New York Personal Injury Laws

Navy Machinist Mate Exposed to Asbestos

You are a machinist mate in the United States Navy, and you served our country, and all these years later you’ve now been diagnosed with mesothelioma. And you want to know how did I get this disease? Hi. I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney, and I want to talk to you about the types of exposures to asbestos, that navy seamen and machinist mates encounter when they worked on navy ships.

I want to do that by talking about a former client of mine, and he actually was a machinist mate on a aircraft carrier. His work took place primarily in the boiler room. You probably know it as the fire room. He worked on all the equipment in the boiler room.

The boiler itself, as well as the pumps that pumped hot water and different fuels and oils for different uses throughout the ship. He dealt with all the systems for propulsion of the ship. And his work with the boiler involve dealing with the asbestos installation that was on this large marine boiler.

There was actually two of them on the ship. And he dealt with the asbestos installation, removing it, reinstalling it after his work. He dealt with asbestos gaskets as it related to the boiler. He dealt with the pumps that were throughout the boiler room and really throughout the ship, in particular the large boiler feed pumps.

He dealt with packing and gaskets that were made of asbestos, as well as insulation that was on the piping and on the pumps. He dealt with valves that were placed throughout the ships, and he also dealt with other equipment in the boiler room and throughout the ship.

The work that he did with asbestos products that included installation, gaskets, and packing, all of these exposures contributed to him developing mesothelioma many decades later. And his doctors informed him that it was those exposures to asbestos when he was in the navy years and years ago, that all these years later, only just a few years ago, caused him to be diagnosed with mesothelioma.

And that’s what’s expected with mesothelioma. The exposures happen, and then 20 to up to 60 years later the patient’s diagnosed with this cancer, mesothelioma. A cancer caused by asbestos. Now, you have questions about mesothelioma, and about the types of exposures that US Navy servicemen faced when they served our country on US Naval vessels.

I’m Joe Williams. At our office we handle cases for victims of mesothelioma and for their families every day. We deal with these issues on a daily basis. Call our office, we’ll answer your questions. Thank you.

Electrician Diagnosed with Mesothelioma

You’ve worked as an electrician, and you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma. You’re trying to figure out, “How did you get this disease?” Hi, I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney, and I want to talk to you about the types of exposures to asbestos that electricians faced. Now, in order to do that, I want to talk to you about a former client of mine who’s a member of Local 3, which is the electrician’s union here in New York, where we’re shooting this video right now. This particular client was diagnosed with mesothelioma, and he was exposed to asbestos in a lot of different ways. He worked with electrical panel boards, which controlled the electricity for a residential or commercial space. That’s where the electric current comes in from the street, and it is sent out through the switches to the building. In the back of the panel boards was asbestos containing Bakelite, that acted as a insulator between the busbar and the switches. From time to time, he’d have to drill or cut through that Bakelite, to fabricate the panel boards or to install and remove them.

 Where Does Asbestos Exposure Occur

He was exposed to dust from cutting the Bakelite. He also worked throughout the course of his career with switches – switches and arc chutes – which had asbestos components. Again, part of it was Bakelite, which he had to manipulate and cut during repair work, which exposed him to asbestos. This former client of mine dealt with large switchgear, which had asbestos components, as well as, large transformers, which had asbestos gaskets that had to be replaced each time the transformer was opened. He also pulled and cut wire that was insulated with asbestos insulation. All of these things throughout the course of an entire working career exposed him to asbestos on a continual daily basis. As a result of those exposures, he developed mesothelioma. Now, his mesothelioma was diagnosed many, many years after he stopped working, and that’s because– and the doctors who evaluated his case said the same thing. The exposure to asbestos, even though, many years prior, caused the mesothelioma decades later. It’s because there’s a period between 20 and 60 years – in some cases – of time between the time of exposure, and the time of diagnosis in mesothelioma.

Why am I telling you this? Because you have questions about mesothelioma. I’m Joe Williams. At our office, we deal with these issues every day. Call our office, we’ll answer your questions. Thank you.

Asbestos Exposure in Powerhouses

You’ve worked in powerhouses for a good part of your working career, and you were exposed to asbestos, and now you have mesothelioma. Hi. I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney in New York City, and I’d like to talk to you about the types of exposures to asbestos that workers in powerhouses had.

I’d like to talk to you about a former client of mine, who is a powerhouse worker, who is in what’s called the major maintenance gang at one of the utilities here in New York, in New York City. And his job entailed him going to every powerhouse in that particular utility’s system.

 Exposure on the Job

So he is a good client to talk about, because his case involved all the exposures that a typical powerhouse worker would have. So he was able to testify in his case, about exposure to asbestos on boilers. And having worked in powerhouses yourself, you know that the boilers in a powerhouse are giant.

 Large Amounts of Asbestos

Some as tall as ten stories, and just covered and filled with asbestos products, including asbestos block, asbestos cement, asbestos gaskets, asbestos refractory. And this particular former client of mine, talked about asbestos pipe covering on the pipes throughout the powerhouses.

As well as asbestos blankets on the turbines attached with wire to the exterior of the turbines. He talked about asbestos containing flange gaskets, used on almost every pipe in the entire powerhouse. He discussed asbestos coverings on various equipment like pumps and other types of equipment.

He talked about asbestos on valves, he talked about asbestos packing and gaskets used inside of various types of equipment. And these are many of the exposures to asbestos that powerhouse workers could have.

But there are many more, and I’m sure you have many questions about the types of exposures to asbestos that a worker would have in a powerhouse. Well, we can answer your questions. I’m Joe Williams. I invite you to call our office at the number listed below, and we’ll answer your questions. We represent mesothelioma victims every day, and we certainly would be there to answer your questions for you. Thank you for listening.

Boiler Makers Exposed to Asbestos

You’re a boiler maker, and you built boilers and powerhouses in large industrial and commercial buildings. Now, you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma and you’re trying to figure out all the ways that you could have been exposed to asbestos.

Hi. I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney in New York City, and I can answer questions about the ways that boiler makers were exposed to asbestos.

A union boiler maker built the boilers in the powerhouses, built the boilers in the largest structures in the cities in America. I can talk to you about one particular client of mine who was a union boiler maker, who worked in the local powerhouses here in New York City. His work involved construction and erecting huge multistory boilers, in some circumstances ten stories high, in powerhouses, in power generating stations. This work involved working with and sawing with a saw asbestos block, mixing asbestos cement and applying it to different parts of this boiler apparatus, using this mixed asbestos cement and applying it to steam pipes and hot water pipes, working with flange gaskets, cutting asbestos-containing gaskets to put between metal flanges on pipes, working with packing inside of valves and inside of pumps. This boiler maker that I’m speaking of, this former client of mine, was exposed to asbestos in all of these ways.

These are just some of the exposures that a boiler maker would have. You have questions about how a boiler maker was exposed to asbestos? We can answer those questions. I’m Joe Williams. At our office, we represent victims of mesothelioma everyday. I invite you to call our office at the number below and we’ll answer your questions. Thank you.

Various Ways Brooklyn Workers Became Exposed to Asbestos

You were diagnosed with mesothelioma, and you worked in Brooklyn, New York, and you’re wondering, “Where could I possibly have gotten this from?” Hi, I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney. I’m here in New York right now, and I can give you some information about asbestos exposures in Brooklyn, New York. We know that there was major exposure sites in Brooklyn, New York. We know that from handling these cases for many years, and we have to start every discussion about asbestos exposure in Brooklyn, New York with a discussion about the Brooklyn Naval Yard. The Brooklyn Navy Yard was a major shipbuilding and ship repairing site right along the Brooklyn Piers in Brooklyn, New York, in which thousands of workers – at one time, up to 70,000 workers during World War II – worked to build and repair naval ships. All manner of asbestos products were used at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. There’s also the Brooklyn Piers, where longshoremen and other workers loaded and unloaded civilian ships, and were exposed to asbestos. There’s the Kentile Asphalt Tile Plant which, in its heyday, was the largest asbestos tile plant in the world. And, of course, during the housing boom of the last century, apartment buildings and schools to accommodate the kids were built by union tradesmen, and those tradesmen with their own hands used asbestos products like insulation, and floor tile, and joint compound, and refractory asbestos bricks, to build these buildings, and build Brooklyn itself. Now, I’m giving this information because you have mesothelioma, and you have questions. We have information about the asbestos exposure sites in Brooklyn, New York, and how workers, union tradesmen, and other workers, were exposed to asbestos in Brooklyn. I’m Joe Williams, and at our firm we answer questions and help victims of mesothelioma and their families every day. We certainly would like to answer your questions. I invite you to call the number on the screen below. Give us a call, and we’ll answer your questions. Thanks.

Carpenters Exposed to Asbestos

You’re a carpenter, you’ve been exposed to asbestos and now you have mesothelioma. You’re trying to figure out what caused your mesothelioma. Hi, I’m Joe Williams and I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney and I can answer your questions about how carpenters who are exposed to asbestos. Now as a carpenter you worked with many things on large commercial job sites and also smaller residential job sites. But what we know about carpenters is they’re exposed to everything on those jobs. So a carpenter might be installing some cabinetry, might be working on some woodworking in one section of a room while another trade is putting up sheet rock and using asbestos containing joint compound. A carpenter might be doing some mill work in one portion of a room while another trade is starting the installation of asbestos containing floor tile 10 or 15 feet away. All of these are real exposures to asbestos dust for both the carpenter as a by stander and the floor tile mechanic or the dry wall taper who’s working with that asbestos containing joint compound. In addition, many carpenters over the years have told me that they also did these other types of construction work that put up walls with sheet rock and asbestos containing joint compound. That they installed asbestos containing ceiling tiles and drop ceiling. That they worked with asbestos containing floor tiles themselves. That that was all part of the work that they did as a carpenter. As a carpenter it’s not just the work that you did it’s certainly the work you did as well as the work that others did around you. All of this work created asbestos dust from working with various asbestos products which you breathe and that is one for the reasons why you have mesothelioma. I’m sure you have many more questions about mesothelioma and we can answer your questions. I’m Joe Williams, we represent victims of mesothelioma everyday. I invite you to call my office at the number below and we’ll answer your questions. Thank you.

Lung Cancer Versus Mesothelioma

When new clients come into my office, they often talk to me about their lung cancer. They mention mesothelioma, but they don’t really understand the difference. I want to talk to you about that difference now. Hi, I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney, and I want to talk to you a little bit about these two different diseases, both of which can be caused by asbestos. First let’s talk about lung cancer. Lung cancer is a malignancy that grows within the lung itself. Now, here in this anatomical drawing, the lungs are represented here. This is known as the lung parenchyma. It’s a spongy organ that is within the bony rib cage. Now, lung cancer as it’s known– and there’s many different cell types of lung cancer. But lung cancer just generally, is a discrete tumor inside the parenchyma, inside the tissue of the lung.

So you’ve heard the term golf ball-like tumor. Sometimes, doctors refer to it as a nodule. That’s the kind of tumor that happens within the lung tissue. Again, there’s different cell types, but it’s generally called lung cancer. Now, mesothelioma is very different. Mesothelioma is a very specific cancer, and it’s really only two different cell types – epithelial mesothelioma or sarcomatoid mesothelioma – or it can be a combination of the two. That’s called biphasic mesothelioma. But no matter which cell type it is, mesothelioma is a tumor – a malignant tumor – of the lining outside the lung. Now, outside the lung, you see this whitish grey substance here. That’s the pleura. There’s a parietal pleura and a visceral pleura, and these two pleural surfaces interact with the outside of the lung and the inside of the rib cage, and in-between the two of them, there’s a little bit of liquid. So as our diaphragm involuntarily contracts, it pushes the spongy lung tissue – the spongy lung organ – up, and allows us to take a breath. The pleural surface allows the lung to slide along inside the bony rib cage. And we don’t even know it happened, it’s involuntary.

When someone has malignant mesothelioma, a tumor of these pleural surfaces, just breathing can cause pain. Also, the tumor pushes in on the spongy lung tissue, contracts the lung. You can’t get a full breath. Mesothelioma victims experience shortness of breath because of that. The mesothelioma tumor does not grow like a golf ball. It’s a diffuse tumor that grows in a diffuse pattern along the pleural surface, and tends to encase the lung area. Some have described it like a rind of a grapefruit. It’s a diffuse tumor. Those are some of the differences between lung cancer and mesothelioma. I’m telling you this, because you have questions about mesothelioma, about asbestos exposure.

I’m Joe Williams. At my office we handle cases for victims of mesothelioma and lung cancer every day. We deal with these issues, deal with these questions each and every day. If you have questions, I invite you to contact our office. We’ll answer your questions. Thank you for watching.

Talcum Powder Usage Can Cause Harm

What you’re about to hear may seem unbelievable. We need to get the word out so we can protect our women today and our children tomorrow from this dangerous product. Ovarian Cancer, the eighth most common cancer in the U.S., and the fifth leading cause of Cancer death. Each year, nearly 20,000 women in the U.S. get Ovarian Cancer.

A common everyday product is estimated to contribute to approximately 10% of Ovarian cases each year. 40% of us women are estimated to use this product. People might say, “Everybody everywhere uses this product. How can it be connected to Ovarian Cancer?” The label carries no warning. No one would expect this product to have such a severe side effect. People consider it so harmless, they use it on their children. Manufacturers are not likely to warn consumers unless they are forced to by the government.

By: Steven Gacovino

Railroad Retirement Benefits

If you’re disabled and worked long enough for the railroad, you may be entitled to benefits from the Railroad Retirement Board. Applying for railroad retirement disability benefits can be difficult, long, and drawn out but it doesn’t have to be.

Disability Benefits Law FIrm

At Insler & Hermann, we navigate the process for you. We make it as easy as possible for you and your family. Call us today. The sooner you meet with us, the sooner we can help you receive the benefits you deserve. We don’t get paid unless you win. Be our next success story.

By: Lew Insler