Who is at Risk?

As many as 20 million Americans, including New Yorkers from Buffalo to Plattsburgh, have been exposed to asbestos and therefore are at risk of developing mesothelioma, according to a recent study. And, workers in certain occupations continue to be exposed to this deadly carcinogen.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, contact the New York mesothelioma lawyers of Belluck & Fox, LLP, today. Our NY asbestos injury attorneys have investigated mesothelioma cases in every county in the state and have assisted mesothelioma sufferers all across the State of New York. Belluck & Fox provides personalized and professional legal representation and can advise you of the legal options available for you and your family.

For more information, call Belluck & Fox, LLP’s New York mesothelioma lawyers toll-free at 1-877-NYLAW09 (695-2909), or use our online contact form. New York State communities we serve include Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Corning, Elmira, the Finger Lakes region, Jamestown, Long Island, Newburgh, New York, the North Country region, Oswego, Plattsburgh, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Schenectady, Syracuse, Utica, Watertown and Westchester County.

Occupational Asbestos Exposure

Workers in New York who are typically at greatest risk for mesothelioma are those who encountered asbestos in the course of their jobs. Some handled asbestos directly and some worked with asbestos-containing materials. Many breathed asbestos dust and fibers released into the air. This includes New Yorkers working in a wide variety of trades.

Indirect contact with asbestos is another hazard commonly faced by American workers. Because asbestos easily breaks into increasingly small pieces, it eventually becomes invisible airborne fibers or dust and may spread throughout a workplace to be inhaled by anyone present. Asbestos fibers or dust that has settled on floors or other surfaces can become airborne again with the slightest breeze and so they pose a persistent hazard. Once they are released from the product that originally contained them, millions of asbestos fibers can lie in wait on factory floors, tables or benches for anyone to inhale them.

Over decades on the job in a New York manufacturing plant, a worker could have inhaled billions of asbestos fibers that would one day cause fatal damage to his lungs and other vital organs as asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma.

Jobs with Asbestos Exposure

These occupations are typical of the type of work where New Yorkers could have been exposed to asbestos and the risk of mesothelioma:

Laborers
Foundry workers
Boilermakers
Pipefitters
Pipe coverers
Machinists
Lathers
Insulators
Brake mechanics
Auto mechanics
Painters
Plasterers
Cement finishers
Millwrights
Merchant Marine seamen
Carpenters
Plumbers
Roofers
Sailors
Navy yard workers/yardbirds
Paperworkers
Electricians
Bricklayers
Automotive mechanics
Welders
Sheetmetal workers
Crane operators
Aircraft mechanics
Engineers
Steamfitters
Masonry workers
Longshoremen
Plant workers
Powerhouse workers
Railroad workers
Inspectors
Maintenance workers
Paper mill workers
Tapers

Asbestos at Home

The families of New York workers are likely to have had decades of secondary or “para-occupational” asbestos exposure and also be at risk for developing mesothelioma. When industrial and trade workers like those in the list above went home each night, they often did so with asbestos fibers clinging to their clothes, hair and skin to be brushed off later.

Spouses, children, elderly parents, close friends – anyone in daily contact with industrial and trades workers – could easily have been exposed to asbestos without ever setting foot in a manufacturing plant. Imagine the countless New York housewives in places like Long Island, Schenectady or Jamestown who handled asbestos-laden work clothes day after day over the decades of their husbands’ careers!

Anyone in a New York plant worker’s household is likely to have had an ongoing secondhand exposure to asbestos fibers and, therefore, has a risk of one day being told they have mesothelioma.

Other Asbestos Exposures

New Yorkers who have worked in construction, or who renovate older structures, and even individuals who undertake “do-it-yourself” projects in older homes are also at risk of asbestos exposure. Because asbestos was prevalent in building products used in New York, anyone working in an older building could encounter asbestos in shingles, flooring and insulation on heating and air-conditioning systems, among many other products. When these products are removed, dismantled, or otherwise significantly disturbed, asbestos fibers are likely to be released into the air, creating a significant exposure risk. Maintenance, remodeling or demolition of an old building potentially represents a significant asbestos exposure hazard.