Mesothelioma Lawsuits May Continue to Rise

(January 25, 2011) Japanese research suggested that mesothelioma lawsuits may continue to rise as resulting data and analysis revealed an expanding number of mesothelioma cases world wide.

Ken Takahashi, lead author of the study posted in the journal Environmental Health Perspective by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, said that an approximated 174,300 mesothelioma cases and deaths occurred due to asbestos exposure and asbestos use within the group of 56 countries with available data.

The findings suggest that a magnitude of unreported mesothelioma cases occurred in countries that use asbestos at substantial levels. Nonetheless, no cases of the sickness were reported because only few have knowledge about the global impact of mesothelioma. In addition, researchers of the University of Occupational and Environmental Health in Japan found that cumulative asbestos operations in 89 countries totaled in excess of 65 million metric tons from 1920 through 1970.

In between the top 15 countries which have massive production and usage of asbestos include Russia, Kazakhstan, China and India. Many countries have completely banned the use and export of asbestos except the United states of america, which has long been linked to asbestos cancer. Studies said that asbestos is still used in the manufacture of some products, including brake shoes, wallboard and insulation.

Takahashi suggests that mesothelioma may be prevented by simply eliminating all asbestos exposure. However, such a proposal may cost a relatively large amount of money. On the contrary, those who ignore the risks may find themselves involved in an asbestos lawsuit that might require hundreds of thousands of dollars.