Frequently Asked Questions

Q. I have been diagnosed with lung cancer after many years of smoking. I worked in a steel mill where I believe asbestos was used. Am I entitled to compensation?

A. People with lung cancer who worked in industrial settings where asbestos was present ARE entitled to compensation, regardless of whether or not they have a history of smoking.
  
Q. My father died of mesothelioma. He worked in a factory in the 1950s. We think he could have been exposed to asbestos then. Is there anything we can do?

A. Yes. Mesothelioma often occurs 50 or 60 years after exposure to asbestos. People who have mesothelioma or survivors of people who died of the disease are entitled to compensation.

 

Q. How can anyone prove that lung cancer or mesothelioma is related to where someone worked?

A. Medical experts agree that mesothelioma is directly linked to asbestos. Often, that exposure can be traced to the workplace–even if exposure occurred many years ago.

 

Q. What is mesothelioma? Is it a form of lung cancer?

A. Mesothelioma is a type of lung cancer–a tumor of the mesothelial tissue. It is a very rare form of lung cancer, directly linked to asbestos exposure.

 

Q. What is asbestos? Who is likely to have been exposed?

A. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral once heavily used for its fire-retardant and other useful properties. Many industrial settings and certain jobs put works at especially high risk of mesothelioma lung cancer related to asbestos exposure. See our discussion of high-risk workplaces and high-risk jobs.