Who is at Risk?

As many as 20 million people in the U.S. are at risk of developing mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure, according to a recent study, and asbestos continues to pose a threat to workers in certain occupations.

If you or a loved one in the Buffalo, NY area has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, contact the asbestos injury lawyers of Belluck & Fox, LLP, today. Our Buffalo, NY, mesothelioma attorneys handle mesothelioma cases in every county in New York State, including Buffalo and the surrounding communities. We provide personalized and professional legal representation, and we can advise you of the legal options available for you and your family.

For more information, use our online contact form or call Belluck & Fox, LLP’s mesothelioma lawyers toll-free at 877-MESOTHELIOMA (637-6843).

Occupational Asbestos Exposure

Buffalo, New York, workers typically at greatest risk for mesothelioma encountered asbestos in the course of their jobs, whether in the direct handling of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials, or in breathing asbestos dust and fibers released into the breathable air at the workplace. In New York, that primarily includes workers in a wide variety of trades and jobs who were exposed to asbestos dust from building products or raw asbestos.

It’s critical to note that asbestos exposure includes not only workers who come into direct contact with asbestos and asbestos products, but also those who worked near or around such workers. This is because asbestos is “friable,” meaning that it crumbles easily, and when it breaks apart it can release millions of tiny asbestos fibers in the form of a fine, even invisible, dust, which can quickly spread across a worksite. When that happens, workers throughout the jobsite are at risk of asbestos exposure. The risk can persist indefinitely, too, because asbestos fibers that settle onto floors and other surfaces everywhere in a jobsite can become airborne again if the surfaces are disturbed in any way, creating yet another exposure risk for anyone in the area. In a single sweeping, for example, millions and millions of asbestos fibers can be released into the breathing zone of anybody in that vicinity.

The end result: Over the course of a career, a worker in the Buffalo area could have breathed several billion asbestos fibers, some of which lodged in the lung to cause sickness and disease, such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Your Job And Asbestos Exposure

Some of the occupations in and around Buffalo, NY, that are typically associated with the onset of mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases include:

Pipe Coverers
Laborers
Brake Mechanics
Auto Mechanics
Millwrights
Painters
Plasterers
Merchant Marine Seamen
Pipefitters
Cement Finishers
Foundry Workers
Carpenters
Plumbers
Roofers
Sailors
Navy Yard Workers/Yardbirds
Paperworkers
Electricians
Bricklayers
Boilermakers
Automotive mechanics
Machinists
Lathers
Insulators
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

Secondary Asbestos Exposure In the Home

Also at great risk for developing mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure are persons, such as family members in the Buffalo, NY, area who live with someone who works with asbestos or who did so in the past. Thus industrial and trade workers’ families may be exposed to asbestos even though they have no direct exposure to the hazardous substance at a jobsite.

Para-occupational exposure occurs when asbestos fibers cling to a worker’s clothing, shoes, skin and hair. The fibers essentially “hitch a ride” home with the worker, where they can become airborne once more and disperse into the home environment, exposing everyone in the household.

Other Asbestos Exposures

Also at risk of asbestos exposure are Buffalo workers in the construction industry who participate in renovations of older structures, and even individuals who undertake “do-it-yourself” renovations to older homes and buildings. Because asbestos was incorporated into many building products used in Buffalo, New York, before the widespread use of asbestos was banned, anyone working on older buildings might encounter asbestos-containing products like shingles, flooring, and insulation on heating and air-conditioning systems (among many others). Disturbing those products can release millions of asbestos fibers into the air, resulting in a significant asbestos exposure. This means that any worker could be in danger of asbestos exposure during maintenance, remodeling, or demolition of an old building.

Contact Our Buffalo Mesothelioma Illness Lawyers Today

If you or a loved one in the Buffalo, NY, area has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the asbestos injury attorneys of Belluck & Fox, LLP, can help. We handle mesothelioma cases from Buffalo and the surrounding communities. Use our online contact form or call Belluck & Fox, LLP’s mesothelioma lawyers toll-free at 877-MESOTHELIOMA (637-6843).

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