Silicosis Lawsuit

Legal Help Now Available For People Suffering From Silicosis

Contact Van Law Firm If You Or Someone You Know Has Been Affected By Silicosis

According to the American Lung Association, millions of Americans are at risk for developing an incurable lung disease called silicosis. Unlike other lung diseases, this one isn’t caused by smoking, or even vaping. Instead, silicosis stems from exposure to certain hazardous materials at work.

As the organization explains, workers in some industries can get silicosis after inhaling miniscule silica particles. Silica is a widespread mineral found in various rocks and soil. Inhalation of silica dust over a prolonged period causes irreversible lung scarring, called pulmonary fibrosis. Serious complications can also occur.

Fortunately there is no need for silicosis victims to suffer in silence. Legal help is now available for workers suffering from this condition. The personal injury attorneys at Van Law Firm  are urging you to contact us if you or someone you know was diagnosed with silicosis after workplace exposure to silica particles.

For a free legal consultation, call (725) 900-9000

Who Is Most Likely To Get Silicosis?

As noted above, people who are exposed to silica – or more specifically silica dust – on the job are greatest risk for getting silicosis. These include: 

• Miners
• Steel workers
• Construction workers
• Plaster or drywall installers
• Glass manufacturers
• Masons
• Roofers
• Farmers

People who work on road repair crews or in occupations that involve sandblasting are also at risk of getting silicosis. So are craftsmen involved in stone countertop fabrication, especially when the material involved is engineered stone. Craftsmen that make ceramics are at risk too.

What Are The Different Types Of Silicosis?

Experts say there are three different types of silicosis. These are acute, chronic and accelerated. Let’s take a closer look at each.

Acute silicosis stems from contact with substantial amounts of silica. Workers may start experiencing symptoms quickly (in just a few weeks), or it may take up to two years.

Chronic silicosis is the most common type. With this condition, people may not start having symptoms for a prolonged period, sometimes 10 years or more. Symptoms may not be bad when they begin, and slowly get progressively worse.

The last type is accelerated silicosis. In this manifestation of the condition, the onset of symptoms begins five to 10 years after substantial exposure to silica. Unlike chronic silicosis, however, the symptoms worsen quickly.

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Silicosis Symptoms

This brings us to the next question. What are the symptoms of scoliosis?

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), there are four primary symptoms, namely:  cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, and chest pain. Symptoms that show up as the condition worsens include weight loss, sudden fever, swollen legs and blue lips.

To make matters worse, silicosis also makes patients more susceptible to other illnesses including lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, and scleroderma. A greater risk of getting tuberculosis is another known complication of silicosis.

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Diagnosing Silicosis

Medical professionals do several tests to make a silicosis diagnosis. 

The first is a simple chest X-ray or CT scan to check for scarring. A bronchoscopy allows the doctor to look at the patient’s lungs using a long, thin tube equipped with a small camera. The next test, which most people have heard of is a biopsy. In this procedure, the doctor threads a needle through the patient’s chest and into the lungs to take a sample of any scarring. Once the sample has been retrieved, it is viewed under a microscope to look for evidence of silicosis.

Legal Recourse For Workers Living With Silicosis

If you or someone you know is suffering from silicosis, you may be wondering if it is worth suing to recover medical costs, lost wages due to the inability to work, and other economic losses sustained due to the illness. 

To answer that question, our experienced personal injury attorneys must evaluate the specific circumstances of each case. If we find that a prospective client has a viable case, we explain any and all options for legal recourse. That way he or she can make an informed decision about how to proceed.

Depending on the circumstances, someone diagnosed with work-related silicosis may be able to sue their employer individually or as part of a group (in a class action). To win in either case, the affected worker(s) would have to prove that their employer was negligent, and that this ultimately resulted in their illness(es). For example the plaintiff(s) may have to prove that their employer failed to:

• provide proper safety equipment
• implement policies and procedures for minimizing exposure to silica dust
• take any other actions that would reduce the risk of exposure to silica dust on the jobsite

Another option for an individual or group of plaintiffs would be filing a product liability case. This could be done if one or more people were diagnosed with silicosis after exposure to silica dust from a certain product. In this situation, the plaintiff(s) would likely sue the company that makes and/or distributes the product in question based on claims that it failed to provide adequate warnings or instructions.  

In yet another scenario, a worker or workers may be diagnosed with silicosis after exposure to silica dust due to faulty safety equipment. In this situation, the plaintiff(s) may file a product liability case against the company that made the equipment.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with silicosis, contact Van Law Firm to learn more about your options for legal recourse.