Massachusetts Mesothelioma Legal Help
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-caused disease and you are a current or former worker/resident of Massachusetts, we may be able to help you seek and recover financial compensation. To learn more about your rights, contact a mesothelioma attorney in Massachusetts today.
Mesothelioma Lawyer Massachusetts
Our mesothelioma lawyers in Massachusetts know the laws governing asbestos and are highly familiar with the history of its use and abuse in the state. We represent workers and residents who have suffered as a result of asbestos exposure as well as their families. If you have been personally affected, or if someone in your family has been diagnosed with or has died from mesothelioma or another asbestos disease, we may be able to help you. Millions of dollars have been set aside in compensation funds, which means depending upon your specific circumstances, you may not have to file a lawsuit to obtain a recovery.
Remember that if you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or an asbestos exposure-related illness, you only have three years from the time you are diagnosed to file a lawsuit. If you wait too long, you may not be able to obtain the financial compensation for your illness that you deserve.
To learn more about your legal options, contact us today. We will evaluate your claim in a free and confidential case review and will let you know how we can best assist you. To speak with someone immediately, please call 1-800-352-0871 or send us an email and we will be in touch with you shortly.
History of Asbestos Exposure in Massachusetts
The 20th Century was a time of great change for Americans, particularly because of the industrial growth that promoted a new way of thinking and a higher standard of life. Workers and residents across the U.S. benefited from mass production, which was made possible because of cheap labor and assembly-line manufacturing.
Massachusetts quickly became a center for the production of electronics, machinery, metal and food products, as well as other textiles. During the industrial boom, the government — which was determined to cash in on the natural, human and financial resources — supported industrial growth by enacting protective tariffs, providing railroad subsides, creating and maintaining a goods’ patents system and choosing to look the other way when companies abused their rights.
Along with the benefits of the industrial boom came a number of adverse effects, including the risk of toxic asbestos exposure in factories, plants and other industrial complexes. Even before the 20th century, asbestos was regarded a miracle material and was heavily used across a number of industries, including (but limited to):
- Textile
- Machinery
- Metal
- Petroleum
- Railroad
- Shipbuilding
- Construction
- Plumbing
- Roofing
- Painting
- Insulation
- Auto mechanic
- Fire
Used for its resistance to heat, durability and flexibility, asbestos could be used for almost anything — and it was. The fact that it occurs naturally and companies didn’t have to pay production fees made it even more attractive.
But, just as mass production began to take over in the early 1900s, the dangers of asbestos were discovered. Unfortunately, several companies that relied on the cheap material continued to use it despite knowing of the potential risks. It wasn’t until the late 1920s and 1930s that laws governing use of asbestos were put in place; but, by then, several thousands of workers and their families were already put at risk for exposure.
Asbestos Sites in Massachusetts
As most Americans know, Massachusetts was one of the first areas of the country that was settled by European immigrants in the 1600s. After more than 400 years, there are many old and historic buildings that have been repeatedly remodeled over the years. Asbestos containing materials have not been around that long, but still were in use for more than a century before the substance’s health effects were fully understood.
This state is the home of two asbestos deposits that occur naturally. One of them is in the western region of Massachusetts near Pittsfield, while the other is in the Quabbin Reservoir area near Harvard Forest. Commercial mining of asbestos was performed at both places. One of the companies that worked there was WR Grace and Company. The corporate officers for that firm were indicted on criminal charges related to asbestos mining in Montana.
If you are or were a blue collar worker in this state, you could have been exposed to lethal asbestos fibers at an industrial plant, steel mill, automobile manufacturing plant, chemical plant, auto repair facility, an electrical plant or in the construction business. Also know that if you are a veteran from the Navy, you could have been exposed to asbestos either in shipbuilding or working on a Naval vessel. Most likely, you would have been exposed from the 1950s until the 1980s or sometime in between. Mesothelioma usually takes at least three decades to develop.
Some of the sites in Massachusetts that are known to have contained asbestos include:
- US Naval Shipyard
- Bethlehem Steel Shipyard
- Gillette Safety Razor Plant
- Edison Powerhouse
- Algonquin Gas Company Generating Plant
- AC Lawrence Factory
- Eastman Gellatin
- General Dynamics Shipyard
- Proctor and Gamble Plant
- Bethlehem Steel Shipyard
- Monsanto Plant
- Norton Grinding
Mesothelioma Statistics in Massachusetts
Asbestosis deaths are slightly higher here than for mesothelioma and lung cancer related to asbestos exposure.
During the last 20 years of the 1900s, 1372 people from Massachusetts died from asbestos-related diseases. Half of those suffered from mesothelioma. Many of these cancer victims were exposed to deadly asbestos fibers in very old buildings as well as in heavy industry. Asbestos often was used to fireproof buildings and also was used as electrical insulation and to protect against corrosion by dangerous chemicals.
