Asbestos Lawyers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Frequent exposure to asbestos can lead to serious lung diseases, including cancer. If you suffered asbestosis, mesothelioma, or another asbestos-related illness, you may have the right to seek compensation for your damages.
Perhaps you have been exposed to asbestos. Asbestos exposure provokes diseases throughout the body with interrelated symptoms. When exposed to asbestos, the appropriate course of action requires accurate legal assistance from a qualified personal injury attorney to determine a proper level of fault associated with the exposure and legal grounds for lawsuits thereafter. At Cohen & Riechelson, our seasoned personal injury lawyers are highly familiar with asbestos lawsuits, types of negligence in these cases, and the myriad of important nuances and procedural requirements for handling these claims. To talk to a lawyer regarding your asbestos injuries and find out how we can help, contact us at 609-528-2596 for a free consultation.
What is Asbestos and Where Can It be Found?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral used throughout building materials to provide fire resistance and heat insulation. Asbestos-containing materials do not generally pose health risks until such time as the intact, and otherwise, undisturbed building materials have sustained damage. Damaged materials pose a health risk when fibers are released into the air and subsequently inhaled.
Over three thousand types of commercial products contain asbestos. Homes and buildings constructed before 1978 have thermal insulation with asbestos. Additionally, household materials containing asbestos extend to vinyl floor tiles, attic insulation, textured ceilings, roofing materials, HVAC duct insulation, plaster, fiber cement siding, heavy-duty corrugated panels, hot water pipe insulation, and certain forms of linoleum.
Parts of the Body Commonly Affected by Exposure to Asbestos
Asbestos exposure affects the lungs, chest cavity, and in some cases, the esophagus, stomach, and intestinal tracts, contingent upon the manner in which the asbestos fibers enter the body.
Asbestos enters the body in one of 3 ways:
- Inhalation of asbestos fibers: Breathing air replete with asbestos fibers is the primary route of exposure. Asbestos fibers mixed with mucus and extending to the deepest air passages of the lungs bring about the most significant damage.
- Ingestion of asbestos fibers: Drinking water or consuming mucus cleared by the lungs filled with asbestos fibers can penetrate the lining of the digestive system, after which asbestos fibers are distributed through the bloodstream and released into the urine.
- Through the skin: Asbestos fibers can pass through the body’s skin.
Prevalent Diseases Provoked by Asbestos Exposure in NJ
Respiratory diseases provoked by asbestos exposure include asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma, and pleural plaques.
Individuals who breathe asbestos fibers can slowly build up scar-like tissue referred to as asbestosis, which impairs the ability of the heart and lungs to accurately deliver oxygen throughout the body. This severe disease can take upwards of 20 years to develop after initial asbestos exposure, leading to disability or death.
Asbestos workers are at an increased risk of developing lung cancer and mesothelioma. Lung cancer begins within the respiratory tissues developing between 20 and fifty years after initial asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma cancer grows within the thin membranes surrounding the abdominal cavities or the lung cavities between 20 years and fifty years after the initial exposure. Both forms of cancer are often fatal.
All forms of asbestos can cause nonmalignant pleural plaques in the chest and lungs. This causes a thickening of the pleura, which impairs lung function, manifesting up to 15 years after the initial exposure to airborne asbestos fibers.
How to Identify Asbestos-Related Diseases
Symptoms of asbestos-related diseases act as the first signs of asbestos exposure. No prior signs of asbestos exposure are identified until such time as an infection develops. Asbestos exposure taking place most commonly through inhalation results in symptoms of asbestos-related diseases manifesting in the lungs. Alternatively, ingestion of asbestos fibers manifests signs in the throat, stomach, and colon.
Symptoms of asbestos-related diseases in the lungs include shortness of breath, pleural effusion or plaques, chest pain, pleural thickening, asbestosis, dry cough, crackling sounds when breathing, or respiratory complications.
Symptoms of asbestos-related diseases in other parts of the body include abdominal swelling, abdominal or pelvic pain, bowel obstructions, hernias, weight loss, difficulty swallowing, problems with appetite, and clubbed fingers.
It is Possible to Sue for Asbestos Exposure in New Jersey?
New Jersey state law stipulates building owners, including businesses, schools, homeowners, and child care centers, undergo asbestos abatement followed by state asbestos examinations to manage and reduce exposure to any materials containing asbestos.
Examinations inspect and investigate any illegal asbestos abatement, inspect schools to ensure asbestos management plans are accurate, conduct site inspections during renovations to ensure no materials containing asbestos are distributed during renovations, and evaluate remedial response actions with abatement contractors under legal situations wherein remedial responses are required.
Businesses, homeowners, and organizations failing to abide by governing regulations for asbestos in New Jersey are liable for diseases provoked by asbestos exposure. Individuals under the employ of industries like shipbuilding, manufacturing, chemical production, oil refining, railway maintenance, textile milling, mining, or power generation are at higher risk for exposure to asbestos when employers or property owners fail to conduct due diligence in accordance with asbestos reduction and remediation. Under such circumstances, you can sue for asbestos exposure in New Jersey.
If you think you have been harmed by prolonged exposure to asbestos, contact an Experienced Asbestos Injury Attorney at CR Law Firm Today
In situations in which you believe your asbestos exposure is connected to negligence by another person, company, or other entity in New Jersey, contact a skilled and dedicated asbestos lawyer at Cohen & Riechelson, to discuss the possibility of a lawsuit. Determining the legitimacy of asbestos-related diseases, the cause of those diseases, and the appropriate course of action requires appropriate legal experience and knowledge. Bearing this in mind, as well as the fact that there is limited time to file a claim against another party for asbestosis, mesothelioma, or other asbestos-related complications, it is highly recommended to get in touch with an attorney as soon as possible.
Cohen & Riechelson is a renowned Personal Injury Firm that has recovered millions in verdicts and settlements on behalf of those injured in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, representing victims in towns like Hamilton, Pennington, Willingboro, Princeton, Trenton, and Ewing. Contact us at (609) 528-2596 for a cost-free consultation to discuss your case and your potential asbestos-related claim. We are here to help.
