Most people know that tobacco smoking and secondhand smoke from tobacco is the leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. In fact, smoking and secondhand smoke from tobacco accounts for approximately 130,500 deaths each year. But what most people don't know is that even if they have been smoking or have been exposed to secondhand smoke, tobacco might not have caused their cancer. Here's why. There are millions of industrial employees and laborers in the United States who regularly work or have worked with any of a number of extremely dangerous substances, such as asbestos.
Miners, shipbuilders, pipe fitters, tile workers, welders, refinery workers, sanders, and even office workers may be exposed to asbestos, silica dust, radon gas, and environmental pollutants simply by performing a job duty, whether that task is lining boat sides with fiberglass or typing up a report in an asbestos-filled office building. This exposure can come back to haunt them years later in the form of lung cancer, which can develop years-sometimes four decades-after exposure to harmful elements. For example, asbestos fibers can lay dormant in the lungs for decades, causing no problems-and leading victims to think there is nothing wrong until it is too late.
The cause of a patient's lung cancer is often misdiagnosed-many times as the effect of smoking and secondhand smoke exposure-because doctors are more concerned with identifying and ultimately treating a disease rather than finding its cause. That's why they may attribute lung cancer to smoking even when the patient has a concrete record of asbestos exposure. Since tobacco smoking and secondhand smoke are such common causes of lung cancer, it is safe for the doctor to say that it caused the disease.
Conversely, lawyers are concerned with the cause of lung cancer. They know that people who have been exposed to asbestos and other toxic substances face an elevated risk of developing lung cancer, silicosis, mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another deadly lung disease. They understand that lung cancer is not exclusively caused by cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke. A lawyer can argue for you that the manufacturer of the asbestos or the toxic substance was aware of its dangers yet failed to inform its workers. If that is indeed the case, you may be eligible to receive financial compensation for your pain and suffering, medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses.
During times that call for legal action, it is imperative that you seek effective legal representation. Contact a lung cancer attorney today.
Print
Add Feedback