There is no way to ever truly prepare for a cancer diagnosis of any kind, but mesothelioma is often a particularly difficult diagnosis to understand or accept. Since research shows that a single exposure to asbestos decades ago may be all it takes to receive a mesothelioma diagnosis, mesothelioma victims are often left wondering how their asbestos exposure even occurred.

The Ledger Law Firm dedicates its national resources and proven reputation to helping mesothelioma victims fully investigate the facts of their claim. We are dedicated to finding out where your asbestos exposure occurred, when it happened and who is responsible for causing the exposure.

Our investigations and legal representation has a proven track record of helping mesothelioma victims recover millions in deserved compensation. Helping victims recover significant compensation can mean the difference between affording aggressive treatments and having peace of mind that your loved ones will be taken care of long-term. Led by nationally acclaimed personal injury and mesothelioma attorney Emery Ledger, our firm prides itself on pursuing justice and compensation for Palm Desert and Riverside County injury and mesothelioma victims who depend on us.

Why Exposure to Asbestos Is Harmful

Asbestos is made up of tiny, microscopic fibers that become toxic to humans if those fibers or inhaled or swallowed. This can actually happen quite easily when asbestos-containing materials are drilled or are otherwise disturbed in other ways. Now, it may sound like such an exposure would be an extremely rare occurrence, but this is sadly not the case.

Asbestos was banned in the 1970s because of overwhelming research that asbestos was causing deadly diseases and cancer. Before the ban, however, asbestos could be found in most buildings across the country. Asbestos was especially common in commercial buildings, industrial sites and military installations. In fact, asbestos exposure was so prevalent within the military that nearly 1 in 3 mesothelioma deaths are suffered by veterans, despite the fact veterans make up well under 10% of the national population.

And, since research shows that asbestos may never leave the body once an exposed individual ingests or inhales it, many individuals may still be at risk of mesothelioma, despite being completely unaware of an exposure that took place decades ago.

While it can take decades for asbestos exposure to turn into mesothelioma cancer, the disease progresses rapidly once the transformation completes within the body. The long latency period makes the disease difficult to diagnose, which drastically impacts survival rates for an aggressive disease that is often only discovered in its later stages. For example, less than 10 percent of pleural mesothelioma patients survive more than five years after being diagnosed with this terrible disease.

In Riverside County and its Palm Desert area, the CDC estimates that more than 1,000 lives were lost to asbestos-related diseases from 1999 to 2013. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma in Palm Desert, talk to a Palm Desert mesothelioma lawyer at Ledger law and pursue your right to legal compensation.