Attorneys with Motley Rice have been deeply involved in asbestos litigation for decades, with late firm co-founder Ron Motley being recognized for his groundbreaking work in the 1970s when he uncovered and revealed the internal company documents showing some companies’ concealment of the knowledge that asbestos was harmful. For this and other trailblazing efforts in asbestos litigation, American Lawyer dubbed Motley “The Man who Took on Manville.”
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| Mesothelioma and Asbestos Lawsuit |
What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber that was once valued for its resistance to heat, electrical and chemical damage, and was used by dozens of trades. With millions of microscopic fibers, asbestos can easily break apart and become airborne and possibly inhaled. Should asbestos fibers be inhaled, they may become lodged in your lungs, potentially leading to lung cancer, mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases. Additionally, because asbestos fibers travel so easily through the air, not only the person working with asbestos-containing products but also bystanders run the risk of inhaling these fibers and developing an asbestos-related disease even decades after exposure.
From the early 1900s through the 1980s, asbestos was used in thousands of different industrial products, including pipe and furnace insulation materials, roofing shingles, floor tiles, millboard, textured paints and other coating materials.
In 1989, the United States banned asbestos in specific products. This ban, however, did not ban the use of asbestos altogether. Additionally, other countries continue to mine asbestos. As a result, asbestos can still be found in a number of consumer products, including building materials, friction products and heat-resistant fabrics.