Asbestos Lawyers Baltimore, MD 

If you have been exposed to asbestos, you need the help of the asbestos lawyers Baltimore, MD residents rely on from Brown Kiely, LLP. Is being exposed to asbestos that has been disturbed as dangerous as it is made out to be? In a word– yes. The Baltimore, Maryland asbestos lawyers know there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos before it is deemed to be harmful. Asbestos fibers that are inhaled have been proven to cause chronic respiratory diseases and cancer. However, you may not have any symptoms for years after you were exposed. Sometimes symptoms will present themselves ten years later, others will not appear for over thirty years.

Can Asbestos Exposure Be Avoided Altogether?

Asbestos is a mineral that naturally occurs as bundles of fibers. It is found in many places around the world in soil and rocks. There are basically two primary types of asbestos:

• Amphibole asbestos fibers are needle-like and straight. There are many different types of amphibole fibers.
• Chrysotile or white asbestos is most commonly used in industrial applications. These fibers are also called curly or serpentine asbestos.

These types of asbestos are both said to cause cancer.

Why was Asbestos Used So Frequently?

Asbestos possesses a lot of qualities that made it attractive for many industrial uses. The fibers are extremely strong and resistant to many chemicals and to heat. It is not a conductor of electricity. Because of these attributes, it has been used as insulating material for hundreds of years. In the last hundred years, it was used to insulate schools, homes, factories, office buildings, and ships. In addition, the asbestos lawyers in Baltimore, MD know it was used to make automobile brakes and clutch parts, and in the building industry in ceiling and floor tiles, roofing shingles, concrete, textiles, and many more products.

How Was Asbestos Discovered to Be a Health Hazard?

Early in the 20th century there was a substantial amount of evidence that illustrated breathing in the dust from asbestos was the cause of scarring to the lungs. There were no environmental controls in the workplace then.

After 1950, steps were put in place to control and reduce exposure by creating laws that banned using asbestos in any construction materials. The United States now uses considerably less asbestos and as a result, exposure to asbestos has substantially decreased. Some countries, however, still use asbestos. In addition, older homes and buildings in the United States will still house asbestos products and great care should be taken when investigating whether or not the asbestos has been disturbed.

Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma

It takes many years to experience the effects of being exposed to the asbestos dust. Most of the lung cancer cases found in asbestos workers appear 15 years or more after they were first exposed to asbestos.  If you were a smoker and were exposed to asbestos, your risk of contracting lung cancer goes up.

Mesotheliomas takes even longer to develop. It can be 30 years or even longer from the time you were first exposed until symptoms appear. There is not anything you can do to reverse the exposure; therefore, if you know you were exposed to asbestos at any time, be sure to get regular health checkups and let your physician know your history of asbestos.

Contact the Asbestos Lawyers in Baltimore, MD!

If you feel you should have been made aware of asbestos and you were wrongly exposed, you may be able to receive compensation for your illness. Contact the asbestos lawyers in Baltimore, MD from Brown Kiely, LLP with experience in asbestos and mesotheliomas to discuss your case specifically.