Experienced Mesothelioma Lawyers Working for You
Thornton Law Firm LLP has been representing victims of asbestos-related diseases and their families for decades. Through our cases representing workers with mesothelioma, lung cancer, other cancers, and asbestosis, we have developed a sophisticated knowledge of how people have been exposed to asbestos.
In the early years of the firm, the late 1970s and much of the 1980s, the vast majority of our clients were insulation workers, pipe fitters, boiler makers and other trades in the shipbuilding and power generation industries. These were mostly union tradesmen who worked directly with asbestos-containing insulation materials. They were exposed to tremendous amounts of airborne asbestos throughout their careers building navy and merchant ships, power houses and large industrial facilities.
As the 1980s progressed, many of the manufacturers of industrial insulation materials sought to manage their asbestos liabilities through the bankruptcy process. These corporations segregated their assets and put their former asbestos insulation manufacturing subsidiaries into bankruptcy, leaving little for the victims of the asbestos products that profited those corporations through much of the 20th century.
Why is Mesothelioma Increasing in the Population?
Although asbestos was mostly removed from industrial insulation materials with the advent of OSHA in the early- to mid-1970s, and many of the industrial workers have succumbed to mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases, there are still people contracting and dying from mesothelioma.
These people fall into a few basic categories. There are the families of workers who brought asbestos home on their clothing; others were exposed to asbestos through products that contained asbestos that few people knew about. In addition, we have the people who were exposed to materials such as talc and vermiculite, which contained asbestos as a contaminant, not an intended ingredient. And again, these people had no knowledge that talc or vermiculite contained asbestos.
Who is At Risk?
Thornton Law Firm LLP has represented dozens of family members who themselves contracted mesothelioma. Spouses and children of industrial workers were exposed to asbestos dust brought into their cars and homes. Through helping with the laundry, giving daddy a hug when he got home from work, or simply riding in the family car children were exposed, and now, as adults many years later are getting mesothelioma. They never worked in factories, power houses or ships, and they never suspected that they were exposed to asbestos. Thornton Law Firm LLP has the experience and resources to investigate and successfully litigate these cases.
Surprising Sources of Asbestos Exposure
Asbestos has turned up in many places and products that those exposed would never have suspected. From various automotive products, such as brakes and gaskets to residential building materials such as floor tile, wall material, plaster, spackle, putty, siding, and roofing material, the home do-it-yourselfer typically worked with many asbestos-containing materials. Asbestos can be found in many plastics, especially in electrical equipment, such as circuit breakers. Asbestos has been used in filter material, including cigarette filters in the 1950s. Asbestos has even shown up as a contaminant in the most benign products, such as talcum powders, cosmetics and even baby powder.
Experience Counts
Thornton Law Firm LLP has represented victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases who have been exposed to all of these products. We are experienced in finding exposures to asbestos that the victims of mesothelioma would never have thought possible.
