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Widow of SeaTac Worker Awarded $475K for Asbestos Related Injury & Death
Widow of SeaTac Worker Awarded $475K for Asbestos Related Injury & Death
Donald Potts worked at SeaTac Airport for a major construction project between 1970 and 1972. During that time, his wife Lorena claims, he inhaled airborne asbestos particles. In November 2012, his doctor diagnosed him with mesothelioma, an asbestos related cancer. At 71 years old, he passed away on January 13, 2011. Later that year, his wife and the Estate of Donald Potts commenced trial against the Port of Seattle.
However a few weeks ago, the Port of Seattle Board of Commissioners decided that they would save the Port money by settling with the plaintiffs for $475,000.
In the past several decades, at minimum two other cases involve the Port for penalties related to hazardous asbestos exposure at SeaTac.
What is interesting and important to note about the Potts case is that the alleged exposure dates back to the early 1970’s with a relatively recent diagnosis and death of the mesothelioma patient. This suggests that other victims of asbestos exposure have issues ripe for litigation.
Asbestos illness epidemic
Asbestos illness epidemic
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) reports over ten thousand Americans die each year as a result of asbestos exposure. EWG highlights this epidemic:
The highly politicized controversy in Washington over asbestos litigation has overshadowed a quiet and directly related crisis in public health: an epidemic of asbestos-caused diseases in the United States that claims the life of one out of every 125 American men who die over the age of 50.
Ten thousand Americans die each year — a rate approaching 30 deaths per day — from diseases caused by asbestos, according to a detailed analysis of government mortality records and epidemiological studies by the EWG Action Fund. Asbestos kills thousands more people than skin cancer each year, and nearly the number that are slain in assaults with firearms. The suite of diseases linked to asbestos exposure overwhelmingly affect older men.
Mesothelioma is not the only killer. Based on government reports EWG found the following asbestos caused illnesses resulting in death:
- Mesothelioma 2,509 deaths
- Asbestosis 1,398 deaths
- Lung Cancer 4,800 deaths
- Gastro-intestinal cancer 1,200 deaths
- Total 9,907 deaths
EWG’s findings only get more disturbing:
…[D]deaths from asbestos in the United States appear to be increasing. Mesothelioma and asbestosis mortality rose steadily from 1979 through 1998. Asbestosis mortality, however, rose at more than three times the rate of mesothelioma, at 7.8 percent per year, compared to 2.3 percent annually for mesothelioma over the 24-year period 1979-2001.
Exposure to Asbestos peaked in the mid to late 1970’s. Based on the latency period for asbestos illnesses to develop EWG believes the mortality rate will increase for the next ten years and peak in by 2014 when “there will be 3,776 deaths from mesothelioma and 2,536 deaths from asbestosis reported to the federal government.”
What are the symptoms of mesothelioma?
What are the symptoms of mesothelioma?
Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 30 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos.
- Shortness of breath and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleura are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.
- Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and abdominal pain and swelling due to a buildup of fluid in the abdomen.
- Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia , and fever.
- If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.
These symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less serious conditions. It is important to see a doctor about any of these symptoms. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis.
One Response to What are the symptoms of mesothelioma?
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What is mesothelioma?
What is mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma (cancer of the mesothelium) is a disease in which cells of the mesothelium become abnormal and divide without control or order. They can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. Cancer cells can also metastasize (spread) from their original site to other parts of the body. Most cases of mesothelioma begin in the pleura or peritoneum.
One Response to What is mesothelioma?
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What is Mesothelioma? says:
Well explained about what is mesoththelioma?. Very informative report about mesothelioma and its symptoms
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How common is mesothelioma?
How common is mesothelioma?
Although reported incidence rates have increased in the past 20 years, mesothelioma is still a relatively rare cancer. About 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year. Mesothelioma occurs more often in men than in women and risk increases with age, but this disease can appear in either men or women at any age.
Are new treatments for mesothelioma being studied?
Are new treatments for mesothelioma being studied?
Are new treatments for mesothelioma being studied?
Yes. Because mesothelioma is very hard to control, the National Cancer Institute (NCI ) is sponsoring clinical trials (research studies with people) that are designed to find new treatments and better ways to use current treatments. Before any new treatment can be recommended for general use, doctors conduct clinical trials to find out whether the treatment is safe for patients and effective against the disease. Participation in clinical trials is an important treatment option for many patients with mesothelioma.
People interested in taking part in a clinical trial should talk with their doctor. Information about clinical trials is available from the Cancer Information Service (CIS ) (see below) at 1–800–4–CANCER. Information specialists at the CIS use PDQ®, NCI’s cancer information database, to identify and provide detailed information about specific ongoing clinical trials. Patients also have the option of searching for clinical trials on their own. The clinical trials page on the NCI’s Cancer.gov Web site provides general information about clinical trials and links to PDQ.
People considering clinical trials may be interested in the NCI booklet Taking Part in Clinical Trials: What Cancer Patients Need To Know. This booklet describes how research studies are carried out and explains their possible benefits and risks. The booklet is available by calling the CIS, or from the NCI Publications Locator Web site.
**This information is provided courtesy of The National Cancer Institute.**
Superstorm Sandy Brings Asbestos Woes
Superstorm Sandy Brings Asbestos Woes
The victims of Superstorm Sandy have seen enormous loss and devastation. Now, survivors need to recognize the risks of asbestos exposure.
The storm has claimed over 100 lives in the U.S.–mostly in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Over a hundred houses and housing units were destroyed, as witnessed by many news reporters throughout the New York/New Jersey area. We are talking about $62 billion and counting in damage and other losses in the country because of this latest storm.
Massive construction debris from Superstorm Sandy likely means thousands of tons of asbestos laden debris. (AP Photo)
To put Superstorm Sandy in perspective, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 left $128 billion damage in its wake, adjusted for inflation in 2012 dollars. In the Caribean, Sandy left no less than $315 million in damage.
A 2011 tornado in small town Joplin, Missouri left behind 2,600 tons of asbestos debris.
Contrast that one little community with all of the large communities, including the greater Manhattan area and the sizable New Jersey cities hit by Sandy. Linda Reinstein, president of the nonprofit Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization. “Do the math, and we can recognize that we have a significant public health risk with Hurricane Sandy.”
Along with schools and buildings, thousands of houses have water and wind damage, causing a spike in risks of exposure to various toxins. Asbestos related injury is one of the greatest concerns. Construction debris and waste likely contain microscopic asbestos fibers. Because these particles are virtually impossible to detect to the naked eye, people can unwittingly breathe it and ingest it. After time, mesothelioma or other severe medical conditions is a common result.
Welcome
Welcome
I am excited that my blog has been updated and refreshed. Many believe that asbestos exposure and the diseases it causes are a thing of the past. While it is true that laws and regulations enacted in the early 1970s have prevented exposure to asbestos for the most part, what we are seeing is a greater number of those developing the most serious diseases. These diseases include mesothelioma and lung cancer. There are also other forms of cancer that are caused by asbestos. The reason that we are seeing these diseases so long after the exposure is that there is a very long latency period between exposure and disease development.
What we are seeing is that workers who were exposed in shipyards, in factories, at construction sites, in the automobile industry and in other environments in the 1940s,1950s, 1960s and 1970s are coming down with the worst diseases caused by asbestos.
Given the lengthen of time that the medical communities across the country have been dealing with asbestos disease, treatments have improved. Now, at this time there is no known cure for mesothelioma, but, various treatment issues have improved the longevity in which those with mesothelioma are able to live. Treatments have also improved the quality of life for those with asbestos caused cancers.
Pacific Northwest Personal Injury Law Advocate
Pacific Northwest Personal Injury Law Advocate
Spinal Cord Injury Law Blog
Spinal Cord Injury Law Blog
Why Select Mosaic Glass Tiles? says: