(openPR) - "I can't walk like I used to. I can't climb stairs anymore. I used to climb nine flights of stairs every day. I'm lucky I can climb one." These were the words of a retired New York City construction worker who died from mesothelioma on March 4, 2009. He left behind his wife of 53 years.
Mesothelioma is a job-related disease caused by inhaling asbestos dust at a work site. Mesothelioma cancer can develop decades after exposure to asbestos has taken place. By the time mesothelioma is diagnosed, treatment options are few and often of limited effectiveness.
In the case of the former construction worker, he was exposed to asbestos more than 40 years before being diagnosed with mesothelioma. As the owner of a Long Island brass and bronze contracting company that installed revolving doors and brass bar railings at New York City construction and renovation sites, he worked with tradesmen who handled asbestos-containing products such as asbestos floor tiles, drywall and steam pipe insulation.
In 1960, while serving as a construction foreman at the Union Carbide building at 270 Park Avenue, he spent his working hours near carpenters who put up asbestos-made drywall boards and created clouds of asbestos dust while sanding walls. Four years later, during construction of the former World Trade Center, he worked alongside workers who were spraying fire-retardant asbestos foam on building beams.
Mesothelioma cancer plagues thousands of retired workers who worked in the construction, automotive, railroad and maritime industries. Researchers at the Center for Disease Control expect the number of mesothelioma diagnoses to peak in 2010. In the U.S., 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. Mesothelioma has no cure and often, mesothelioma sufferers die within two years of diagnosis.
This press release was prepared by the law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg. Weitz & Luxenberg is a New York law firm that represents New Yorkers and others who have been diagnosed with asbestos cancers such as lung cancer and mesothelioma. Construction workers and their loved ones can get more information about the risk of developing mesothelioma at www.mesotheliomajobs.com/construction-workers.html.
For a free case review from Weitz & Luxenberg mesothelioma lawyers, visit www.weitzlux.com/mesothelioma-lawyer_1055.html.
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