Legal Action Helps Raise Asbestos AwarenessINDEX...HOME Good Sites Sheila Alsop watched her husband, Lionel, die of mesothelioma in 2005, two years after he had retired. The couple had been married for 43 years and shared two sons. Sheila is now suing the company that she feels is responsible for her husband¡¯s exposure to asbestos. She hopes that her lawsuit will do two things: she hopes it will ease some of the pain of losing her husband, and she hopes it will raise awareness of what asbestos exposure leads to. Researchers discovered the fatal aspects of asbestos use nearly 30 years ago, though many old buildings and companies still allow their employees to work with and around asbestos without the proper protection. In order to protect themselves from cancer-causing asbestos fibers, people who work with and around asbestos should wear breathing protection devices that would keep asbestos fibers from entering their lungs. However, few companies that expose their employees to asbestos offer them this sort of protection. For this reason, legal action taken on the part of those who¡¯ve suffered because of mesothelioma exposure as well as their immediate families can help raise general awareness among those who may still be working with asbestos. Instead of finding out thirty years from now that they have a deadly form of cancer, they can take measures to protect their lungs from asbestos fibers. Lionel Alsop was diagnosed with mesothelioma three months into his retirement. He and his wife had recently purchased a camper that they planned to use to travel around the country. With her lawyer¡¯s help, Sheila Alsop plans to sue the insurance company that represented Wilkins and Coventry, a carpentry company that her husband worked for from 1953 to 1963. She says that she never wants to see anyone go through what her husband went through before his untimely death. |