Asbestos Cancer Mesothelioma can Result from Secondary Asbestos Exposure

Many people are aware that working with asbestos containing products can lead to asbestos exposure which in turn can lead to asbestos cancers such as mesothelioma and lung cancer. Fewer people are aware however that asbestos exposure can occur through secondary exposure. Secondary asbestos exposure occurs when a person is exposed to asbestos from another person who had direct contact with asbestos. The person who has been secondarily exposed can develop asbestos cancer.

A lawsuit recently filed in Texas alleges the development of malignant mesothelioma in a woman who was secondarily exposed to asbestos. The woman's relatives had worked at oil refineries for significant time periods. It is believed that they were exposed to asbestos at the refineries. The woman experienced secondary asbestos exposure from washing the clothes of those relatives. Asbestos fibers can cling to clothes. It is highly probable that the woman inhaled asbestos fibers that were on the clothes of her relatives who were exposed to asbestos.

It is important for people to know that asbestos is not only a threat to people who worked with it but also to people who live with asbestos workers. Many workers may have been exposed to asbestos because asbestos was used in a wide range of products. At-risk workers include mechanics, plumbers, sheet metal workers and construction workers. It is also important for people to know that their risk of developing an asbestos cancer is not lower just because they were exposed to asbestos a long time ago. Asbestos cancers typically take decades to develop after exposure to asbestos has taken place.

Treatment options for asbestos cancers are generally most successful when they are applied while the cancer is still in the early stages. But because most cases of asbestos cancer are diagnosed when the disease has already substantially advanced, many treatment techniques are of limited effectiveness. Treatment options include radiation, immunotherapy, gene therapy, surgery and photodynamic therapy.

Weitz & Luxenberg is a New York law firm that represents New Yorkers and others who have been diagnosed with asbestos cancers such as lung cancer and mesothelioma. For additional information on asbestos cancer, please visit:
http://www.weitzlux.com/asbestos-cancer_107.html
For more information on the work of a mesothelioma attorney, visit
http://www.weitzlux.com/mesothelioma-attorney_1932416.html

Weitz & Luxenberg
700 Broadway 3rd floor
New York, NY 10003

Media contact:
Jason Wentworth
hkader@weitzlux.com
1-800-438-9786 ext. 5645

This release was published on openPR.