The very first legal action against asbestos manufacturers was brought in 1929. The parties settled that lawsuit, and as part of the agreement, the lawyers agreed not to pursue further lawsuits. It was not until 1960 that an article released by Wagner et al first officially established mesothelioma as a disease arising from direct exposure to crocidolite asbestos. The article referenced over 30 case studies of individuals who had suffered from mesothelioma in South Africa.

Some exposures were transient and quite a few were mine workers. In 1962, McNulty reported the very first diagnosed case of malignant mesothelioma in an Australian asbestos worker. The worker had worked in the mill at the asbestos mine in Wittenoom from 1948 to 1950.

In the town of Wittenoom, asbestos-containing mine waste was utilized to cover up schoolyards and playgrounds. In 1965, a article in the British Journal of Industrial Medicine established that individuals who lived in the neighborhoods of asbestos industrial facilities and mines, but did not work in them, had contracted mesothelioma.

Despite evidence that the dust linked to asbestos mining and milling causes asbestos related diseases, mining began at Wittenoom in 1943 and continued until 1966. In 1974 the first public warnings of the dangers of blue asbestos were published in a cover story called “Is this Killer in Your Home? ” in Australia’s Bulletin magazine. In 1978, the Western Australian Government made the decision to phase out the town of Wittenoom, right after the publication of a Health Dept. booklet, “The Health Hazard at Wittenoom”, containing the results of air sampling and an assessment of worldwide medical information.

By 1979, the first writs for negligence connected to Wittenoom were issued against CSR and its subsidiary ABA, and the Asbestos Diseases Society was formed to represent the Wittenoom victims.

Finding a Mesothelioma Attorney

Since so much is at stake, selecting the right mesothelioma attorney is very critical. According to the Wall Street Journal, lawyers claim that a typical mesothelioma award in a mesothelioma settlement is around $1 million, and the mesothelioma lawyers get around 40% of this amount. If the case actually moves to trial, the average award was $6 million in 2001, which was triple the amount awarded just a couple of years earlier.

So, mesothelioma attorneys are quite eager to find mesothelioma patients. And it is vital that patients select the mesothelioma attorneys that are perfect for them.

Your Legal Rights Regarding Mesothelioma

Organizations that produce products that contain asbestos have been aware for over 60 years that asbestos can cause serious diseases. Sadly, because many of these companies wanted to increase their profits, they kept this knowledge to themselves, thereby seriously endangering their personnel.

There are now laws that help protect the workers who have been harmed by their direct exposure to these asbestos-related products. But, since representing mesothelioma can be so profitable to attorneys, it is critical that people who have mesothelioma be particularly mindful to choose attorneys who are really qualified to represent them.