The burden and difficulties of a surprise mesothelioma diagnosis are uniquely difficult for patients and their families, particularly because exposure to asbestos 40 or even 50 years ago can cause a mesothelioma diagnosis today. Often, the asbestos exposure was caused by a negligent party who is responsible for the patient’s disease from a legal perspective.

Patients who have been wrongly exposed to asbestos in this way deserve financial relief for expensive medical treatment, but they also deserve justice for a disease that has life-threatening implications for diagnosed patients. To name just one example, pleural mesothelioma is a type of mesothelioma cancer that gives patients less than a 10 percent chance to survive more than five years after a diagnosis.

The Ledger Law Firm fights for a patient’s right to receive significant compensation that helps families afford treatments that give patients a better chance to fight this disease, prolong life expectancy and improve quality of life. Our team, led by nationally recognized personal injury and mesothelioma lawyer Emery Ledger, have helped California mesothelioma patients recover millions in compensation.

As such, our team is ready to represent you and protect your legal rights if you or a loved one was exposed to asbestos in Sebastopol or Sonoma County.

Why a Wrongful Exposure to Asbestos Harms Victims

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was first thought to have been used in the late 1800s. From the time of its initial use, however, the mineral widely became a nearly universal building material because of its durable nature and resistance to heat, flame and chemicals. As such, asbestos was treated as essential for buildings ranging from the residential to the commercial. And, asbestos even played a valuable role for the military, as asbestos was commonly found in submarines, tanks, military bases and naval shipyards around the country.

Unfortunately, the construction benefits of asbestos were paired with significant health consequences for humans. Namely, asbestos is made up of microscopic fibers that release into the air when materials containing asbestos are drilled or otherwise disturbed. When this process takes place, the fibers are then swallowed or inhaled by individuals (often workers) who are exposed to the airborne fibers.

When the fibers are ingested, the asbestos can then enter the body and line the lungs, and research has shown asbestos may never leave the body. Once inside the body, however, asbestos is known to cause the following fatal diseases:

• Mesothelioma
• Asbestosis
• Asbestos-related lung cancer

In Sebastopol’s Sonoma County alone, nearly 500 residents passed away from an asbestos-related disease between 1999 and 2013. If you or a loved one has also been harmed by an asbestos-related disease, talk to a Ledger Law mesothelioma lawyer in Sebastopol to protect your legal rights.

Our team has national resources that will be utilized to investigate when and where your exposure to asbestos occurred, as well as determine whether a responsible party bears legal accountability for the exposure. Once we have gathered the evidence that proves a responsible party negligently caused your disease, we will help you receive the compensation that is owed.

Contact us online today to discuss the facts of your legal claim with a Ledger Law mesothelioma lawyer.