February 7th, 2008

A law firm has announced that its client has been awarded more than $8 million by a Texas jury. The suit involved a man and his wife, suing for damages when the man worked as a pipe fitter in the 1950s and 1960s.

A man and his wife have been awarded $8.2 million in an asbestos lawsuit against two companies the man used to work for. The man was a pipe fitter in the 1950s and 1960s, working in turn for each of the companies involved. More than 50 years after working as a pipe fitter, the man was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a type of cancer associated with asbestos exposure. The exposure happened when the man worked with asbestos-insulated pipes before the hazardous material was limited to use by licensed professionals.

Mesothelioma is a devastating disease that results from asbestos fibers being inhaled into the lungs. Asbestos can break apart when it becomes old, or is mishandled, allowing the particles to become airborne. When the particles are breathed in, they become stuck in the lungs, leading to the cancer known as mesothelioma. The disease can take decades to be diagnosed, and is normally so progressed that the victim is terminal.