Mesothelioma Attorneys by State > Iowa
Your Iowa mesothelioma lawyer can guide you on how you can file a claim if you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, or if your loved one has been diagnosed with this deadly condition. An experienced Iowa mesothelioma attorney will be able to help you file a law suit against the companies that use asbestos, so that you can cover your basic medical expenses as well as support your family. If you have worked at any of the asbestos contaminated jobsites, mentioned below, you should immediately get a mesothelioma screening done. Mesothelioma has no cure and it is associated with asbestos exposure. Many people have lost a parent, spouse or sibling due to this deadly condition and you are eligible to seek reparations for your pain and suffering.
The law courts of Iowa have determined that all employers of asbestos companies and manufactures of asbestos can be held liable for the injuries that have been caused to their employees due to asbestos exposure. If you have lost a loved one due to mesothelioma, you can still fight a claim against the companies that exposed your loved one to asbestos.
There are no naturally occurring deposits of asbestos in Iowa due to its geographical location on inactive flatlands. This is an important point as naturally occurring asbestos can get uncovered by accident during agricultural digging by tractors, like it is uncovered in other states in America. Since Iowa is a state which mainly survives on agriculture, naturally occurring asbestos would have been fatal for field workers and farmers.
The main source of financial and economical stability in Iowa it its agriculture. It is for this reason Iowa shows a lesser number of fatalities reports as a result of diseases induced by asbestos exposure, as compared to the other states. Even though asbestos doesn’t occur naturally in Iowa, residents and workers are still exposed to it in job sites [1] and an Iowa mesothelioma lawyer can file a suit against the companies that expose their employees to asbestos. Statistically, since the late 1970’s, approximately four hundred and sixty deaths have occurred in the state as a result of diseases associated with asbestos exposure.
Agricultural sites: A large number of people in Iowa acquired exposure to asbestos at the factories and industries that they were working at. Other workers acquired this exposure at agricultural sites, where asbestos was used in pipes, tractors and other places. Because these workers had no other means of income, they were forced to work on tractors that had asbestos or asbestos related materials. Asbestos fibers, which are very minute and fine, are used in the making of the gaskets and brakes of tractors. These fibers can be released into the environment and can easily be inhaled or ingested into the human system during various repair works of these tractors.
Construction: In the construction industry, this material is again used for insulation against fire and chemical accidents, and is a basic component of tiles, ceilings, pipe fittings and other construction materials. Asbestos is also used for the sealing of fire doors in case of fire emergencies. Asbestos fibers are easily inhaled by construction workers.
Power plants: Authorities of the state of Iowa have made countless efforts in decreasing or eliminating the amount of asbestos being used industrially and in construction works, and yet the number of mesothelioma cases being reported from different parts of Iowa seem to rise steadily primarily because of asbestos being utilized in power generation plant operations. Studies have also linked asbestos exposure in power plants with lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Special licenses are required in the state of Iowa for the usage of asbestos in power plants and other areas [2] due to increasing number of mesothelioma cases. These power plants are situated in the outskirts of cities like Waterloo, Cedar falls, Iowa City, Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Mason City, and Des Moines. An Iowa mesothelioma attorney can help you file a suit against the power plant authorities if you have unknowingly been exposed to asbestos and suffer from an asbestos associated condition.
Industries: Another application of asbestos is in the industrial sector where it is used as a profitable insulation material. Usually all the industries that use heat in their operations, are equipped with steam generators that use asbestos in their construction for the purpose of effective insulation. One of the basic properties of asbestos is that it does not conduct heat or electricity and is therefore used for electrical, chemical and fire proofing of various machines, materials and systems. It is also cost effective, and this is why companies continued to use it.
Chemical plants: In areas such as chemical companies where corrosive substances can be found around the plants, Crocidolite is readily used. This form of asbestos [3] is commonly known as blue asbestos and is extremely dangerous to human health. It can prove fatal as it acts twice as rapidly as normal asbestos in aggravating the disease caused by the exposure. This form of asbestos has been found to induce cellular mutations with the body thus leading to the development of cancer cells at a rapid rate. However, Crocidolite is rarely found occurring naturally in Iowa, it is mainly used in the industrial sector.
The highest number of fatalities reported as a result of asbestos related disease was from Polk County. If you have worked at any of the above mentioned work sites in the state of Iowa, you might be at risk for developing mesothelioma, asbestosis or lung cancer. These conditions can be treated at the following treatment centers:
ONCOLOGY PROJECT AT CEDAR RAPIDS
MESOTHELIOMA TREATMENT CENTER
525 10TH STREET SE
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA 52403
IOWA ONCOLOGY RESEARCH ASSOCIATION
MESOTHELIOMA TREATMENT SECTION
1221 PLEASANT STREET #100
DES MOINES, IOWA 50309
UIHC-INTERNAL MEDICINE
MESOTHELIOMA TREATMENT SECTION
200 HAWKINS DRIVE
IOWA CITY, IOWA 52242