Rick Kornak provides sharp news and insightful articles for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. Bio »
December 03, 2013
Washington DC - In a move that may help bring mesothelioma further into the national spotlight, U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy of New York, 69, has filed a lawsuit against multiple asbestos manufacturers. McCarthy, who announced in June that she was being treated for lung cancer, claims that toxic asbestos fibers she was exposed to in her youth significantly contributed to her development of the disease. McCarthy’s father and brothers worked in power plants and shipyards, bringing the asbestos fibers home on their work clothes, McCarthy alleges.
Asbestos can affect those who are not in direct exposure with the dangerous mineral, as in McCarthy’s case. It’s easy to imagine that most sufferers of mesothelioma are blue-collar workers, however, many adults with the disease never worked with asbestos but experienced second-hand exposure during their childhood. Bringing awareness to this problem is important to timely treatment, especially due to the fact that mesothelioma has a latency period of between 40 and 60 years and has symptoms similar to other ailments, which makes it difficult to diagnose.
Another reason McCarthy’s lawsuit is remarkable is because it sheds light on another issue that can be easily misunderstood. McCarthy is a lifelong smoker, and while one might expect this to preclude her from making a valid claim regarding asbestos exposure as a catalyst or cause for mesothelioma, it doesn’t. In fact, numerous studies, including one in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, have shown that smokers who are exposed to asbestos can be up to five times more likely to contract mesothelioma than those who are not exposed.
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