There are a number of different jobs where workers were exposed to a large amount of asbestos on a very frequent basis. People who have worked as mining engineers may have an increased risk of developing mesothelioma cancer due to asbestos exposure on the jobsite.
Throughout the 20th century, tons of asbestos were mined in our country and put in thousands of everyday products. Asbestos was very inexpensive and was used as filler in many different products throughout many different industries because the mineral was strong, durable, non-conductive, and resistant to heat and flame. There were at one point 60 asbestos mines on the East Coast alone, with many other mines scattered throughout the United State.
Mining engineers who worked at asbestos mines, or at mines that may have been contaminated by asbestos, may have an increased risk of developing mesothelioma cancer from asbestos exposure on the job site. These mining operations used a process of drilling, blasting, crushing, sifting and vacuuming to remove and sort out desired minerals from the surrounding rock. These processes created a huge amount of dust that in asbestos mines or contaminated mines would have contained tiny asbestos fibers.
Mining engineers were not necessarily involved in the day-to-day work in the mines, but were instead responsible for the planning, design, and operation of the mining process used on jobsites. This often required them to train, supervise and manage miners, and to inspect and repair mines and equipment. When asbestos fibers are made airborne, they can linger in the air and cling to clothing. These regular job duties may have placed mining engineers in contact with asbestos fibers in the air or on the clothing of mining crews where they could easily be ingested or inhaled. Once the fibers get into our bodies, they become lodged in our internal tissue. The body attempts, in vain, to eliminate the asbestos fibers. Over the years the body's fight against these fibers can cause the buildup of scar tissue (asbestosis) and, in some cases, the development of cancer, including throat cancer, lung cancer stomach cancer, colon cancer, and mesothelioma.
Unfortunately, millions of people have been exposed to asbestos over the years. Only now are we able to see the disastrous effects of asbestos exposure in the workplace. Generally, it takes 10 to 60 years from the time of asbestos exposure until symptoms appear or mesothelioma is diagnosed.
Many of the companies have established trust funds to pay compensation to persons injured by asbestos.
If you have mesothelioma, or other asbestos-related injury, and wish to consult an attorney about your legal rights to compensation, CLICK HERE for a free consultation.