A Louisiana appeals court has upheld a 2006 finding that Exxon company officials failed to implement any kind of safety measures to protect their employees, despite the fact that they knew the dangers of asbestos exposure in their operations.The ruling affirmed the lower court ruling awarding substantial damages to the family of a long-time Exxon employee who died of mesothelioma, a form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure.

Exxon attempted to claim immunity from the lawsuit based on workers compensation statutes, however, the court reaffirmed its earlier ruling that Louisiana’s 1952 Workers’ Compensation Act does not cover mesothelioma and so does not bar suits by mesothelioma victims against their employers for claims that accrued prior to 1975, when the law was amended to cover that disease. In addition, the court held that the plaintiff’s evidence was more than sufficient to establish that Exxon knew of the need to protect its workers from exposure to asbestos.

Thousands of families who have lost loved ones to mesothelioma are fighting companies like Exxon who knowingly exposed workers in shipyards, aluminum smelters, and oil refineries. If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, don’t try to fight this battle alone. An experienced mesothelioma lawyer can help you find the resources you need and offer professional insight on finding financial compensation.

The Montana Missoulian has reported that a free health-surveillance program for screening Libby residents for asbestos-related diseases is closing because of a lack of federal funds.

The program, called Montana Asbestos Screening and Surveillance Activities (MASSA), was started in 2003 after evidence showed a widespread asbestos contamination in Libby.

A vermiculite mine owned by W.R. Grace and Co.was shown to be contaminated with asbestos, the root of the sickness in the community; hundreds of citizens have been affected and many died. The MASSA program provided 4,500 free lung tests to around 3,100 Libby residents. In addition to the tests, patients were also interviewed and given breathing tests and chest X-rays.

While the program screened for asbestos, they never directly diagnosed an asbestos-related disease like asbestosis or mesothelioma. That was left up to the patient’s doctor, but hundreds of cases were discovered as a result of asbestos exposure from the mines.

While many participants of the screenings first learned of their asbestos-related disease because of the free screening, others learned of problems unrelated to asbestos that were discovered in the tests.

People aged 35 and under were eligible for free screenings every five years, those aged 35 to 45 could be screened every three years, and those over the age of 45 were screened every two years. However, those who directly worked at the vermiculite mine were screened on a more frequent basis.

A personal injury lawsuit filed in Madison County, Illinois, is trying to show that asbestos exposure not only causes the rare and deadly cancer mesothelioma, but also lung, colon, and gastrointestinal cancers.

Even though companies were aware of the harmful effects of asbestos on workers, they continued to use the mineral in thousands of products throughout the last century. Because of its widespread use, thousands workers across the US suffered asbestos exposure and developed serious diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis—the three “signature” diseases associated with asbestos exposure.

However, asbestos exposure has been linked to prostate, breast, and colon cancers. It is not known if asbestos directly causes these cancers, but studies have shown asbestos exposure elevates the risk of these diseases–which has lead to some successful asbestos-related lawsuits filed by people who have developed cancers other than mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure.