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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The Presence or Absence of Asbestos Bodies
Some asbestos claims revolve around the presence or absence of asbestos bodies in lung tissue. Any interpretation of this finding (presence or absence) must be balanced with the worker exposure history and associated lung pathology.
Looking for Asbestos or Ferruginous Bodies from Asbestos Exposure
Individual asbestos fibers cannot be seen under an ordinary (light) microscope. But, once in the lungs, a part of the asbestos fibers usually becomes coated with material that contains iron. The Latin term "ferrous" means of or containing iron. So these coated asbestos fibers are called either asbestos bodies or ferruginous bodies.An individual ferruginous body has a much greater mass than the uncoated fiber and, as a result, can be seen under the light microscope. Ferruginous bodies are often looked for in lung tissue to prove exposure. However, an asbestos fiber is not the only fiber that may be coated with iron in the body; glass and cotton fibers, talc, and graphite can also become coated with iron. When this happens, they are indistinguishable from true asbestos bodies under the light microscope, which can pose problems for victims.
Because asbestos fibers can be inhaled, the main medical concern is lung or respiratory disease due to asbestos exposure. Disease can come about because of the body's reaction to the inhaled asbestos fibers, usually the formation of scar tissue. Scar tissue replaces normal lung tissue and, when extensive, can interfere with respiration. In addition, asbestos scar tissue in the lungs can lead to lung cancer.
Many times, diseases from asbestos bodies can take two or more decades to develop from the time of first exposure. The more extensive and longer the asbestos exposure, the more risk an individual has for developing disease from asbestos fibers’ years later.
Protect yourself by contacting Seeger Weiss for more asbestos information and a free case evaluation.
