Janet Ward Black Workers Compensation Law Blog on Lawyers.com

Many cases of disease caused by asbestos in North Carolina have arisen out of the use of asbestos in our mills, power plants, shipyards, and construction sites.  Asbestos is composed of easily separated fibers which contribute to their inhalation and ingestion.  The shape of these asbestos fibers reacts negatively with human tissue and biological processes.  When inhaled or swallowed, these insidious fibers can become lodged in the tissues of the linings of organs such as the lungs and digestive system.  Over time, the lodged fibers result in inflammation and cellular damage which can eventually lead to a variety of terminal diseases.

Asbestos in North Carolina has been known to cause asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.  Exposure to asbestos increases the risk of gastrointestinal, colorectal, throat, kidney, esophageal, and gallbladder cancer.  If you have been exposed to asbestos, you should be assessed by a physician, and then speak to an attorney about the possibility of filing a suit for damages.

Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos dust. Asbestos fibers work their way through the lungs into the lung, or pleural, cavity.  The disease can grow on the lining of the lung, gut, or in the lining of the cavity in the chest where the heart rests. Sufferers of mesothelioma tend to die within six to eighteen months following diagnosis.

The first symptoms of mesothelioma may not show up for many years.  It may take as long as 30 or 40 years after a victim's exposure to asbestos for symptoms to manifest.  By the time a sufferer feels ill enough to seek medical attention, the disease may have progressed so far that the victim’s life expectancy will be measured in months.

Contact Ward Black Law to speak to an experienced mesothelioma attorney in North Carolina.  We welcome your questions about asbestos exposure in North Carolina.