Asbestos Exposure Can Change Your Family's Future. You Don't Have to Face It Alone.

This guide is for families in Aventura, Miami-Dade County and across Florida. Many are dealing with mesothelioma. It answers the questions families ask first.

It is not medical advice. Please follow your doctors’ care.

What Mesothelioma Is and Who It Affects

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer. It forms in the thin membranes that cover the lungs, chest or abdomen. Membranes are thin layers of tissue that line and cover organs.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry describes it as an asbestos-related cancer.

Asbestos is a mineral fiber. It was once used in many building and industrial products. People usually breathe in or swallow its fibers. The fibers can lodge in the lining of the body. They can stay there for years.

The disease often appears decades later. The ATSDR reports that signs of mesothelioma may have a latency period of 30 to 40 years after exposure. A “latency period” is the time between exposure and the first signs of disease. This long gap is one reason people are surprised to learn the cause.

Exposure is often tied to past work. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration notes that work-related asbestos exposure raises the risk of mesothelioma and lung cancer. These diseases have a delayed onset. They show up long after the exposure.

Construction, shipyard and industrial workers are common examples. Family members can also be exposed. Dust can be carried home on work clothing.

Signs, Symptoms and Types: Questions Families Ask First

Symptoms depend on where the cancer forms. Your doctor should check any new or worsening symptom right away. Families often first notice breathing problems or pain.

Doctors describe mesothelioma by location:

• Pleural mesothelioma forms in the lining of the lungs and chest.
• Peritoneal mesothelioma forms in the lining of the abdomen.

Doctors also look at the cell pattern under a microscope. This is called the cell type. Epithelioid peritoneal mesothelioma is one such cell type. The cell type helps the medical team plan care.

Metastasis means the cancer has spread. It has moved from where it started to other parts of the body. Your medical team finds the spread and stage through testing.

Whether a person can live a normal life with mesothelioma depends on the person, the stage and the treatment. Only the treating doctors can speak to that for your loved one.

Asbestos Exposure: Where and How It Happened Matters

A claim usually turns on where, when and how a person was exposed to asbestos. These facts shape every step that follows.

Start gathering details now, before your first meeting:

• Every job, employer name and work site, with approximate dates
• Home addresses and any years spent near a work site
• Military postings and ship assignments
• Product names, such as insulation, flooring, gaskets or brake parts, if they’re remembered
• Medical records, scans and pathology reports

Lawsuits allege that certain companies made or sold products containing asbestos. These are allegations made in the claims. A court would decide them in any case.

Florida’s asbestos statute sets out when the time limit starts. The time limit does not begin to run until the exposed person discovers that he or she is physically impaired by an asbestos-related or silica-related condition, for asbestos or silica claims not barred as of the effective date of the act. The same is true if the person should have discovered it with reasonable diligence.

Options Beyond a Lawsuit: Asbestos Bankruptcy Trusts

Asbestos bankruptcy trusts are funds set up to pay people with asbestos disease. Many companies that made asbestos products went through bankruptcy. Trusts were created to pay claims.

A trust claim can run separately from a lawsuit. Each trust has its own forms, paperwork and timing. Some families pursue both paths. Others focus on one. The choice depends on the exposure history and the companies involved.

A mesothelioma matter may be referred to, or handled together with, another law firm. We will tell you that at the start, before you share more details.

How a Mesothelioma Claim in Florida Works, Step by Step

A Florida mesothelioma matter usually moves through four stages. The timeline depends on the facts of each case.

1. First consultation. You share the diagnosis, exposure history and any records. The first consultation is free, confidential and without obligation to continue.
2. Record review. Our team reviews exposure history and medical records. We explain what we still need and why.
3. Identifying responsible parties. We look at which companies may be responsible. We also check whether a trust claim applies. Claims may be filed in court or with a trust.
4. Handling the claim. We keep the family informed at each stage.

Florida deadlines can be strict. Under Florida’s limitations statute, actions other than for recovery of real property must be commenced within the period set for their type, and the statute sets different periods for different actions. Contact a lawyer promptly. Do not wait.

Igor Hernandez, one of our attorneys, is the responsible attorney for this page.

Common Questions About Mesothelioma Claims

Florida law lets a family bring a claim after a death. Here are common questions.

Talk With CHG About Your Family’s Situation

If you’re reading this after a diagnosis, you may be facing hard medical news and hard decisions at the same time. Many families are also caring for a loved one. At the same time, they are trying to understand how the disease started.

You don’t have to sort through the exposure history alone. Start with the list above, even if some details are fuzzy. Our team can work through the rest with you.

CHG Personal Injury Lawyers is a Florida-based firm. We represent clients throughout Florida, including Aventura and Miami-Dade County. Our attorneys are licensed in Florida and admitted to The Florida Bar. We publish this guide in Spanish as well.

For families looking for guidance about mesothelioma in Aventura, the next step is a conversation. Request your free, confidential consultation.