Fighting for asbestos victims and their families
- Asbestos News
- Philadelphia Asbestos Verdict $25.2 Million The jury in the case of Baccus v. Crane Co. recently awarded James Baccus’ Estate $25.2 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
- Navy Firefighter Awarded $2.6 Million for Asbestos Related Cancer David Fortier was diagnosed with mesothelioma in October of 2006, and died in June of 2008. He filed a lawsuit shortly after his diagnosis, but he did not live to see his case decided.
- Asbestos Plaintiff’s Body Subpoenaed, Taken from Graveyard Just Before Burial Harold St. John's body was never laid to rest when a court issued a subpoena for his body to collect tissue samples. Chrysler, one of the defendants in the lawsuit, maintains that the proceedings were necessary to obtain additional information about the way Mr. St. John died.
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Tons of Asbestos on Navy Ships
Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that was extensively used in ship construction until the late 1970s. Thousands of tons of asbestos on Navy ships were used to wrap pipes, line boilers, and cover engine and turbine parts. Asbestos on Navy ships proved ideal because of its ability to resist corrosion and high temperatures. But its harmful effects would not only injure shipyard workers, but also Navy personnel, who are both now suffering from very high rates of asbestos-related disease. Here's some startling statistics:
- A study conducted at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine found that 86 percent of asbestos shipyard workers with 20 or more years of experience have developed asbestos-related lung disease or lung cancer.
- Approximately 100,000 people in the U.S. have died, or will die, from asbestos on Navy ships.
- There were approximately 4.3 million asbestos shipyard workers during WWII; for every thousand workers about fourteen have died of mesothelioma and an unknown number died of asbestosis.
- Asbestos on Navy ships insulation sprayers, breathed as many as 100,000 fibers with every lungful of air at work—compared to today's OSHA 8-hour limit of 100,000-fibers.
Shipyards, a Crucible for Tragedy, Burke
Virtually no portion of a naval ship was asbestos-free between the '30s and mid-70s, making Navy veterans and asbestos shipyard workers one of the most at-risk groups for developing asbestos-related diseases.
