Women and Secondary Asbestos Exposure
Yvonne Power, now 49, always harbored an aversion to housework, and this may have saved her life. In an interview for The Guardian, she recalls turning headstands in the garden while her older sister, Evelyn, helped scrub their father's overalls. It was the early 1960s and their father, John, worked as a foreman in Cowley, Oxford cutting asbestos boards for ceiling tiles. He eventually died of the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma, as did many men working in environments that caused them to be exposed to the hazardous material. However, mesothelioma also took the lives of his wife Barbra and his daughter Evelyn. Because Barbra and Evelyn never worked or even visited John's asbestos-latent workplace, experts believe the mother and daughter contracted the disease by washing John's overalls, which were covered in asbestos particles.
Each year 2,000 to 3,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with mesothelioma. All of those affected by mesothelioma develop malignant cells in the mesothelium, the protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Mesothelioma has a long latency period, developing anywhere between 15 and 60 years after inhalation of the fibrous dust. The disease may result after very brief exposure, and it is almost always fatal.
There are many organizations that have dedicated a vast amount of their resources to helping those affected by exposure to asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral used as a fireproofing and insulating material. And while most of the information provided focuses on the medical and legal options available to those affected, a large majority of the material is directed at those who were exposed to asbestos in the workplace, leaving out a very important demographic of women and children that would include Evelyn and Barbra.
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Mesothelioma Treatment
Common treatments for all patients suffering from mesothelioma include radiation, chemotherapy, immunology, and surgery-although none of these treatments have presented life-saving results. And while the medical options for those suffering from secondary exposure are the same as those for individuals exposed on the jobsite, legal options differ greatly. Collecting damages can be difficult for anyone, especially since some of the careless companies that permitted the hazardous work environments no longer exist. Unfortunately, being a woman that was exposed to asbestos in the home makes it even harder.
Due to the rarity of contracting what is considered to be an "industrial disease" in the home, proof of exposure is both necessary and elusive. A witness is required, preferably the husband who brought the dust home. Sadly, many of the women whose husbands worked in asbestos-exposing environments no longer have living husbands to serve as their witnesses, and thus no claims unless they can secure another witness.
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05/21/2012 -
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05/18/2012 -
The Queen of Disco Donna Summer died on Thursday in her Naples, Florida, home after a quiet battle with lung cancer.
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05/17/2012 -
Thoracic surgeon Robert Cameron, M.D., used his second annual Symposium for Lung-Sparing Therapies for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma last week in Los ..
© 2012 The Mesothelioma Center |
Last Modified Thursday, May 10th, 2012 | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy |
The information provided by The Mesothelioma Center is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Sponsored by a law firm concentrating in asbestos litigation, The Peterson Firm, LLP with offices at 1350 Connecticut Ave, NW, Fifth Floor, Washington DC 20036.
