Wisconsin mesothelioma lawyer asbestos FAQs

Wisconsin mesothelioma lawyer: Asbestos is a name applied to six fibrous minerals (amosite, chrysotile, crocidolite and fibrous varieties of tremolite, actinolite and anthophyllite).  The most common is white (chrysotile) but others are blue (crocidolite), gray (anthophyllite) or brown (amosite). The minerals are made up of asbestos fibers that vary in length and may be straight or curled. Asbestos fibers do not have detectable odor or taste. Asbestos can be found naturally in areas. Asbestos fibers are resistant to heat and most chemicals. Because of this, asbestos fibers have been mined for products, mostly in building materials, friction products and heat-resistant fabrics. Because asbestos fibers have adverse health effects, new uses of asbestos are banned in the U.S.

Wisconsin mesothelioma lawyer: Asbestos fibers do not evaporate in air or dissolve in water. However, asbestos fibers can enter air and water from wearing down man-made asbestos products. Small asbestos fibers and asbestos fiber-containing particles may be carried long distances. Large asbestos fibers and asbestos particles settle quickly. Asbestos fibers are not able to move through soil. Asbestos fibers are not broken down in the environment.

Wisconsin mesothelioma lawyer: Asbestos is likely to be exposed to you through inhalation of asbestos fibers suspended in air. Asbestos fibers come from wearing down man-made products including insulation, ceiling and floor tiles, roof shingles, cement and automotive brakes and clutches. However, these products do not always contain asbestos.

Service in U.S. armed forces especially Navy related asbestos and mesothelioma is also quite common and there are many asbestos companies.

Asbestos mines or factories can cause asbestos air levels to be high. Levels may also be above average near a building that contains asbestos products and is torn down or renovated or near a waste site where asbestos is not properly covered up or stored. 

Asbestos concentration in indoor air depends on whether asbestos was used for insulation, ceiling or floor tiles, or other purposes, and whether these asbestos materials are in good condition or are deteriorated and crumbled. People who work with asbestos (for example, miners, insulation workers, automobile brake mechanics) without proper protection are likely to be exposed to high levels of asbestos.

Additional suspect products include: Electrical Cloth, Textured Paints/Coatings, Electric Wiring Insulation, Ceiling Tiles and Lay-in Panels, Chalkboards, Spray-Applied Insulation, Roofing Shingles, Blown-in Insulation, Roofing Felt, Fireproofing Materials, Base Flashing, Taping Compounds (thermal), Thermal Paper Products, Packing Material, Fire Doors, High Temperature Gaskets, Caulking/Putties, Laboratory Hoods/Table Tops, Adhesives, Laboratory Gloves, Wallboard, Fire Blankets, Joint Compounds, Cement Pipe, Elevator Brake Shoes, Cement Wallboard, HVAC Duct Insulation, Cement Siding, Boiler Insulation, Asphalt Floor Tile, Breaching Insulation, Vinyl Floor Tile, Ductwork Fabric Connections, Vinyl Sheet Flooring, Cooling Towers, Flooring Backing, Pipe Insulation, Construction Mastics, Heating and Electrical Ducts, Acoustical Plaster, Electrical Panel Partitions, Decorative Plaster, Elevator Equipment Panels, Spackling Compound, Vinyl Wall Coverings, and Fire Curtains.

Wisconsin Mesothelioma Lawyer Pasternak's interview by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel cites several  Wisconsin companies facing asbestos litigation, which include: Badger Meter Inc., Milwaukee; Manitowoc Company, Manitowoc; A.O. Smith Corporation, Milwaukee; Aqua-Chem Inc., Milwaukee; Beloit Corporation a/k/a Regal-Beloit Corporation, Beloit;  Milwaukee Valve Company, Milwaukee; Bucyrus-Erie a/k/a Bucyrus Foundry and Manufacturing Company a/k/a Bucyrus International, Inc., South Milwaukee; Allied Glove Corporation a/k/a Allied Glove & Safety Products Corporation, Milwaukee; Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Neenah; Marinette; and Whiting; Federal Mogul Corporation, Federal-Mogul Corporation Piston Rings and Liners Joint Venture with Nippon Piston Ring Co. (NPR), Manitowoc; Federal-Mogul Corporation Piston Rings and Liners, Schofield; Federal-Mogul Corporation Sintered Valve Train and Transmission Products Waupun; Federal-Mogul Corporation Piston Rings and Liners, West Allis; Dana Corporation, Brake and Chassis, McHenry, Illinois; Brake Parts Inc., Manufacturer of Raybestos Brand Brakes, Waupaca; General Motors Corporation, Delphi Electronics (formerly Delco), Milwaukee; Delphi Energy & Engine Management Systems, Milwaukee; GM Assembly, Janesville; DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Kenosha; General Electric Company, Business Units: GE Capital, GE Industrial Systems, GE Lighting, GE Medical Systems, GE Plastics, GE Power Systems, GE Supply; Locations: Fox Valley, Green Bay, LaCrosse, Madison, Milwaukee, Superior, and Waukesha; Wisconsin Energy Corporation (WEC), Milwaukee; Wisconsin Electric Gas, WE Energies, WEPCO, Wisconsin Energies, Wisconsin Natural, and WICOR, locations throughout Wisconsin.

Other mesothelioma and asbestos linked Wisconsin companies include: Alfa Laval Flow, Kenosha; Algoma Hardwood, Algoma; Allen Bradley, Milwaukee; Allis Chalmers, Milwaukee; American Brass, Kenosha; Appleton Coated Papers, Appleton; Appleton Gas Plant, Appleton; Appleton Wire, Appleton; Army Corp of Engineers, Milwaukee; Badger Ordnance Works, Baraboo; Badger Paper Mill, Peshtigo; Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay; Bergstrom Paper, Appleton; Blatz Brewery, Milwaukee; Briggs & Stratton Corp., Wauwatosa; Burger Boat, Manitowoc; Charmin Paper, Green Bay; Christy Corporation, Sturgeon Bay; Cleaver Brooks, Milwaukee; Colt Industries, Janesville; Columbia Hospital, Milwaukee; Consolidated Paper, Wisconsin Rapids; Copes Vulcan Inc., Madison; Cooper Power Systems, Franksville; Crucible Steel Casting, Milwaukee; Edgewater Power Plant, Sheboygan; Falk Foundry, Milwaukee; First Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee; Fort Howard Paper Mill, Marinette; Fox River Paper, Appleton; Kraft Foods, Beaver Dam; General Casting, Milwaukee; Georgia-Pacific, Green Bay; Gladfelter Company, Neenah; Grede Foundries, Milwaukee; Harnischfeger, Milwaukee; Holy Family Hospital, Manitowoc; International Paper, Green Bay; J.I. Case, Racine; JP Pulliam Power Plant, Green Bay; Kewaunee Nuclear Plant, Kewaunee; Ladish, Cudahy; Manitowoc Shipyard, Manitowoc; Marine Plaza, Milwaukee; Marquette Cement Plant, Milwaukee; Miller Brewery, Milwaukee; Mirro Aluminum, Manitowoc; Mosinee Paper, Mosinee; Neenah Foundry, Neenah; Nekoosa Edwards Paper, Nekoosa; Nelson Dewey Station, Cassville; Nicolet Paper, De Pere; Northern States Power, La Crosse; Northridge, Milwaukee; Oak Creek Power Plant, Oak Creek; Pabst Brewery, Milwaukee; Parkland Builders, Janesville; Pelton Steel, Beloit; Peterson Builders, Sturgeon Bay; Plastics Engineering Co., Sheboygan; Pope & Talbot, Eau Claire; Port Washington Power, Pt Washington; Rockland Builders, Janesville; Rexnord Nordberg, Milwaukee; St. Regis Paper, Rhinelander; Rock River Power Plant, Rock River; Rockwell Automation, Milwaukee; Southridge, Milwaukee; S.C. Johnson, Racine; Saint Francis Hospital, Milwaukee; Saint Lukes Hospital, Milwaukee; Saint Michaels Hospital, Milwaukee; Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay; Svoboda Industries, Kewaunee; Theda Clark Hospital, Appleton; Two Rivers Hospital, Two Rivers; U.S. Rubber, Eau Claire; Unit Drop Forge, Milwaukee; Valley Power Plant, Milwaukee; Waukesha Foundry Co. Inc., Waukesha; Wausau Paper Mill, Brokaw; Weston Power Plant, Rothchild; and Weyerhaeuser, Marshfield.

Wisconsin mesothelioma lawyer: Aircraft Mechanics, Asbestos Plant Employees, Automobile Mechanics, Blacksmiths, Boilermakers, Brick Masons, Carpenters, Car Shop Employees, Chemical Technicians, Civil Engineers, Clothing Ironers & Pressers, Crane, Derrick & Hoist Men, Draftsmen, Drywall Tapers, Electric Power, Linemen & Cable Men, Electrical Engineers, Electricians, Engineers, Excavating Machine Operators, Filers, Polishers, Buffers, Foremen, Freight & Material Handlers, Furnace Men, Smelter-Men & Pourers, Garage Employees, Gas Station Attendants, Grinding Machine Operatives, Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Household Appliance Installers & Mechanics, Household Residents, Industrial Engineer, Industrial Plant Employees, Insulators, Insurance Adjusters, Iron Employees, Job & Die Setters, Laborers, Locomotive Engineers, Longshoremen & Stevedores, Loom Fixers, Machine Operatives, Machinists, Maintenance Employees, Mechanical Engineer, Mechanics & Repairmen of Aircraft, Merchant Marines, Metal Lathers, Millwrights, Mixing Operatives, Molders, Logging Camp Employees, Officers, Pilots & Pursers; Ship, Oil Refinery Employees, Operating Engineers, Painters, Construction & Maintenance, Painters & Sculptors, Pattern & Model Makers, excluding Paper, Personnel & Labor Relations Employees, Pipe Fitters, Plasterers, Plumbers, Power Plant Employees, Railroad Employees, Road Machine Operators, Rollers & Finishers, Roofers & Slaters, Sailors & Deckhands, Sales Engineer, Sheetmetal Workers, Shipyard Employees, Stationary Engineers, Steamfitters, Steel Workers, Stone Masons, Structural Metal Craftsmen, Technicians, Telephone Installers & Repairmen, Textile Operatives, Tile Setters, Tinsmiths, Tool & Die Makers, U.S. Navy Veterans, & Welders & Flame-cutters.

Wisconsin mesothelioma lawyer: If you breath asbestos fibers into your lungs, some of the fibers will be deposited in air passages and on cells that make up your lungs. Most asbestos fibers are removed from your lungs by being carried away or coughed up in mucus to the throat, where they are swallowed into the stomach. Asbestos fibers deposited in the deepest parts of the lung are removed more slowly. In fact, some asbestos fibers never be removed from your body and lungs.

Wisconsin mesothelioma lawyer: Asbestos studies are of people exposed in the past to high levels in the workplace. Workers who breathe in asbestos may develop scar-like tissue in lungs and in the membrane surrounding the lungs. This scar-like tissue does not expand and contract like normal lung tissue and breathing becomes difficult. Blood flow to the lung may be decreased and cause the heart to enlarge. This disease is called asbestosis. People with asbestosis have shortness of breath often accompanied by a cough. This is a serious disease and can lead to disability or death.

Asbestos workers have increased chances of getting two types of cancer: cancer of the lung tissue itself and mesothelioma, a cancer of the thin membrane that surrounds the lung and other internal organs. Lung cancer and mesothelioma are most often fatal. These diseases do not develop immediately but appear after a number of years.

The levels of asbestos in air that lead to lung disease depend on a large number of factors. The most important of these are 1) how long you were exposed, 2) how long it has been since your exposure started, and 3) whether you smoked cigarettes. Interactions between cigarettes and asbestos increase chances of lung cancer. Data indicates that fiber size (length and diameter) is an important factor for cancer-causing potential, particularly for mesothelioma. Generally, smaller fiber diameters or widths are associated with mesothelioma.

Wisconsin mesothelioma lawyer: The common test used to determine if you have been exposed to asbestos is a chest x-ray. The x-ray cannot detect asbestos fibers, but can detect early signs of lung disease caused by asbestos. While other substances besides asbestos can sometimes produce similar changes in the lungs, this test is usually reliable for detecting asbestos-related effects. Other tests, such as gallium-67 lung scanning and high-resolution computed tomography (CAT scan), are also useful in detecting changes in the lungs caused by asbestos.