Actor, Paul Gleason, was best known for his performances the movies The Breakfast Club as the principal, Trading Places and Van Wilder, but he was also an athlete and a poet. Gleason died from a rare form of cancer known as mesothelioma in 2006 at the age of 67.
Gleason had pleural mesothelioma, which is a cancer that attacks the lining of the pleura, the thin membrane that surrounds the lungs. Another actor who was a victim of pleural mesothelioma is Steve McQueen, a heartthrob who performed in movies in the 1950s through the 70s. He is best known for his roles in The Magnificent Seven and Bullitt.
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is caused by years of exposure to asbestos, a naturally-occurring mineral that is resistant to heat and fire. Up until approximately 1970, the dangerous properties of asbestos were unknown, so many products and buildings made before that time contain the dangerous mineral and can make its way into the human body through inhalation of asbestos fibers.
Because mesothelioma can lie dormant for many years, sufferers of the dread disease may not even exhibit signs or symptoms until the cancer has progressed to the terminal stage.
It is not known exactly how and when Gleason came into contact with asbestos and exactly how much exposure caused him to develop the disease. Mesothelioma can take up to 40 years to fully develop and become symptomatic. Gleason’s development of pleural mesothelioma could be attributed to some type of asbestos exposure the actor faced in his twenties or thirties.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma in the Baltimore, Maryland area, please contact the asbestos attorneys at Brown | Kiely, LLP today.
