Avondale Industries - A Mesothelioma Risk
The shipyard Avondale Industries was established in 1938 and went full blast in the production of ocean-going vessels well into the 1950s. At that time, Avondale went into military contracting aside from the production and repair of commercial vessels. Reportedly, Avondale Industries was able to contribute a total of twenty-seven destroyers and other vessels to the US Navy armada. Although Avondale Industries started out as a repair facility for small barges at the Mississippi River, it has expanded its operations to become known as Avondale Operations with a huge industrial complex to boast of straddling almost 300 acres of property. The whole operations employ more than 6,000 employees and workers in the shipyard's outfitting and dock operations and in the steel and construction division.
With the concentration on shipbuilding and the perspective to excel in this field, Avondale Industries uses the latest in technological advancement and robotics to hasten the process, but nonetheless retains the employment of its workers.
Cutting-edge but risky nonetheless
Despite efforts to bring to the level of robotics and automation the shipbuilding operations, Avondale Industries cannot discount the fact that over the numerous decades of its operations and until the present, the use of hazardous chemicals and substances in its operations is inherent. One such material is asbestos which is widely used in factories, refineries, power plants, and other industrial areas but more particularly in shipyards because of its natural fire-retarding and fire-repelling characteristics.
Asbestos products are commonly used in ships for coating and layering, electrical insulating, boiler lining and covering, turbine coating, as well as coating for gaskets and pumps. With a shipyard worker almost always in contact with asbestos, it is very easy for this worker to absorb, inhale, or ingest asbestos into his system.
Asbestos and Mesothelioma as not so strange bedfellows
Asbestos can cause lung cancer and other respiratory diseases, not to mention malignant mesothelioma. Malignant mesothelioma is not a rarity amongst industrial and shipyard workers. It invades the body through ingestion of asbestos and affects the chest, abdominal, and cardiac cavities. What happens is the asbestos disables the ability of mesothelial cells in the aforementioned cavities to produce mesothelium tissues that are essential to maintaining the protecting lubricants of the cavities so that the organs do not smash against each other. Without the lubricants, the pressure and the friction begin, to the detriment of the organs that affect functionality and resistance to infections. The malignancy of the tumor however may not be immediately manifested.
What should you do then?
If you have been or used to be working at Avondale Industries especially in the shipbuilding divisions, you should take note that the chances of you having asbestosis or mesothelioma are high. You should immediately consult a law firm that can advise you of your rights to compensation and assistance, financially and medically, for the health hazard posed to you because of your years of exposure to asbestos, and inherently, mesothelioma. Vigilance and timeliness is the key. Consult your lawyer now.
- Early Detection of Mesothelioma Crucial
2008-04-28 13:30:11
When Brandon Benoit suffered a football injury last year, he never dreamed that getting treated for that injury could change his life—and perhaps save it. When Benoit was treated for his injuries ... [read more] - Could Caffeine Help Treat Mesothelioma?
2008-04-24 16:46:33
A mesothelioma research group has discovered that treatment with anti-cancer drug Pemetrexed may be more effective if patients are treated with caffeine before r ... [read more] - Mesothelioma Researchers to Receive Innovator Award
2008-04-24 16:44:14
The Kirk A. and Dorothy P. Landon Foundation, in conjunction with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), has created two new funding opportunities for scientists working on cancer resear ... [read more]
