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California Mesothelioma Lawyer

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Many cancers do not have any known cause. These cancers develop because of some fluke in the individual's DNA, or because the cells started to function incorrectly. There is, however, a cancer that does have a known cause mesothelioma. Mesothelioma has been proven to be caused by exposure to the harmful material asbestos.

For almost a century, asbestos was considered an ideal building material, because it is strong, durable, flexible, resistant to heat and fire, and could be mixed with other substances, spun into yarn, or woven into cloth. For this reason it was incorporated into a myriad of different building materials, as well as everyday consumer goods. Asbestos has been described as the silent killer, because it can take up to 50 years for mesothelioma to manifest itself and become symptomatic. By this time, it's usually reached an advanced stage, and therefore inoperable. Tragically, most mesothelioma patients have a life expectancy of only two years or less after diagnosis. Some patients die within a matter of months.

More than 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year, with numbers only expected to increase over the next decade. Asbestos-related mesothelioma could have been prevented if safety precautions had been put in place when the dangers of asbestos were first known. Instead, many companies engaged in a deliberate cover-up of the material's hazardous nature, because it was so inexpensive and so valuable to their bottom line. Because of this negligence, more than eight million people have been put at risk.

Mesothelioma usually develops in the lungs, but can also affect the heart or the stomach. The fibers are inhaled or ingested, and become embedded in the lining of the lungs, chest cavity, heart, and abdominal cavity. The presence of asbestos fibers causes these tissues to fill with fluid, and scar sensitive lung tissue.

Mesothelioma is the blanket term that encompasses the three specific types of the cancer. The most common type is pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lung tissues known as mesothelium and the tissues lining the chest cavity. The second type is peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects the organs and tissues in the abdominal cavity. Approximately 10 to 20 percent of all mesothelioma cases are of this type. The third type is known as pericardial mesothelioma, which affects the tissues of the heart. It is the most rare type of mesothelioma cancer and also the most deadly.

Some of the symptoms of mesothelioma include difficulty breathing, chest pain, back pain, hoarseness, and a persistent cough. Unfortunately, these are also the symptoms of other, more common conditions such as colds, flu and bronchitis. If you have any of these symptoms, and you also have a history of exposure to asbestos, contact your doctor right away. He or she will run tests to make an accurate diagnosis.

Mesothelioma is a hard cancer to treat, because chemotherapy and radiation may not respond or fight the cancer well enough. Add to this the fact that it can take so long for mesothelioma to be accurately diagnosed, and so is usually inoperable. Since mesothelioma is such a tragic and difficult cancer to fight, and since it could have been prevented, you might have grounds to file a lawsuit against the parties responsible for your condition. If you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with mesothelioma because of exposure to asbestos materials, it is in your best interest to contact an experienced California mesothelioma lawyer or attorney to help you begin your fight.

Your California mesothelioma lawyer/attorney should frequently discuss your case with you and advise you of your rights for compensation and damages. He or she should also be able to estimate the amount of compensation and damages you can expect to receive based on past cases they have fought and won. Pursuing legal action can help to punish the persons responsible and can also provide financial security for you and your family. Give your family a secure financial future by contacting a California mesothelioma lawyer/attorney today.