March 18, 2008, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania – The family of an Indiana County, Pennsylvania man who died in 2005 was awarded a total of $226,000 last week. The jury in the case ruled that the man’s death was a result of asbestos exposure.

George Baroni, who died from mesothelioma at the age of 73, had worked for Fisher Scientific from 1959 to 1994. Baroni was later diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant mesothelioma is a cancer that develops in the lining of the lungs, and is known to develop only in people who have been exposed to inhalable asbestos fibers. Mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose early, is highly aggressive, and is very treatment-resistant. The disease is incurable, and has an almost 100% mortality rate.

Fisher Scientific was one of five companies sued by the family of George Baroni. Each of the five companies manufactured products that allegedly contained asbestos fibers. The other companies involved in the case were F.B. Wright Co., George Hamilton Inc, Pittsburgh Gage Co., and Taylored Industries of Harmarville in Allegheny County.

Of the five, F.B. Wright Co., George Hamilton Inc, and Pittsburgh Gage Co. settled out of court. Taylored Industries has not settled.

Since 2000, Fisher Scientific has been involved in several lawsuits filed in Indiana County. All of the lawsuits involved plaintiffs who were former company employees that had developed asbestos-related diseases.

In the past several decades, an increasing number of lawsuits have been brought against companies that were once involved in the production of asbestos or the use of the substance in manufacturing.

Once highly prized for its high tensile strength, fire resistance, and insulating properties, asbestos is now publicly known to be a serious health hazard that causes chronic lung conditions as well as cancer.

Following in the wake of the knowledge that many companies involved in the production or use of asbestos had full understanding of the dangers the substance posed to employees, asbestos-related lawsuits have become almost commonplace.

A group of companies and trade associations known collectively as the Asbestos Alliance estimates that there are at least 200,000 asbestos-related lawsuits pending, out of a total of more than 730,000 that have already been filed. Collectively, asbestos lawsuits have already cost approximately $70 billion in claims and fees.

In the wake of that $70 billion figure, and of more highly publicized asbestos verdicts worth up to tens of millions of dollars for individuals with asbestos-related diseases, $226,000 may seem like a drop in the bucket. For the family of George Baroni, however the legal victory of having named those responsible for Baroni’s death is surely worth much more.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 at 9:50 am and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos Litigation, Pennsylvania. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.