Michigan has long been at the heart of the American industry. It has been the home of the automotive industry, along with associated industries of plastic, chemical, steel, automotive repair, shipyards, oil refineries and power generation.
While great for the economy, it has taken a toll on individuals who helped to keep these industries alive and running.
Asbestos exposure
“The workers in these fields provided a fair day’s labor, often in dangerously unhealthy working conditions where, for decades, they were unsafely exposed to asbestos,” said Gene Zamler, of Zamler, Shiffman and Karfis law firm, who has been involved in Michigan’s asbestos litigation for more than 40 years.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breathing asbestos can cause tiny asbestos fibers to get stuck in the lungs, which can irritate them. Exposure can increase the risk of certain cancers, including lung cancer and mesothelioma. It can also lead to asbestosis: scarring in the lungs from breathing asbestos fibers. Oxygen and carbon dioxide do not pass in and out of scarred lungs, so breathing becomes increasingly more difficult.
During an Environment Working Group (EWG) investigation, the organization found an epidemic of asbestos disease and mortality that spreads nationwide and does not overlook any community or group of people. It estimates asbestos kills about 10,000 Americans each year.
Duncan Brown, lead toxic counsel at Zamler firm, said all the conditions Zamler mentioned can be linked to the person’s exposure to asbestos and has directly affected many Michigan workers.
“Tragically, over time, these workers developed diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, pharyngeal cancer, stomach cancer and colon cancer, as well as asbestosis.
In an expose given by attorneys Zamler and Brown, they explained these workers were not warned of the dangers of asbestos by their employers, nor the manufacturers and suppliers of asbestos products. They allege the workers were also not given breathing protection or adequate breathing protection to protect them from inhaling harmful asbestos fibers.
Brown and Zamler highlighted that many industrial workers and tradesmen were exposed to asbestos daily. Some of these include, but are not limited to:
- Boilermakers
- Carpenters
- Electricians
- Insulators
- Laborers
- Millwrights
- Masons
- Pipefitters
- Plumbers
Compensation
Brown said as a Michigan-based firm that has represented thousands of clients in Michigan-based asbestos litigation for more than 40 years, attorneys there have developed an exhaustive library of Michigan jobsites where asbestos products were present. They have also identified manufacturers and suppliers of such products.
“We also have thousands of deposition transcripts of former and current clients where they have identified numerous manufacturers of asbestos products and numerous jobsites,” he said.
Many of these manufacturers of asbestos products have been through bankruptcies, but they continue to be highly competitive and profitable, according to the EWG. The organization claims this is because these bankruptcies are not liquidations but are instead just reorganizations that protect company assets and subsidiaries from future asbestos claims as they attempt to provide compensation for people harmed by decades of largely uncontrolled asbestos manufacturing and use.
The attorneys with Zamler said those who have been impacted by asbestos should not assume they cannot be compensated.
“As to the many asbestos manufacturers that have gone into bankruptcy -- prior to their seeking the protection of the bankruptcy court -- we had developed exhaustive information as to their products used through the state of Michigan,” Zamler said. “This places us in a unique position to effectively make claims against the numerous asbestos-related bankruptcy trusts which have placed over $30 billion aside to compensate workers exposed to asbestos.”
He added that the firm is contacted by many clients years after exposure -- often referred by union locals, other attorneys, colleagues or former clients -- when they finally receive a diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease. But they don’t have to wait that long.
Brown said attorneys at Zamler are fighting to do right by those who have suffered from asbestos exposure and can investigate any possible cases of exposure.
“Since we have concentrated our representation to Michigan workers exposed to asbestos, we are a superior choice to represent such workers, rather than out-of-state law firms,” Brown said. “We have an unassailable 40-year history of being a leader in Michigan’s asbestos litigation and obtaining Michigan workers optimum compensation in their time of need. We have the knowledge, experience and skill to help Michigan workers affected by this tragic industrial epidemic. In your time of need, let us fight for you and your family.”
If you, a loved one, friend, colleague or union brother or sister have recently been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, pharyngeal cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer or asbestosis, call 800-529-9377 or 248-557-1155, or email sgibbons@zskpc.com.