extremely useful when it was first used in the 1800s. It took over 100 years before we realised the best way to think of asbestos was extremely harmful. It’s often thought of as an industrial concern, but asbestos remains in millions of houses. The Department of Health estimates that houses built before the mid-1980s are highly likely to contain asbestos-containing products, and it’s only houses built towards the end of the 1990s that have a low likelihood of asbestos. The manufacture and supply of asbestos was banned in 2003.
If it’s so harmful, why is it everywhere?
Asbestos is a naturally-occurring fibrous material. It can withstand fire and most chemicals and doesn’t break down easily. From the 1920s to the 1970s and even the 1980s, asbestos seemed essential. Our manufacturers went ahead and produced a wide range of products using asbestos. It was thought to have as many as 3000 applications. We mixed it into roofing shingles, cement, textiles and even automobile parts. Then the first reports emerged showing asbestos becomes a carcinogen when inhaled, causing asbestosis cancer not only in the lungs but also in the larynx and ovaries. It is a huge worry that as recently as 2014, the World Health Organisation reported that 125 million people continue to be exposed to the stuff. It’s an ironic horror considering that exposure is a risk when workers try to destroy, dismantle and eliminate asbestos. Workers smash it up, it fragments into microscopic particles, we inhale it and the result is the ugly illness known as mesothelioma.
Whose fault is it if I get sick?
Workers who are asked to handle asbestos must be notified. In the awful event that our 20th century dependence on asbestos has resulted in a 21st century diagnosis of mesothelioma or asbestosis myelitis, the team at Gerard Malouf and Partners are ready with experience and strategies to ensure human lives are compensated to their full value. Typically our legal staff will prove the causation of mesothelioma if exposure is greater than an “acceptable” or “usual” background exposure, although in 2009 we won a landmark settlement when we represented a client harmed by just 4 hours of exposure. At the end of the day, we made sure our client’s life was valued and compensated for. Our support and representation is imperative when a person has been harmed because any damage claims must be commenced whilst the client is alive.
If you think you have an asbestos mesothelioma claim, take advantage of our free face-to-face consultation by calling our expert team of lawyers today on our Free Call Number 1800 004 878.
