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Arkansas had 273 asbestos-related deaths from 1979 through 2001 alone. Pulaski County tops the list of counties with 25 mesothelioma deaths and 19 deaths from asbestosis. Several industries prominent in Arkansas have historically put workers at risk of asbestos exposure, including paper mills, power plants, chemical plants, oil refineries, aluminum plants, and other manufacturing facilities. Each of these industries runs machinery and creates materials at very high levels of heat. Previous to the 1980s, asbestos was widely used in industrial plants because of its heat and fire-resistant properties and its heightened resistance to chemical degradation.
Exposure to asbestos needlessly put workers at risk of developing asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma. Because asbestos takes years or even decades to affect the body and patients do not typically demonstrate symptoms of an asbestos-related illness for at least ten years, it is likely that a high number of deaths attributed to asbestos will continue to occur in Arkansas.
We strongly urge anyone diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease or an heir, if that person has passed away, to contact a mesothelioma attorney to determine if a mesothelioma lawsuit is appropriate. If you or someone close to you has mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure in Arkansas, attorneys Clapper, Patti, Schweizer & Mason can help. Clapper, Patti, Schweizer & Mason are mesothelioma lawyers with over 30 years of experience. We can explain your legal rights and help you understand what to expect from a mesothelioma lawsuit. Our attorneys have recovered millions of dollars in settlement compensation for mesothelioma patients and their families. We provide a free case evaluation, and there is no up front cost for our services.

Asbestos Exposure in Arkansas

Arkansas is home to many heavy industries, including paper mills, power plants, chemical plants, oil refineries, aluminum plants, and other manufacturing facilities. All are known high-risk industries for asbestos exposure and asbestos-related diseases. The state has many older buildings as well. Most public buildings constructed prior to 1980 incorporated asbestos-containing materials to help prevent fires. Before its dangers were widely known, asbestos was commonly used in shingles, flooring, pipefittings and even HVAC systems.
Asbestos was used in paper mills to insulate and protect machinery during the paper making process. A pleural (body cavity that surrounds the lungs) cancer study found that the majority of fatal asbestos exposures in paper mills occurred in maintenance workers who were responsible for the upkeep of the intricate paper making machinery. Maintenance workers were particularly at risk of inhaling loose asbestos fibers from the insulation and heating element holders when they opened up the machinery to check that the passageways were clear and the heating elements were working properly.
Asbestos exposure was virtually unavoidable in power plants built prior to 1980. Due to its insulating and fire-retardant qualities, power plants used asbestos to protect equipment exposed to high temperatures, such as boilers, generators and turbines. Pumps and valves were often sealed with asbestos containing gaskets, and pipes were insulated with asbestos. Power plants tended to have fireproof roof structures and floors, and asbestos was the material of choice. When floors and ceilings were repaired, asbestos dust was distributed throughout the powerhouse, putting everyone at risk for asbestos inhalation.
Oil refinery workers were also at high risk of asbestos exposure. Prior to the late 1970s, asbestos was used widely to insulate many pieces of equipment that operated at hot temperatures inside oil refineries. This equipment included furnaces, tanks, boilers, ovens, heat exchangers and pumps. Those workers who repaired and maintained the asbestos insulation used in this equipment were especially prone to asbestos fiber inhalation.
Workers in all of these industries sometimes wore protective gear, including gloves and facemasks, made from asbestos fibers to protective them from heat-creating elements. This clothing may have put them into direct contact with dangerous asbestos fibers. When asbestos is inhaled or ingested, the thin fibers that make up this mineral can cause asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma.

West Virginia Mesothelioma Attorney

At Prim Law Firm PLLC, we represent people who incurred injuries or lost a family member due to the negligence of others, including safety lapses in the workplace and medical settings.
Our attorneys have over 30 years of combined experience in personal injury cases involving mesothelioma and other asbestos-related cancers and lung disease, as well as injuries caused by negligent medical and nursing care or defective products.  We have the knowledge, skills, and tenacity necessary to hold negligent parties responsible for the injuries and damage they caused.

Let our West Virginia asbestos attorneys help you

Many of our clients are working men and women from throughout the region, including southeastern Ohio and eastern Kentucky.  Many were injured or exposed to deadly asbestos or toxic chemicals while working at industrial, construction, and manufacturing jobs.
Between the 1940s and 1980s, millions of workers were exposed to asbestos without proper safety equipment or warnings about how breathing in asbestos fibers could harm them.  Today, thousands are still suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related cancers and lung disease resulting from this exposure.  Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of cancer that invades the mesothelial lining of the lungs, abdomen, and heart, and when diagnosed, it is often at an advanced stage and considered incurable.

Effective legal representation for personal injury victims

Through our skillful and zealous representation, our West Virginia mesothelioma attorneys succeeded in recovering millions of dollars on behalf of injured victims and surviving family members through settlements or trial verdicts.
We also help medical malpractice victims prove that their injuries were caused by a misdiagnosis, surgical error, or other medical mistake.  Over the decades, we developed many resources that make us extremely competitive and effective.  These include a substantial network of experts who help investigate the causes of asbestos-related and medical malpractice injuries and present credible evidence and arguments in court as well as in settlement negotiations.  In addition, we have a comprehensive database documenting workplace injuries, patterns of illnesses, and worksites known for using toxic substances.

MD Anderson Cancer Center

MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas is one of the world's most-respected centers devoted exclusively to cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. It is located in Houston on the campus of the Texas Medical Center.
MD Anderson was created in 1941 and is one of the 40 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers today. Its mission is:

[T]o eliminate cancer in Texas, the nation, and the world through outstanding programs that integrate patient care, research and prevention, and through education for undergraduate and graduate students, trainees, professionals, employees and the public.

Patient Care

In 2010, MD Anderson provided care to more than 100,000 patients. While a significant number of the patients are from Texas, about a third come from outside of Texas for cancer treatment ranging from surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, or combinations of these and other treatments. Because its experts focus on cancer, they're renowned for their ability to treat all types of cancer, including rare or uncommon diseases, including mesothelioma.
Anne S. Tsao, M.D. is the Director of the Mesothelioma Program at MD Anderson. This mesothelioma treatment team includes Chemotherapy Specialists, Research R.N.s, Thoracic Surgeons, Radiation Therapy Specialists, Pulmonary Specialists, and Pathologists.

Research

In 2010, MD Anderson invested more than $500 million in research. It ranks first in the number of research grants awarded and total amount of grant funds given by the NCI. MD Anderson has expanded its research with the creation of the McCombs Institute for the Early Detection and Treatment of Cancer.
More than 1,100 clinical residents and fellows come to MD Anderson each year to receive specialized training in the investigation and treatment of cancer. More than 1,600 research fellows are being trained in MD Anderson's laboratories.

Prevention

MD Anderson believes that that prevention is the best way to eliminate the threat of cancer. Its Cancer Prevention Center provides cancer risk assessments, screening exams based on genetics, age and gender, personalized risk-reduction strategies, chemoprevention and nutrition counseling. The Behavioral Research Treatment Center provides a comprehensive tobacco cessation program through customized treatment plans that include counseling and nicotine replacement therapy.

MD Anderson's Volunteer Corps

In addition to the more than 17,000 people employed at MD Anderson, there is also a volunteer corps of about 1,200 people. These volunteers provided more than 195,000 hours of service in 2010, equal to 94 full-time employees.

Top Hospital For Cancer Care

In 2010, U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals" survey ranked MD Anderson as the top hospital in the nation for cancer care.

International Mesothelioma Program

The International Mesothelioma Program (IMP) is a unique collaboration among epidemiologists, oncologists, surgeons, occupational health specialists, pathologists, statisticians, and clinicians, all focused on finding a cure for mesothelioma. Dr. David Sugarbaker, the Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, is the founder and director of the IMP.
The Program is designed to function at three levels. First and foremost, the IMP provides patient care and state-of-the-art treatment. A crucial adjunct to the medical treatment offered is the assistance for patients and their families provided by the IMP Support Groups. Lastly, the IMP focuses on mesothelioma research that will ultimately lead to a cure for this devastating disease.

Novel Combination of Surgery and Chemotherapy Drugs

In terms of treatment, Dr. Sugarbaker has developed a protocol that includes a novel combination of surgery and chemotherapy drugs. During the surgery, Dr. Sugarbaker removes the visible mesothelioma tumor since maximal tumor removal is the primary contributor to the extension of the life. Dr. Sugarbaker and his team have developed the technique of administering chemotherapy after surgery to improve its overall effectiveness. They utilize a heated bath of chemotherapy drugs administered within the chest cavity to increase tumor cell death. Their statistics show that this surgery plus the intracavitary chemotherapy extends the lives of mesothelioma patients over the often quoted life expectancy figures.

Research Focused on Improving Patient Care

The IMP's research team brings together researchers from all areas who seek to understand how and why mesothelioma develops and to translate those findings into improved patient care. For example, there is research to develop tests that enable clinicians to know whether a patient's tumor will be resistant to certain chemotherapy drugs. There is also exciting groundbreaking research related to the genetic fingerprinting of mesothelioma cells. The ability to identify a specific genetic fingerprint will help to identify the best course of treatment not only for patients with mesothelioma, but for all cancer patients.
Because of the number of patients who come to the IMP for treatment, researchers are able to conduct a variety of clinical trials. Presently, there is a clinical trial underway to test the efficacy of a new combination of heated chemotherapy drugs that are used after the lung, or a portion of it, is removed during surgery. The trial involves the addition of the chemotherapy drug Gemcitabine to Cisplatin which is the drug presently used. Gemcitabine in combination with Cisplatin has been shown to be effective in treating abdominal malignancies. There is hope that this combination will improve the results for patients who undergo surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma.
One of the most important tools that the IMP has to aid in its research is a tumor bank, established in 1992, that contains frozen samples from more than 600 patients diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Using these tissue samples, researchers have been able to undertake genetic and genomic studies. Pathologists have discovered new diagnostic tools to differentiate pleural mesothelioma from other tumors. Other researchers have concentrated on identifying molecular markers of mesothelioma.

Emotional Support For Patients and Families

In addition to the state-of the-art medical care that it provides, the IMP is committed to providing emotional support that includes social work, pastoral care, and palliative care professionals who work to improve the quality of life for patients and their families. The IMP Support Groups provide an opportunity for patients and their families to learn from and support one another. By hearing and sharing their stores and experiences, patients and families can learn to cope and to have hope.
Many significant advances have been made by the IMP since its inception in 2002. Patients treated by Dr. Sugarbaker have seen their lives extended as a result of the surgical procedure and clinical care they have received. As Dr. Sugarbaker says, the purpose of the IMP can be summarized in seven simple words: "Quality life extension leading to a cure."

Mesothelioma Treatment Facilities For Patients to Evaluate

When patients receive a diagnosis of mesothelioma, it is important that they immediately investigate the many outstanding mesothelioma treatment centers located throughout the country.

Treatment facilities specializing in mesothelioma offer the newest and most advanced treatments. These centers also specialize in treating the entire mesothelioma patient not just the disease. Your medical team will be able recommend mesothelioma treatment facilities for you to evaluate and you may also find cancer centers through your own research that you may want to consider. The ultimate goal is to find the best place for you to be treated given your own situation.

Too numerous to name all of them, below is a small sampling of the many mesothelioma treatment centers that patients should consider.

City of Hope

The state-of-the-art City of Hope facilities are located in Duarte, California, in acres of beautifully landscaped gardens. At the City of Hope, compassionate patient care is the objective. Here, ideas and breakthrough discoveries turn into emerging new therapies of tomorrow. The City of Hope is one of the 40 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers.

The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

M. D. Anderson is also one of the 40 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Its slogan is "Making Cancer History." M. D. Anderson sits in the middle of the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. It has treated over 800,000 cancer patients since 1944, using a multidisciplinary approach that includes immunotherapy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. Because its experts focus in the treatment of cancer, M. D. Anderson is well-known for the ability to treat all types of cancer, including rare and uncommon cancers such as mesothelioma.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has a team of specialists, including surgeons, medical oncologists, scientists, radiation oncologists, and pathologists, who aim to provide "experienced, up-to-date, and thoughtful care" of mesothelioma patients.

Sloan-Kettering offers its patients and their families a wide base of support ranging from clinical trials, to symptom management and even cosmetic education that help patients cope with the effects of mesothelioma. Sloan-Kettering is another of the 40 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers.

The International Mesothelioma Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital

The International Mesothelioma Program (IMP) is located in Boston at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, which together with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has combined resources to provide comprehensive care to mesothelioma patients.

Dr. David Sugarbaker, is the founder and director of the International Mesothelioma Program (IMP) and is the Chief of Thoracic Surgery. The IMP focuses on the treatment and cure of mesothelioma, and it currently consults with over 300 mesothelioma patients annually and treats over 180 of these patients. It is the largest program of its kind.

Dana-Farber is another of the 40 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. It has been dedicated to helping cancer patients since 1947. It specializes exclusively in cancer research, care and treatment. It aims to provide its patients with compassionate care while advancing the diagnosis, treatments, and prevention of cancer and related diseases. Outpatient care of mesothelioma patients at Brigham and Women's Hospital usually takes place at Dana-Farber.

Mayo Clinic

For decades, the Mayo Clinic has been dedicated to the treatment of complex illnesses, such as those caused by asbestos exposure. It also is one of the 40 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Mayo Clinic employs over 3,000 physicians, scientists and researchers, and offers hospital services in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.

Many patients with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases are treated at the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic's philosophy is "the needs of the patient come first."

Bystander Exposure

Bystander exposure occurs when someone is in an area where other people are using asbestos or asbestos-containing products. Many people are exposed to asbestos as "bystanders." Asbestos fibers are extremely small and the slightest disturbances can cause any loose asbestos to become airborne. Once they are released, these invisible fibers spread through the air and are inhaled by everyone in the area.
In many cases, bystander exposure is an indirect form of occupational exposure. When a Navy seaman stood watch on a ship being repaired at a shipyard, he was exposed to all the asbestos released by the work of the shipyard workers. Likewise, a carpenter working at a construction site could be exposed to asbestos insulation and drywall from the plasterers working nearby. Even people in clerical or managerial positions could have significant bystander exposure if they worked at jobsites where other people were using asbestos products.
Bystander exposure can also occur when someone, such as a deliveryman or a maintenance worker, regularly passes through a site where asbestos products were used. Bystanders can have significant exposure to asbestos and are at risk for mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases.

What Is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a very potent cancer causing agent. Because of its widespread use in thousands of products, millions of Americans have been exposed to this hazardous material.

Naturally Occurring Mineral With Special Properties

Asbestos itself is a naturally-occurring mineral with some very special physical properties. It is made up of bundles of thin flexible fibers, which are highly resistant to heat and chemicals.
Asbestos fibers are very strong, have low electrical conductivity and are flexible enough to be woven. These properties made asbestos extremely useful in a wide range of products and applications. Asbestos was used in an incredible variety of products to provide heat, electrical and sound insulation, as an inexpensive binder, for protection against acids and as filter media.
Historical use of asbestos reaches back to at least ancient Greece and probably much earlier, but most of it was used in the last century. By the 1950s and 1960s, asbestos was in extremely widespread use. At the peak of asbestos use in the United States, there were literally thousands of asbestos products.
Asbestos fibers were woven into various textiles for fireproofing and insulation. It was combined with other material such as cement, plastics and resins as a binder or filler material to add strength, thermal protection and electrical resistance. Many gaskets and packing material contained asbestos, especially for use in high pressure or temperature pumps and valves. Asbestos was used in most major industries including shipyards, power plants, oil refineries, steel mills, automobile factories, railroads, airplane manufacturing, paper mills, foundries, etc.

Millions Exposed to Asbestos

Throughout the 20th century, asbestos was used in thousands of products and applications, from U.S. Navy vessels to home appliances. As a result, millions of Americans have been exposed to this hazardous material. Navy seamen, shipyard workers, industrial tradesmen, insulators, and construction workers often had heavy occupational exposure to asbestos.
However, there are many other ways people may have been exposed to toxic asbestos dust. Bystander exposure, household exposure and environmental exposure can all cause asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.

Unaware of Exposure

Many people are unaware that they have been exposed to asbestos. You cannot necessarily tell that a product contains asbestos just by looking at it. Common products such as thermal insulation, fireproofing, sound insulation, textile, gasket, packing, drywall, joint compound, electrical insulation and friction products usually contained asbestos, until at least the 1970s. The asbestos content ranged from less than one percent to as high as 100 percent and potential exposure existed during all phases of the production, transportation, storage, installation, removal and disposal of these products.
Residential construction and home renovation used many asbestos-containing products including textured ceilings, drywall, floor and ceiling tiles, siding and roofing. Damage, deterioration and replacement of these materials can still lead to possible exposure if the asbestos fibers are released into the air.
Some do-it-yourself home remodeling projects have inadvertently exposed household members to asbestos. Some appliances such as furnaces, toasters, irons, ovens, hair dryers or miscellaneous items such as toys, artificial snow and pot holders may also contribute to household exposures.

Epidemic of Asbestos-Related Cancers

Tragically, this widespread use of asbestos has led to an epidemic of cancer and other asbestos related diseases among Navy Veterans, shipyard workers, insulators, and other industrial workers and their families. Although asbestos was phased out of most products by the late 1980's, it was never banned. There are still asbestos materials in many older homes, public buildings, schools, and some older Navy vessels. Thus, people today can still be exposed to toxic asbestos products that were manufactured decades ago. If you have been exposed to asbestos on the job, at home or in your neighborhood, you may be at an elevated risk for Mesothelioma. You should consult your primary care physician about your history of asbestos exposure to determine whether you should be screened for possible asbestos disease.

Health Hazards of Asbestos

Asbestos is a very potent cancer causing agent. All types of asbestos fibers can easily be separated and become airborne. The extremely small size and shape of asbestos fibers means that they can be easily inhaled into the lungs. Once inside the body, the fibers persist for a long time causing damage that may worsen over time. Eventually, exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other diseases.
Lower exposure limits and increased regulation to asbestos have reduced the risks of developing asbestos-related diseases. However, many people were exposed before these rules were enacted and there is no known safe level of exposure to asbestos. Symptoms of illness may not appear until decades after the initial exposure.
Despite the hazards of asbestos, it is still in use today in many parts of the world. While asbestos was phased out of most products in the United States by the late 1980s, it has never been banned here. If you think you may have been exposed to asbestos, you may be at heightened risk for mesothelioma and should consult your primary care physician.

Types of Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is divided into different types depending on where it occurs in the body. Each type has different symptoms and different treatment options. About 75% of cases are pleural mesothelioma, which develops in the pleural lining of the lungs. Another 10 to 20% of cases are peritoneal mesothelioma, which occurs in the lining of the abdominal cavity, or peritoneum. Very rarely, mesothelioma may also develop in the pericardial lining of the heart, or the tunica vaginalis surrounding the testicles.
The treatment a patient receives will depend on the type of mesothelioma that has been diagnosed. Treating physicians will also determine the stage of the disease as this also has important implications as far as treatment options are concerned.
Mesothelioma can also be classified by the type of cancer cell. The cell type may be epithelial, sarcomatoid, or a mix of the two (known as biphasic). The majority of mesotheliomas are epithelial, and the epithelial type is somewhat easier to treat.
It is also important to note that there are some benign tumors of the mesothelium. These tumors are typically removed by surgery with no further treatment.

Clinical Trials Will Cure Mesothelioma - A Personal Perspective

My name is Diane Ono. I have worked on mesothelioma cases since 1981, first as a paralegal and then as a lawyer, at the law firm of Galiher DeRobertis Ono.
My husband is Gary Galiher, the lead trial lawyer and senior partner at the firm. Gary and I have a very personal experience with cancer treatment and clinical trials. In 1997, sixteen years after I began working with mesothelioma clients, our daughter was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia at the age of four.
Like anyone diagnosed with cancer, I was shell shocked and devastated when the oncologist explained our daughter's diagnosis. It was hard to believe the words coming out of his mouth. After that initial shock, however, I decided that I would follow every step and every aspect of her treatment to ensure her remission and cure.
As you face your or your loved one's diagnosis of mesothelioma, I would like to share some important lessons our family learned from our daughter's diagnosis and the 2 1/2 years of treatment that followed.

Clinical Trials Are the Best Hope for a Mesothelioma Cure

Many call it a medical miracle that childhood leukemia, which was almost always fatal only 30 or 40 years ago, now has a cure rate of 85% or more. These phenomenal cure rates were accomplished through clinical trials.
Unlike adults, the majority of children with cancer participate in a clinical trial for their treatment. Today, participation in a clinical trial is the standard of care for a child with cancer. Among adult cancer patients, however, only 3% participate in clinical trials.
Curing childhood leukemia is the story of many committed scientists, including researchers in the laboratory together with physicians treating young patients, working collaboratively by involving the sick and dying children in clinical trials over many years. A cure for malignant mesothelioma will be found by patients like you participating in clinical trials.

You Must Be Your Own Best Advocate

The first lesson we learned was that you must be your own best advocate. Because clinical trials have certain criteria for participation, you need to ask your oncologist what is available. Be proactive.
Ask your doctor to explain to you which study or studies he thinks you might be able to qualify for. Ask which one he would recommend for you and why. If there is a cancer research center or a university medical school in your area, they may have information about what is available.

The Protocol and Roadmap

Participation in a clinical trial will mean that a medical professional, sometimes a nurse clinician, will explain to you the treatment protocol, as well as the Roadmap and all of the informed consent forms that require your signature. The Roadmap is a detailed schedule of when each drug must be administered, in what dosage and which tests and procedures must be done along the way.
All of the paperwork and very technical medical language may seem overwhelming. It is a good idea to have someone from your family there with you to listen and ask questions as well. If you do not understand something, do not be afraid to ask.
Your physician or the nurse clinician will be able to explain things in lay terms that will be easier to understand. This is about you and your loved ones. You want to take every possible measure to fight your cancer, so do not be afraid to ask that things be repeated or re-explained. There is no such thing as a dumb question.
Have a way to organize all of the papers being given to you. I used a three ring binder with dividers. I marked important dates such as the date the treatment was actually administered on my daughter's Roadmap. Sometimes treatment has to be postponed due to infection or other problems. By staying organized, you will know that you received all of the treatment set forth for your study.

Higher Standard of Care

Participating in a clinical trial will mean that you will have a higher quality standard of care than the average patient. This is because the study you are on will require very close monitoring of your condition. You will have certain tests such as blood tests, x-rays or other procedures that must be administered according to schedule.
Your doctor who is participating with you in the study will be providing information to the principal investigator of the study or somehow forwarding your data so that it can be compared with other study participants. You are essentially taking part in a well-controlled human experiment.
You may wonder why you could not just get the medications being used in a study without the bother of the paperwork and formality of actually participating in a trial.
In fact, many doctors around the country may be administering the very same medications being studied and some are probably experiencing certain successes in helping their patients. However, if everyone in their own locality acts separately, there is no way for doctors to share their experiences and analyze the scientific data. Unless this data is collected through a clinical trial, researchers will be unable to identify the most promising treatments, and the cure for mesothelioma will be even further away in the future.
Participation in a clinical trial may not only help to extend your life and boost your quality of life, but will also help medical research to find the best possible treatment and eventual cure for this devastating disease.

A Fighting Spirit and Hope Are Strong Medicine

Lastly (and this is not medical or legal advice) have a fighting spirit! Having hope and the will to make every day count helps you maintain a healthy, strong mind to face adverse circumstances.
I encourage you to ask your doctor today to tell you about the clinical trials available to you. Our daughter is now 17 years old and is a senior in high school. I am still helping mesothelioma clients, and I hope our personal perspective will assist you as you go forward in your treatment.

Mesothelioma Stages

Staging is the medical term used to describe how far the cancer has spread through your body. Once you are diagnosed with mesothelioma, your doctor will probably order additional imaging tests to determine the stage (or extent) of your disease. The tests may include a chest x-ray, a CT scan, an MRI, or an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS).
The staging process is very important to help your doctor plan the appropriate course of treatment. Both your treatment options and overall prognosis will vary depending on what stage of mesothelioma you are in. Generally, the outlook is better if the cancer is diagnosed in the early stages. This is why it is very important to go for frequent medical checkups if you know that you have a history of asbestos exposure, particularly if you show any signs of asbestos disease such as asbestosis or pleural plaques.
Mesothelioma is considered to be localized if the cancer is found only on the pleura or peritoneum where it originated. Mesothelioma is considered to be advanced if it has spread beyond the original site to the lymph nodes, chest wall, lungs, or other internal organs.
Pleural mesothelioma is formally divided into four main stages. The other forms of mesothelioma have not been assigned formal stages.

• Stage I pleural mesothelioma is localized. This means that the cancer is limited to either the right or left pleura, and may also be found in the lining of the lung or the diaphragm on the same side.
• Stage II mesothelioma has spread beyond the lining of the chest to the lymph nodes, chest wall, esophagus, and/or lung on the same side.
• Stage III mesothelioma has penetrated the chest wall, heart, peritoneum, and/or other nearby organs. The cancer may have spread into lymph nodes on the other side of the chest or even outside the chest.
• Stage IV mesothelioma has spread, or metastasized, to distant organs. The cancer may have spread throughout the body via the bloodstream or lymph nodes.

Do Veterans Have Mesothelioma Claims?

Yes, U.S. Military Veterans who have contracted mesothelioma can file a lawsuit. In addition, they may have a claim for Veterans benefits.

U.S. Veterans At High Risk

U.S. Military Veterans are at a high risk of contracting mesothelioma. U.S. Navy Veterans are at a particularly high risk of contracting an asbestos-related disease because they served on ships that had literally tons of asbestos insulating products on them. Veterans who have an asbestos-related condition need to be aware of their rights to file a lawsuit and a claim with the Veterans Administration (VA) related to their service related injury. We have represented hundreds of veterans who served on Navy ships and have the knowledge and expertise to assist you in understanding your lawsuit and Veterans Administration Claim.

Filing A Mesothelioma Lawsuit

We have filed lawsuits on behalf of represented hundreds of Veterans who have contracted an asbestos-related disease. Contact us for a free evaluation of your case and learn how we can help you based on the unique knowledge we have acquired over the years we have represented U.S. Navy Veterans.

Filing a Claim for Veterans Benefits

Although the Veterans Administration recognizes asbestos-related conditions as compensable diseases, it is up to each veteran to establish that he has an asbestos-related disease and that it was caused by his shipboard exposure to asbestos. What makes the filing of a VA claim more complicated is the fact that the asbestos condition develops decades after the veteran's service ended. Not only does the veteran need to present evidence of shipboard asbestos exposure, but he also needs to present the required medical proof establishing an asbestos-related condition. We have experience in the medical causation area, as well as extensive experience regarding the Navy's use of asbestos. Our years of experience will enable us to explain the nature of these asbestos diseases that manifest themselves decades after exposure. This long time period, also known as latency, makes issues regarding diagnosis and exposure all that more difficult to establish.
Veterans, family members, and survivors are entitled to certain benefits depending on the facts of the claim. Each claim is unique and must be presented based on its own merits and facts. Benefits range from disability compensation to medical and burial benefits to survivor's benefits. The filing of a complete and detailed application will ensure that the VA can render a prompt decision about the benefits to which you and your family may be entitled.

Our Unique Knowledge Can Help You

We know and understand ships and submarines. We know how the equipment and machinery were operated and maintained. We know where and how the asbestos insulation was used and how it was disturbed during the normal operation and repair of Navy vessels. We have learned this information over the past 30 years of representing Navy veterans in asbestos cases. We will use our expertise to help you assemble the facts and information needed to file your lawsuit and your claim with the Veterans Administration.
Because of our extensive experience representing U.S. Navy Veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma, we have developed the expertise to research U.S. Navy ships and identify where and how asbestos products were used. While this information is critical to any lawsuit against the companies who sold these asbestos products, it is also necessary for the filing of your VA claim.
We have studied and investigated all classes of navy ships and the asbestos products used on them. We have an exceptionally large library of documents related to the Navy's use of asbestos on all classes of ships. We are uniquely qualified to help you understand how you were exposed to asbestos during your naval service Contact us now to consult us to file your asbestos lawsuit and to assist in filing your Veterans Administration claim—at no cost to you.

Smoking and Circulation

While most people equate smoking deaths to cancer and lung disease, in fact many more people will die from circulatory conditions from smoking than die from cancer or other lung diseases.  Also, in general, they will die at much younger ages from these problems.  We would have many more lung cancers than we do if smokers could live long enough to get them.  When many people with fatal heart attacks or strokes are autopsied, there are often precancerous lesions found that indicate that if these people had a few more years to live they would have eventually succumbed to these smoking induced diseases.
As for heart and other circulatory diseases, the two chemicals in cigarettes that stand out as the biggest problems are nicotine and carbon monoxide.  Nicotine, besides being addictive, has very powerful effects on arteries throughout the body.  Nicotine is a stimulant, speeding up the heart by about 20 beats per minute with every cigarette, it raises blood pressure, is a vasoconstrictor - which means it makes arteries all over the body become smaller making it harder for the heart to pump through the constricted arteries - and it causes the body to release its stores of fat and cholesterol into the blood.
The heart has to work harder to overcome all of these effects.  To work harder the heart, like every other muscle in the body, needs extra amounts of oxygen for the additional workload.  The oxygen has to be transported through the blood.  But carbon monoxide from tobacco smoke literally poisons the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood.  So this results in the heart having to work harder to get more blood to itself to work harder, because it's working harder.  This is a circle.  A vicious and deadly circle when it comes down to it.
Below we see the cross section of a normal artery.  Usually we have nice big openings in the artery to carry oxygen as well as all other nutrients to all the tissues of the body.

If you compare this artery to the one below...

... you can see the blood clotted, blocking the blood flow to whatever organ or tissue this artery was leading to.  Without being able to get circulation, that tissue will literally suffocate in a matter of minutes and basically be left as useless tissue.  Sometimes the artery involved is a coronary artery, one that supplies the heart with the blood it needs to function.

Below is a picture of a coronary artery attached to the heart...

If we look at a close up view of the artery...

... we see the blood clotted and blood flow to the section of the heart that this artery was supplying was cut off.  What will result is that a portion of the heart muscle that was supposed to get that blood flow suffocates and dies within a matter of minutes.

Above we see infarcted (dead) heart muscle (myocardial infarction).  The tissue is literally brittle as illustrated by the cracking effect.  Instead of being able to pump blood, this area whole section of muscle is no longer able to be utilized for its life sustaining function.  Again, smokers get this much more often because of the effects of nicotine and carbon monoxide.  Nicotine having all the direct effects on the heart itself, carbon monoxide robbing the oxygen supply, and both chemicals increasing clotting as well as clogging factors in the blood.  If the section of the heart affected was larger enough the smoker would die from the first attack.  Often smaller areas are affected and the patient can survive but has lost that specific section of the heart and may have permanent impairments from the now limited supply of heart tissue.

Cigarette smoking increases risks of blood clots significantly.  If the blood clots in an artery and blood can no longer get through, the tissue that is supposed to be supplied with blood has lost the source of its oxygen and nutrients and dies in minutes.  But clots are not the only way these arteries can be blocked.  Another way is by clogs.
As opposed to clots where the blood actually coagulates and becomes an obstruction, clogs are where deposits of fat gradually build up.  In the first picture below you can literally see the start of a artery getting a fat buildup.

Over time, this opening can get narrower and blood flow gets more and more impeded.  This of course adds to the workload of the heart to pump through smaller arteries with increased resistance.  But this clogging does not only happen to the coronary arteries, it literally happens all over the body.  Remember, nicotine is not only a vasoconstrictor, making arteries go into constrictions every time it is administered, but it also causes the body to release its own stores of fat and cholesterol.  Besides this, carbon monoxide has an effect that makes the fat stick to the arteries.  The reason is carbon monoxide lowers the oxygen level of the blood (hypoxia) and hypoxia seems to have an effect making fat stick to artery walls.

Eventually over time arteries can become totally blocked with fat as seen in the slide below.

As in the case with a clot, blood cannot get through and the body part that was contingent on that blood supply for survival is lost.  If this artery lead to your heart as in the case of the clotted coronary arteries above, the result would be a heart attack with a loss of heart muscle that if large enough would be fatal.  But the heart is not the only organ affected this way.  Another common site of problems are the arteries leading to the brain.  Below is a picture of the base of a health human brain.

The arteries to the brain are very small here and clear, very difficult to see in fact.  The arrows are pointing them out.  To see them clearer here is a close up shot of these arteries...

Again note, these arteries are very thin and clear.  Smoking increases the fat deposits to these arteries so often, instead of looking like this, they can look like the slide below...

With the fat build up the arteries are much easier to see.  But this build up if complete cuts off circulation to your brain and as is the case with the heart, the part of the brain that no longer gets circulation dies.  This is what happens in the case of a stroke.  Circulation gets cut off from the brain either through a clog or a blood clot.  The section of the brain that gets cut off suffocates and dies.  If this part of your brain controlled speech, you will not talk anymore, if it controlled some form of motor function, these abilities will be lost and leave the patient impaired or crippled.  If the section of the brain affected controlled some life sustaining function, the patient will die, again, within minutes of when the circulation cut off is complete.

The clogging and clotting effects of nicotine and carbon monoxide are the primary reasons why smokers are at such a higher risk of this condition.  But this clogging/clotting effect is not limited to just major organs like the heart or brain.  These chemicals affect arteries throughout the entire body.  These affects may not be as deadly as cutting off circulation to the heart or brain, but in a real way they can show the true potential of the grip of the nicotine addiction.

Peripheral circulation, arteries going to the extremities are also highly susceptible to the vasoconstrictor effects of nicotine as well as the increase of clots and clogging risks posed by smoking.  Smoking is a primary cause of much of the peripheral vascular disease seen as well as a powerful aggravating factor for people who have other preexisting conditions causing circulation problems to the extremities.
One condition though stands out as being truly unique and in many ways, demonstrates the real addictive nature of nicotine better than any other cause.  The condition is known as Buerger’s Disease (thromboangiitis obliterans.)  Buerger’s Disease is a condition where there is a complete cutoff of circulation to the finger or toes, resulting in gangrene.

Once gangrene occurs the only course of action is to amputate the affected area.

The most common age bracket that this disease strikes is in people between the ages of 20 to 40, normally young to get circulation problems that result in amputations.  While it is much more common in men, women are affected to.  What makes Buerger’s Disease unique is that it is a disease that is basically exclusive to smokers.  There are almost no documented cases of this disease happening in a non-smoker.  Smoking is the primary etiologic factor.  This is a rare disease, but noteworthy because of this unique nature of happening only in smokers.
If a smoker gets lung cancer, the person and other people can sometimes think, “well non-smokers sometimes get lung cancer too, maybe cigarettes didn’t cause it.”   Same thing with heart attacks or strokes, non-smokers get them too, smokers just get them much more often.  But again a certain level of denial can be exhibited and there is no way to conclusively prove that cigarette did it.  But Buerger’s Disease, having no other known cause and basically never happening in non-smokers does not lend itself to such denials.  When a doctor determines he or she is dealing with a Buerger’s Disease patient, a basic ultimatum is going to be delivered—quit smoking or lose your limb—your choice!  If we were dealing with simply a "bad habit," how many people given such an ultimatum and knowing it is true would continue doing the particular behavior given such consequences?
While Buerger’s Disease is much more common in men, I have personally had two women who were Buerger’s Disease patients in my clinics.  My first actual encounter with a Buerger’s Disease patient was with a woman who was 38 year old when I met her, which was about 24 years ago.  Three years before I met her, at the age of 35 she was diagnosed with Buerger’s Disease.  This is actually relatively late to first be diagnosed.  Her doctor had told her she had to quit smoking, but she did not comply and within a few months she had her right leg amputated.  The circulation in her left leg was also badly affected, and after the hospitalization from the amputation she did quit smoking and had no further circulatory complications for the next three years.
Then one night at a party, a friend offered her a cigarette.  She figured that since she had been off cigarettes for so long, she now had control over her dependency.  If she liked the cigarette, she would smoke one or two a day.  If she didn't like the cigarette, she just wouldn't smoke anymore.
Well, she took the cigarette.  She didn't particularly like the cigarette, but the next day she was up to her old level of consumption.  Four days later she lost circulation in her left leg.  She knew the reason.  After three years with no problem and only four days after going back to smoking her circulation was affected.  Her doctor told her that if she did not quit immediately, she would probably lose her other leg.
This is when I met her.  She enrolled in a smoking clinic that week and quit smoking.  Almost immediately her circulation improved.  The doctor took her off anti-coagulant drugs and vasodilators he had put her on a few weeks earlier to try to slow up the process even though they were highly ineffective at stopping the likelihood of gangrene and amputation.  But once she quit smoking she no longer needed them.  Soon, her circulation was back to normal.
Nine months later, I called to ask her to serve on a panel.  At that time, she sluggishly replied, "I can't come.  I have been in the hospital the last two months." When I asked what had happened, she hesitantly replied, "I had my toes amputated." She had gone back to smoking.  She tried one because she just couldn't believe she would get hooked again.  She was wrong.  She lost circulation, had her toes removed and eventually had her leg amputated.
I have had other clinic participants with similar experiences, being told to quit smoking or lose limbs who did not quit smoking.  The reason I talk about this particular woman again and again is about a year after she had the second amputation, she came back into a clinic I was conducting and told me she had quit again and was now off about 9 months.  I told her I was surprised, I thought she had permanently lost control.  After all, she had her leg removed, the toes from her other foot, and eventually her second leg.  When I confronted her with that information she replied, "The doctor finally convinced me.  He said, 'You might as well keep on smoking, I'll just take your arms off next.'" That scared her into quitting smoking.  Her next comment to me was unbelievable.  She looked me straight in the face, dead seriously, and said "I DIDN'T NEED A HOUSE TO FALL ON ME TO TELL ME TO QUIT SMOKING."  
I had periodic contact for the next 15 years at which time she moved away.  She was fine over that whole time period.  Whenever I brought up that conversation, we both found ourselves amazed that she could ever have made such an irrational statement.  She happened to be a very rational, bright and inspirational individual.  She would get around on wooden legs, socializes, and even occasionally would sing and dance on stage. Once she had broken free of the drug's effects and the smoker's psyche, she knew she could do anything.
Frequently, I would encounter people who quit smoking on their own.  When I ask how they did it, they tell me of this marvelous lady they met who told of how she used to be hooked on smoking.  Hooked so bad, in fact, that she had her legs amputated from a smoking related illness.  It usually turns out to be the same person.  By spreading her story, she offers inspiration and hope to countless smokers to break the addiction before the addiction breaks them.
Her story represents the real power of the addiction.  She could not deny any where along the way smoking wasn’t the cause.  Not only would every doctor and all the research she could do pinpoint smoking as what was causing her problem, but she had quit, was fine, relapsed and within days lost her circulation—twice!  The second time she actually lost her toes and her foot and then her lower leg.  There was absolutely no way she could deny the cause and yet it took another 9 months for her to quit again.
Her continued smoking and ease of relapsing shows nicotine dependency at its worst.  This overpowering nature of nicotine should not be lost on anyone here.  You probably don’t have a condition that is obvious as to force you to make a decision almost immediately upon relapse.  In many ways this is worse, for cigarettes are quietly and insidiously destroying you, sometimes with little warning, or at least ones you will acknowledge.  The first symptom to many circulatory diseases caused by smoking is sudden death.  You may get no second chance.
Once you have a quit smoking, do everything in your power to make it last.  You don't know that you will have the desire, strength or worst of all, the opportunity to quit next time.  A tragic and fatal disease may get you first.  Always consider the full danger of smoking and power of the addiction and your likely choice will be to - NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!

SMOKING CIGARETTES HARMFULLY AFFECTS HEALTH

According to the American Cancer Society, smoking kills at least 400,000 people every year. For those who smoking does not kill, it still creates a higher risk of disease for everything from heart disease to cancer.

The Director of the ACR research Centre Pr. Chris Sherwood explains that the harmful health effects of smoking cigarettes presented in the list below only begin to convey the long term side effects of smoking.

Sherwood says “Quitting makes sense for many reasons but simply put: smoking is bad for health”.

Apart that smoking kills, Sherwood says that one in two lifetime smokers will die from their habit, that half of these deaths will occur in middle age and that Tobacco smoke also contributes to a number of cancers.

As Sherwood continues explaining smoking also has an effect on heart. Smokers have a much higher level of carbon monoxide (toxic gas) in their blood stream, and much less oxygen. This can affect heart as well as the overall circulatory system by increasing blood pressure and increasing the cholesterol levels, which leads to plaque building on arteries, depriving brain and muscles of the oxygen they need to function correctly.

He says that this can cause heart attacks and stroke and that it slows blood flow, cutting off oxygen to feet and hands. “Some smokers end up having their limbs amputated”, he adds.
However, changing to low-tar cigarettes does not help because smokers usually take deeper puffs and hold the smoke in for longer, dragging the tar deeper into their lungs.

Another effect of smoking is that it causes disease and is a slow way to die as Sherwood explains. He says that the strain of smoking effects on the body often causes years of suffering and sometimes Emphysema. This is an illness that slowly rots lungs. “People with emphysema often get bronchitis again and again, and suffer lung and heart failure”, he says, “it is very dangerous, trust me!”

Sherwood says that lung cancer from smoking is caused by the tar in tobacco smoke. Men who smoke are ten times more likely to die from lung cancer than non-smokers. The heart disease and strokes are also more common among smokers than non-smokers.

He enlightens that according to the ACS findings, Smoking causes around one in five deaths from heart disease and that in younger people, and three out of four deaths from heart disease are due to smoking.

In addition, he says that cigarette smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of low birth weight, prematurely, spontaneous abortion, and prenatal mortality in humans, which has been referred to as the fatal tobacco syndrome.

As conclusion, there’s hardly a part of the human body that's not affected by the chemicals in the cigarettes you smoke. The health effects of smoking have results which can be measured.

The ACS 2005 report says that forty percent of men who are heavy smokers will die before they reach retirement age, as compared to only 18 percent of non-smokers. But the good news is that when you quit smoking your body begins to repair itself. Ten years after you quit, your body has repaired most of the damage smoking caused. Those who wait until cancer or emphysema has set in aren't so lucky—these conditions are usually fatal.

smoking effects’

he effects of smoking have been well documented in regard to increased risk for cancer, heart attack, emphysema, various cancers and an overall reduced lifespan, however, you may not be aware of how smoking robs your body of key nutrients which may play a major role in the development of these ailments.

Smoking Effects

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, cigarettes emit 400 chemicals when they are smoked. Some of these chemicals include ammonia, formaldehyde, cyanide, lead and tar – all very harmful to the body. These chemicals produce free radicals.

Free Radicals

Free radicals are defined by the National Cancer Institute as, “A type of unstable molecule that is made during normal cell metabolism (chemical changes that take place in a cell). Free radicals can build up in cells and cause damage to other molecules, such as DNA, lipids, and proteins. This damage may increase the risk of cancer and other diseases.”

Free radicals are not produced by smoke only, the body naturally produces free radicals when breaking down food, processing alcohol, filtering pollutants, when exposed to radiation, etc. Smoking only stresses the body and reduces the body’s ability to fight the oxidation produced by these free radicals.

Smoking lowers levels and/or reduces activity of the following:

• Vitamin C
• B-carotene
• Selenium
• Zinc
• Vitamin E
• Various B-complex vitamins

To add insult to injury, the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reports that smokers are less likely to consume fruits and vegetables; the natural sources of antioxidants.

Smoking and Diabetes

Smoking can aggravate conditions such as blood pressure and high cholesterol that many people with diabetes already face. According to the American Diabetes Association, smoking affects those with diabetes in the following ways:

• Smokers who have diabetes have the highest percentage of depression compared to former and never smokers
• Smoking raises the blood sugar level making it harder to control
• Smoking increases the risk for nerve damage which can lead to complications with kidneys, legs, feet, digestion, eyes and sexual function
• Smoking triples the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease in those with diabetes compared to those with diabetes who do not smoke

Antioxidants

The National Institutes of Health defines antioxidants as, “substances that may prevent potentially disease-producing cell damage that can result from natural bodily processes and from exposure to certain chemicals. Although antioxidant molecules counter oxidative stress in laboratory experiments, there is some debate as to whether consuming antioxidants—in food or supplement form—actually benefits health. “

Antioxidants are found in large amounts in fruits, vegetables, grain cereals, teas, legumes and nuts.

While eating a healthy diet is beneficial for many reasons, the only sure way to stop the harmful effects from smoking is to quit.

Antioxidant Supplements

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine states: “Although observational studies suggest that eating a diet high in antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruits is associated with a lower risk for many chronic diseases, there is limited evidence to support the use of antioxidant supplements to prevent disease. Additional research, including studies supported by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and other components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is under way.

Antioxidant supplements are often synthetic (man-made), but some of these synthetic forms may not have the same effects on the body as antioxidants that occur naturally in foods. In addition, some beneficial properties may be lost when antioxidants are extracted from foods to manufacture supplements. There is also some concern that consuming antioxidants in excessive doses may have negative effects.”

How to Quit

No matter where you are in your stage of quitting – thinking about it, preparing, etc. check out Smokefree.gov. You’ll find a wealth of information and even have the opportunity to talk with someone live for help.

Why Quit?

Here are just a few reasons that quitting will be worth your while:

• Feel healthier right away
• Improved skin tone, whiter teeth and fresher breath
• Cough less and breath better
• Save money
• Being a better role model for your family

Mandy Seay is a registered and licensed dietitian. She works as a nutrition consultant in Austin, Texas, specializing in diabetes, weight loss, lipid control and preventative nutrition. For more health articles and nutrition information, check out Mandy’s website Nutritionistics.