Asbestos In Your Area

Asbestos in the State of Missouri

Asbestos Exposure in Missouri

Asbestos exposure in Missouri centers mainly around the urban areas. With many older building, asbestos exposure is a concern any time a hotel or office building undergoes renovations. Once such case occurred when the operator of the hotel chain, Clarion, conducted remodeling without using licensed contractors to perform the work.

While many people have heard of asbestosis and mesothelioma, what many do not realize is that exposure to asbestos, whether occupational, naturally occurring, or due to your living in a contaminated home, can also cause other health problems. These problems, such as an increased risk of cancers, are difficult to link definitively to asbestos exposure. If you feel that asbestos exposure is related to an illness you have other than mesothelioma or asbestosis it is important to bring these concerns not only to your doctor, but consider speaking with a personal injury attorney as well.

If you eventually plan on filing a lawsuit, the statute of limitations begins to expire the day you are diagnosed. This means you should pin down whether asbestos played a part in your illness as early as possible. If you determine two years after the onset of illness that asbestos was a contributing factor, the opposing attorney can claim that the diagnosis should have occurred two years prior, effectively shortening the time that you have to file suit.

At Risk Occupations and Locations in Missouri

There area a variety of occupations as well as particular locations in Missouri that increase the odds of suffering from asbestos exposure. For example, some employees of the Mack truck plant in Joplin suffered from asbestos exposure due to the asbestos that was used in the manufacture of gaskets and brake linings. Also, W.R.Grace had a Zonolite plant in St. Louis. This plant manufactured Zonolite insulation from vermiculite that was contaminated with asbestos.

In addition, employees of power plants in Missouri, including American Cyanamid and Calloway Nuclear Power Plant as well as Hercules Missouri Chemical Works, a chemical plant, should consider undergoing screening for possible exposure to asbestos.

Naturally occurring asbestos, which can also prevent a health concern, is found in some areas of the Ozark Mountains. Naturally occurring asbestos can be inhaled when it becomes airborne, by the wind or passing traffic. It can also be inhaled when landscaping work is performed. If you live in an area with high natural levels of asbestos, you should pave any rock or gravel driveways and consider top dressing any areas that you plan on gardening with several inches of clean, non-native soil.

Once common area of asbestos exposure in Missouri is in various remodeling jobs. In addition to the case with Clarion Hotel mentioned above, Lambert-St Louis International Airport and the City of St Louis have been accused of improper abatement methods regarding asbestos.

Asbestos Related Deaths in Missouri

Overall, the deaths related to asbestos exposure are about average for a state of Missouri's size and population. Between 1980 and 2000, 388 deaths from mesothelioma were reported and 236 deaths from asbestosis.

Because of the long latency period involved in asbestos related diseases, it is hard to determine what the long term affect of asbestos, both naturally occurring, and through occupational exposure, will be for the residents of Missouri. If you were ever employed in an industry that used asbestos, or if you worked in an older building during a remodeling project, you should consider frequent screenings by a physician familiar with asbestos related diseases.

Legal Resources for Missouri State Residents

One interesting legal case involving a Missouri based company is the case of Aerojet. In the asbestos related lawsuit in which Aerojet was named as defendant, the company lied in court, stating that asbestos was not even used by the company. Their attempt to remove themselves as the source of asbestos exposure backfired when it was realized that the company had 32 tons of asbestos stockpiled.

If you decide to file a lawsuit against a company in Missouri due to asbestos exposure you should know that the stature of limitations is five years for a personal injury lawsuit and three for wrongful death. These dates are from the time a diagnosis is made.

When deciding whether you should file a suit, there are several factors to consider. An asbestos lawsuit is much easier if you know when the exposure happened and have a diagnosed medical illness that is directly related to asbestos exposure. Lacking those two things, you may still have a case.

In cases where the facts are fuzzy, it is extremely important to hire an experienced asbestos attorney. The benefit of hiring an attorney experienced in handling these cases are numerous. By working within such a specialty they are familiar with ongoing legal cases and how the courts are ruling in general. They can also help you decide if you should go to jury trial or agree to settle out of court.

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