Nationwide Mesothelioma and Asbestos Injury Blog

Days after Andrew Wheeler testified before a congressional committee that he would ban the current use of asbestos, his Environmental Protection Agency instead announced newly tightened restrictions on the carcinogenic mineral.

It wasn’t the ban many were looking for.

If your loved one is one of many in Illinois who have been concerned about lingering, adverse health symptoms, it likely means that your family has been feeling a bit stressed. There are many reasons why it's important to seek medical attention if you or a family member isn't feeling well but can't quite figure out why. One of the most important reasons is that symptoms might be due to a serious, underlying health issue.

Sadly, for many people in Illinois and across the country, this type of situation leads to medical examination, which, in turn, leads to a diagnosis of terminal illness. For those who work or have worked in factories, shipyards, mills or industries, such as construction, railroad or auto mechanics, such diagnoses often involve asbestos injuries.

The presence of asbestos was once commonplace in construction, shipbuilding and automotive industries, a practice that continued into the 1970’s. Up until the 1990’s, home insulation and building materials believed to be safe contained asbestos. Today, deadly fibers are still released into the air when materials are disturbed despite efforts to curtail the risk of exposure.

The shocking discovery of asbestos in Johnson & Johnson baby powder has increased awareness of its presence in consumer products. It has also put a larger number of consumers at risk of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses.

Are you one of many people in Illinois who have possibly dealt with asbestos exposure? Anyone who works or lives in an older building, factory, shipyard or structure that went through renovation may be at risk for asbestos-related injury. If you work in a place where such hazards are present, your employer is legally obligated to inform you of the issues and also to provide proper training and equipment available to help you stay safe.

Sadly, far too many incidents have occurred in the past where employers failed in their duties, and workers suffered after contracting terminal illnesses after being exposed to asbestos on the job. Perhaps it is a second-hand exposure problem that has placed you at risk; if your spouse or a parent comes home with asbestos fibers on his or her clothing, you could have inhaled or ingested the microscopic particles. There is no safe amount of asbestos exposure; however, there are definitely times when the substance poses an increased danger.