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Welcome to the Mesothelioma Cancer Center

This web site is intended to provide a comprehensive information source about asbestos, asbestos exposure, and asbestos-related diseases. Anyone who has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, knows someone who has been diagnosed, has a suspected history of asbestos exposure, or who is simply interested in learning more about asbestos, may find this information useful.

There are many issues of importance when it comes to asbestos – exposure risks and consequences of exposure, as well as many legal issues. Perhaps the most shocking of these is that many of the problems caused by asbestos—the hundreds of thousands of cases of asbestos-related disease—could have been avoided.

America’s Tragic Asbestos History

In recent decades it has become shockingly evident that during the twentieth century, many corporations went to great lengths to cover up knowledge of the immense danger faced by thousands of asbestos workers.

1900: As early as 1900, physicians in Britain recorded evidence of a link between asbestos and deadly lung problems.

1930s: By the 1930s many companies producing or using asbestos had conclusive proof that asbestos was deadly. However, they kept the damning knowledge about asbestos to themselves, instead of using it to safeguard workers – and very few employers made any effort to provide workers with the protective equipment needed to prevent exposure.

1950s: In the 1940s and 1950s, many insurance companies—as well as asbestos-related industries—were aware of the shockingly high correlation between asbestos exposure and illness or death due to lung diseases such as asbestosis and certain types of cancer.

1970s: Up until the 1970s and even into the 1980s, many companies continued to place workers at risk, without ever notifying them of the asbestos-related dangers they faced every day. Some companies acknowledged internally that massive lawsuits would be forthcoming as a result of the incidence of asbestos-related diseases in their employees, but these companies considered that the profit made from asbestos was more important than the deadly consequences.

By the 1970s, people had been dying of asbestos-related diseases for decades. The problem has only gotten worse in the last thirty years, due to the long latency period of mesotheilioma. Incredibly, asbestos is not officially banned in America, despite the obvious dangers and the tragic consequences of America’s history of asbestos use.

The Consequences of Asbestos Use

Many companies insisted for decades that asbestos was harmless, but the deadly consequences of asbestos exposure have exposed the lie. As a direct result of asbestos exposure, thousands of Americans are diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases annually, and thousands die every year.

The deadly asbestos legacy stems not only from the dangers of asbestos, but also because so many manufacturers deliberately concealed the truth about asbestos for decades. By hiding the truth, these companies put hundreds of thousands of people in danger – and it was all done to protect the massive profits generated by the asbestos trade.

Companies involved in the asbestos trade are responsible for this tragedy, but it’s the workers in these companies—the men and women who were exposed to asbestos—who are paying the true price. Hundreds of thousands of people have developed asbestos-related diseases, and many have died, because of asbestos companies which chose to put profits ahead of human lives.

What you Can Do

If believe you may be at risk of asbestos exposure, if you have a history of exposure, or have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, it’s important to learn all you can about asbestos and the consequences of exposure.

• If you’re not sure about your exposure history, find out more about at-risk occupations.
• If you know you have a history of asbestos exposure, it’s important to ensure you and your doctor can recognize any early warning signs that may appear. Learn about the symptoms and diagnosis of asbestos-related diseases such as mesotheilioma and asbestosis.
• If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, find out about treatment options, or your legal rights, as a first step to claiming financial compensation.