There are some personal injury solicitors who specialise into a very narrow area of the law. They become extreme experts in the area and most of their caseload involves clients in their area of specialty. A mesothelioma solicitor is one of those types of lawyer. A mesothelioma solicitor will advertise specifically for clients suffering from mesothelioma or asbestosis and, due to their expertise and specialism they have great success in asbestos related disease compensation claims.
A mesothelioma solicitor will usually offer free initial advice on all matters relating to asbestosis, mesothelioma, pleural plaques and asbestos induced lung cancer. In most cases a mesothelioma solicitor will deal with all of the legal work at no cost and will pay compensation in full with no deductions.
Asbestos Cancer
Mesothelioma comes in three main types: pulmonary, pericardial and abdominal mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that most often occurs in the lungs which is diagnosed by having symptoms of cough, bloody sputum and shortness of breath, along with x-ray evidence of a mesothelioma tumor. Many lung cancer tumors look alike so it may take a trans-thoracic biopsy to accurately and positively diagnose mesothelioma. The other forms of asbestos related disease are known as asbestosis, pleural plaques and asbestos related lung cancer.
Specific Cause
Mesothelioma is one of the few types of cancer that has a very specific and known cause. This type of cancer is almost exclusively caused by exposure to asbestos fibres in the air of the working environment. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fibre that is used mainly for insulation. Asbestos comes as a solid that is a compressed form of fine needle-like particles that can easily be inhaled. Over time, the asbestos needles imbed themselves in the lungs and cause irritation that leads to cancer which in the early stages, can present as a chronic cough and shortness of breath. An asbestos fibre is such a small particle that it sometimes gets through standard respiratory protection. The partners and family of those who work in factories that use or process asbestos can also inhale asbestos fibres from work clothes or from hair.
Latency Period
The problem with asbestos is that it often takes several decades to develop mesothelioma after exposure to asbestos fibres. Patients with mesothelioma may not have immediate recollection of exposure to asbestos. It is up to the mesothelioma solicitor to sort through occupational records to establish where exposure was likely to have taken place. It can take up to forty years after asbestos fibre exposure before mesothelioma symptoms are identified. Doctors also know that mesothelioma and asbestosis are dose responsive and while heavy asbestos exposure is likely to show relatively early in the form of chronic cough and shortness of breath, it doesn’t take serious exposure to asbestos fibres to develop mesothelioma many decades after exposure. Anyone who has been exposed is at risk – its just a matter of time.
