If you or your loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a deadly complication of asbestos exposure, a professional attorney is capable of guiding you through the legal process of filing a law suit against the company responsible for the asbestos contamination at a job site. It is essential to take legal action if you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma due to exposure at your work site as soon as possible, and a mesothelioma lawyer can aptly guide you through the procedure.

According to a survey, majority of the mesothelioma cases across America have been caused due to exposure acquired at asbestos contaminated work sites. It is also a fact that owners and employers at major firms and companies making use of asbestos in their productions and operations did not warn their employees about the hazards posed by the toxic mineral, and the fact that the fibers of asbestos are extremely harmful for them and their families. Due to this negligence, hundreds of workers have developed harmful diseases induced by asbestos contamination unknowingly.

One of the most important points to remember about malignant mesothelioma is the fact that the disease has a very prolonged latency period, which means that the symptoms and manifestations do not appear till decades after the initial exposure to asbestos that led to the development of the cancer.

Natural deposits of asbestos in North Carolina:

There are a number of natural deposits of asbestos [1] in the form of chrysotile which is also commonly known as white asbestos, in different locations of North Carolina. The state is among many others in America that are home to naturally occurring deposits of the toxic mineral. These deposits are founds concentrated within the mountain rocks of the state’s southwestern and western areas. Chrysotile has been listed among various other forms of the mineral that can induce cancer and various other diseases in humans, as declared by the IRRC, or the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Between the years 1940 till 1980 many residents and workers in North Carolina acquired exposure to asbestos via inhalation of its airborne fibers and were diagnosed with different diseases that resulted due to this exposure. The most dangerous hazard of asbestos exposure is the development of a rare form of lung cancer that is fatal to humans, known as mesothelioma. The factor that makes the diagnosis of this particular cancer tough is the fact that its latency period is highly prolonged, this means that the disease may not present any symptoms or manifestations till decades after the initial asbestos exposure that triggered the pathogenesis of the disease. If you have lost a loved one to mesothelioma, or suffer from the condition yourself, you can file a case and claim retribution for the pain and suffering that you are going through by contacting a North Carolina mesothelioma lawyer.

Mesothelioma and asbestos:

Two of the most common diseases that occur as a result of exposure to the toxic mineral asbestos [2] are asbestosis and mesothelioma. Asbestosis is more common in America but there have been thousands of fatalities reported from across the country resulting from mesothelioma. Mesothelioma occurs due to the inhalation of the airborne fibers of the mineral which enter the respiratory system and get deposited in the lungs obstructing normal breathing. The cancer affects and damages the fine lining of the lungs and the abdomen, damaging it and can prove fatal to humans. This particular cancer expands in a sheet like manner, unlike the normal lumping pattern of other cancers.

Industries in North Carolina that pose asbestos exposure risks:

Natural deposits of the toxic mineral are not the only causes of asbestos contamination, many residents, veterans and workers across the country have acquired asbestos exposure at their worksites. Some of the major industries that make significant use of the mineral in their operations across America include chemical manufacturing plants, power generation plants, steel mills, paper and pulp production plants, oil refineries, shipyards and the ship breaking industry, construction works and asbestos manufacturing companies. In America, asbestos exposure and contamination has occurred over a period of decades and there are many companies that have forced their workers to work under these contaminated conditions without informing them of the hazards of exposure to asbestos and asbestos containing materials. It is for this reason that many workers and employees at asbestos exposure sites have developed asbestos related diseases and disorders years and years after the initial exposure to the mineral that they acquired from their job sites.

Construction: Asbestos is widely used in the construction industry for building commercial, state and residential structures. It is mostly used for insulation purposes. The renovation and demolition of buildings also poses a great hazard of spreading asbestos in the atmosphere, which is why these two are strictly regulated by the government [3].

Factories and mills:  it is also used in the manufacturing units of different plants and mills, for insulation purposes and in many different commercial products and materials that are being used today.

Power plants and chemical plants: asbestos is widely used for insulation in these industries as well.

If your loved one has developed mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure at a job site, you must contact a North Carolina mesothelioma attorney and get your loved one compensation for their mesothelioma cancer.

Asbestos contaminated job sites in North Carolina:

131 cities all over North Carolina have been reported to have caused asbestos exposure and the number may rise in the future if the usage and processing of the mineral in the industrial sector is not regulated. The city in the state that has contributed to the greatest percentage of asbestos contamination in the whole state is Charlotte, which alone has 27 sites confirmed for having caused asbestos contamination and exposure to residents and workers.