Lower Your Asbestos Exposure When Working on a Vehicle

Lower Your Asbestos Exposure When Working on a Vehicle

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Asbestos-containing car parts are still sold in the US, decades after most products containing the cancer-causing mineral fiber went off the market. If you repair vehicles professionally or work on them at home, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has guidelines on safely performing repairs.

Satterley & Kelley, PLLC attorneys represent those in Louisville, throughout Kentucky, and around the country who developed mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions while repairing and maintaining vehicles. If you worked on vehicles and are diagnosed with an illness caused by asbestos, call us at 855-385-9532. We can discuss your potential compensation for your medical costs, pain, suffering, and other damages.

Some, but not all, automotive brakes and clutches may contain asbestos, so those working with or near them may be exposed to asbestos fibers in dust that’s produced as parts wear down and degrade. Brake and clutch dust is visible after a brake disk, drum, clutch cover, or wheel is removed from a truck, car, or other equipment. If asbestos in that dust becomes airborne, it can be inhaled or swallowed, starting down a path that could lead to severe and potentially fatal diseases.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a light, strong, durable mineral fiber that was used in thousands of products over centuries because it’s resistant to the following:

  • Heat
  • Hire
  • Chemicals
  • Electricity

If fibers are airborne, people can inhale or swallow them. Asbestos fibers may never leave the body or be destroyed by its immune response.

Why is Asbestos Dangerous?

Asbestos’ microscopic fibers, when released into the air and inhaled or swallowed, can pose serious health risks. The primary reasons why include:

  • Easily Inhaled or Swallowed: Asbestos fibers are tiny and lightweight, so they’re easily airborne. When people breathe in these fibers, they can become trapped in the lungs and other parts of the respiratory system. When the fibers get into the mouth and are ingested, they threaten the digestive system, abdominal organs, and the abdomen’s lining
  • Health Effects: Prolonged or repeated exposure to asbestos fibers can lead to various severe health conditions, including asbestos (a chronic lung disease causing breathing difficulties, coughing, and reduced lung function), lung cancer (those who smoked have a particularly high risk), mesothelioma (a rare and aggressive cancer that primarily affects the lining of the lungs (pleura) or the abdominal cavity (peritoneum)), and other cancers
  • Long Latency Period: Asbestos’ health effects often take years or decades to develop
  • Fiber Durability: Asbestos fibers in the body can remain for a long time, possibly for a person’s lifetime, causing continued health risks after initial exposure ceases
  • There’s No Safe Exposure Threshold: There is no known safe level of asbestos exposure. Even small amounts over time can potentially lead to health issues
  • Secondary Exposure: People who come into contact with asbestos-exposed individuals or environments (such as asbestos workers’ family members) can also be at risk, as fibers can be carried on clothing, skin, and hair

Compared to the period of asbestos’ peak use (Industrial Revolution through the 1970s), overall, few new products contain asbestos for sale. Asbestos-containing vehicle parts were widely used for decades. They’re less common now, but they’re still used.

What Guidance is Available to Help Me Repair Vehicles Safely?

The EPA reports that most businesses that repair vehicles must comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) regulations (29 CFR 1910.1001 and specifically paragraph (f)(3) and Appendix F). Those repairing vehicles for government entities must follow an identical EPA Asbestos Worker Protection Rule. Those making repairs at home don’t fall under these regulations, but you can take steps to limit your asbestos exposure.

These required measures are for automotive clutch and brake inspection, disassembly, assembly, and repair. They are contained in this brochure you can print. OSHA also has a bulletin on safely working on vehicles with asbestos-containing parts.

How Can I Tell If Brake or Clutch Parts Have Asbestos?

You can’t tell by just looking at them. If you’re working on a newer vehicle or parts, auto manufacturers, packaging labels, or Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) may inform you if asbestos is present. For older vehicles or those that have had their brakes replaced, such materials may not be available, so, as a practical matter, knowing for sure may be impossible.

A best practice is to assume all brakes have asbestos shoes or pads. Whether they have asbestos or not, worn brake shoes appear the same. If you think a shoe doesn’t have asbestos and you don’t use brake dust control procedures, you may expose yourself, your co-workers, and through your work clothes, those who live with you at home.

What Should I Do at Work?

If your job is in a commercial shop that does more than five brake or clutch jobs each week, OSHA requires the use of one of the following or an equivalent method:

  • Negative-Pressure Enclosure/HEPA Vacuum System Method: This vacuum and enclosure system has a clear plastic box that fits tightly around a clutch or brake assembly to prevent asbestos exposure
  • Low Pressure/Wet Cleaning Method: This low-pressure water spray equipment wets the brake assembly. The runoff is caught in a basin to stop brake dust from spreading in the area

If your shop does five or fewer clutch or brake jobs weekly, OSHA regulations allow the “wet wipe method.” You use a spray bottle or another device that delivers a fine water (or a combination of water and detergent) mist at low pressure to wet all clutch and brake parts. You can then use a cloth to clean the area.

What Should I Do and Not Do at Home?

If you don’t know if what you’re working on contains asbestos, consider having the work done at a commercial automotive shop equipped to do the job safely. If you’re unwilling or unable to do so, use the wet wipe method.

Other things you should do include:

  • When you buy parts, find out if they have asbestos. If they do, don’t buy them
  • Use parts that are pre-ground and ready-to-install
  • If your brake or clutch lining will be cut, drilled, grooved, lathe-turned, or beveled, use low speeds to reduce the amount of dust created
  • Use machinery with a dust collection system with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration to avoid dust exposure and contaminating your work area
  • After you’re done, change into clean clothes before going inside your home and wash these clothes separately
  • Keep bystanders, food, and drinks away from the work area

Some things you should not do are:

  • Clean an area with compressed air, which may blow dust and asbestos through the area
  • Clean clutches or brakes with a brush (wet or dry), a dry rag, or a garden hose
  • Use a wet/dry vac to clean up dust if it doesn’t have a HEPA filter. If you do so, asbestos may stay in the air and on your clothes for a long time
  • Take work clothing inside your home, or track dust in your home after the work is done. If you do, you may expose your family to dust particles and asbestos fibers

If you follow this advice, you may still be exposed to asbestos, but the level may be significantly reduced.

How Should I Dispose of Parts or Rags That May Have Asbestos In or On Them?

If you work at a commercial shop, parts you’ve removed and any rags used to clean the area should not simply be thrown out. They must be disposed of in sealed, impermeable containers with appropriate labels. The EPA recommends waste from home auto repairs be double-bagged and disposed of by local rules to minimize exposure.

Call Us Today For A Free Initial Consultation

If you repaired vehicles in the past and are diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, you may receive financial compensation for the harm you suffer. Call us toll-free at 855-385-9532, in Louisville at 502-589-5600, or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with a Satterley & Kelley, PLLC attorney.

Mesothelioma Support Groups

Mesothelioma Support Groups for Patients and Their Loved Ones

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Having cancer can be a very isolating experience for patients and their loved ones, whose extended friends, family, and even doctors may not be able to truly understand what they are going through. With a rare cancer like mesothelioma, this isolation can feel especially profound.

Mesothelioma support groups offer a unique opportunity for patients and their loved ones to connect with other people whose lives are directly affected by mesothelioma. These groups offer the chance to share space and participate in a community with other people who have been through what you are going through. They offer a sense of shared experience that may not be possible with people whose lives have not been affected by mesothelioma. They also offer essential resources and advice for mesothelioma care, treatment, and coping methods, as well as information about new developments like clinical trials.

Not all mesothelioma support groups are the same, and different groups vary in several important ways, including how they are led, how they are structured, and where they take place. Read on for a full run-down on mesothelioma support groups to learn more about the right type of group for you.

What is a Support Group?

Support groups are places where people who are struggling with the same issue can go to share experiences, resources, support, and community. There are a number of different types of support groups, depending on several factors.

  • Peer Leadership vs. Professional Leadership: Some support groups are “peer-led”, meaning they are led by other people who have been personally affected by the issue. In the case of a mesothelioma support group, this can be a mesothelioma patient or survivor, or a family member, caretaker, or friend of a mesothelioma patient or survivor, depending on the group.

Peer-led group leaders do not necessarily have to be accredited or hold professional degrees, though some are certified peer support (CPS) specialists. CPS leaders receive training in trauma, recovery, and peer support to help use their lived experience to facilitate the group. Some peer-led groups do not have a single leader, but rather are led communally or by a rotating leader that changes with time.

Other support groups are run by professional practitioners who may not have lived experience with mesothelioma, which may include social workers, mental health professionals, psychologists, counsellors, clergy members, and other specialists who have training in facilitating support groups, and often have experience working with the mesothelioma community. Professional practitioners are usually accredited and may hold advanced degrees in counseling or related fields.

  • Remote vs. In Person: Different types of support groups happen in different forums. Some support groups happen in person and require group members to come to a specific location for meetings. Other groups happen online, through open or closed forums, message boards, Facebook groups, or Zoom calls. Some online groups can be accessed by phone for those less comfortable with the internet, usually through a secure dial-in number. There are also hybrid mesothelioma support groups, which offer alternating online and in-person support sessions, or offer patients and their loved ones the opportunity to join in-person sessions online via video or phone call.

Both in-person and online mesothelioma support groups have pros and cons, many of which depend on your personal needs and preferences.

Some people find that in-person support groups are easier to engage with, as it can sometimes be harder to feel a sense of community or participate fully in online or Zoom-based groups. This is especially common among those who struggle with technology generally, and who have difficulty with online or video-call communication.

However, this is not always the case; some mesothelioma patients and their loved ones do not find it difficult to connect on an online or remote platform, and even find that certain aspects of online groups—such as increased privacy and anonymity—helpful in reducing anxiety and hesitance about discussing issues that might be more uncomfortable for them to discuss in person.

Moreover, some participants are not able to reliably attend in-person meetings, as the demands of treatment and dealing with the daily realities of mesothelioma can make it difficult to take on additional appointments. This is especially true considering the ongoing risk of COVID-19 exposure for often-immunocompromised mesothelioma patients. In addition, participants may not live close enough to any ongoing support group to be able to attend in person.

  • Structure: There are several different ways that mesothelioma support groups may be structured when it comes to what actually occurs during each meeting. Some groups are much more structured, and have a specific agenda and curriculum for each meeting. These groups, which are often professionally led, may also invite guest lecturers to speak and provide resources to the group. More structured groups may have a specific number of sessions, with a designated end-date.

Less structured mesothelioma support groups will generally have at least some type of basic structure that each meeting follows, and guidelines to ensure that everyone gets a chance to participate. They may have an overall theme for each session, but they will generally not have a strict agenda or curriculum (though the group may provide additional resources that participants can access if interested). In addition, less structured groups tend not to have a finite number of sessions, but rather are generally held on an ongoing basis, with participants free to come and go as they desire and are able.

  • Intended Participants: Each mesothelioma support group has an intended set of participants. In some groups, anyone who has been affected by mesothelioma, whether they are a patient or a loved one/caretaker, is welcome to attend and participate. Other groups are specifically meant for mesothelioma patients and survivors, while still others are specifically meant for loved ones and caretakers of those with mesothelioma. In addition, there are some mesothelioma support groups meant for certain affinity populations, such as women, people in a certain profession (such as dock workers or construction workers), veterans of the U.S. military, or 9/11 first responders. Make sure to choose a mesothelioma support group with a population that will make you feel most comfortable.

Are you or a loved one looking for more information about mesothelioma? Call Satterley & Kelley, PLLC at (855) 385-9532 to learn more.

Schools and Asbestos

Schools and Asbestos: What Can Go Wrong

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Before the 1980s, school buildings were heavy users of asbestos-containing products. They’re a toxic legacy of a bygone age that might endanger anyone in these buildings. Given how much time has passed since the dangers of asbestos in school became known, the fact any child or school employee might still be exposed shows how misdirected our priorities are.

Asbestos-containing products were used to fireproof steel beams and cover steam pipes and floors. Ceilings were made of asbestos-containing acoustical tiles. As time passed, these products age, fall apart and release cancer-causing asbestos fibers into the air, where they could be inhaled and swallowed by students and school staff. 

School Systems Have Had Plenty of Time to Make Their Buildings Safe

The Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Act became law in 1984, according to Asbestos Nation. It created a program that gave schools expertise, technical assistance, and financial resources so schools could determine the threat asbestos posed to employees and students.

The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) passed Congress in 1986. It requires the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create regulations requiring local education agencies to inspect their buildings for asbestos-containing products, create management plans, and prevent or reduce asbestos hazards.

The Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Act put aside up to $600 million in loans and grants to pay for asbestos abatement. Between 1984 and 1993, Congress appropriated $382 million more for the program. No additional federal money has been appropriated since then.

School districts are primarily responsible for these costs, though there may be state grants to help pay for it. Insurance policies that will pay for abatement may cover a school district. School systems have also sued asbestos product manufacturers to recover abatement costs.

Case in Point – The Philadelphia School District

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the nation’s sixth-largest city. Its school district operates 329 schools with 197,288 students, according to its website. Its fiscal year 2023 budget is $2.4 billion.

Philadelphia school buildings were an average of 70 years old in 2018. As of that date, there were an estimated 11 million square feet of asbestos-containing products in district buildings. That’s the equivalent of 191 football fields.

The school district has an asbestos problem, according to a 2018 article by the city’s two largest newspapers, the Philadelphia Daily News and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Researchers looked at school system documents, interviewed 120 people, and had school staff at 11 elementary schools take 84 surface dust samples.

Though air monitoring for asbestos may be a more accurate test of how much asbestos is in an area, surface testing is seen as an investigative tool to determine if additional testing should be done.

There is no recognized safe level of asbestos exposure. Experts state that 100,000 asbestos fibers per square centimeter or higher in surface dust are alarming. Asbestos fibers are easily stirred up and stay in the air for hours before settling down, only to be stirred up again.

The investigations found:

  • The district removes or repairs asbestos an average of more than 200 times a year
  • $5 million was budgeted for asbestos abatement in fiscal year 2017-18
  • In a 2015-16 school year inspection, more than 80 percent of the schools had damaged asbestos, which was found in 2,252 locations, many frequented by students
  • In more than a quarter of the locations (639), inspectors marked spots as “high priority” because of the potential health risks of deteriorating asbestos products
  • Some “high priority” areas needing attention went unrepaired for up to two years
  • The inspection found more than 12,000 square feet of damaged asbestos tile floors. In one school, a dust wipe test of a patch of missing tiles found 2.6 million asbestos fibers
  • A floor of a closet used by students had four million asbestos fibers per square centimeter
  • A hallway floor near a sixth-grade classroom below an asbestos-covered pipe partially encased in metal tested at 8.5 million asbestos fibers. This is the highest amount found
  • Test results in six of the 11 schools came back above 100,000 asbestos fibers per square centimeter

In the last school year,six Philadelphia district schools and two of their charter school buildings were closed due to damaged asbestos. District officials also admitted that for years, areas in an unknown number of schools described as not containing asbestos actually do.

Your Local Mesothelioma Law Firm

If you or a loved one worked in a school are diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, you should understand your rights to compensation for the harm asbestos causes.

Experienced Satterley & Kelley’s, PLLC, asbestos injury lawyers can discuss your situation and help you recover damages to cover your medical expenses, lost wages, and the pain and suffering you’ve endured. To schedule a free initial consultation at our Louisville office, call us toll-free at 855-385-9532 or complete our contact form today.

Palliative Care for Mesothelioma

Palliative Care for Mesothelioma

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Palliative care is often one of the most important aspects of a mesothelioma patient’s journey, but it is sometimes misunderstood. That’s why we put together this mesothelioma palliative care primer, where you can learn exactly what palliative care is, what it does, and why it is so essential for the wellbeing of mesothelioma patients.

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care is treatment designed primarily to improve quality of life and to help relieve pain, discomfort, and other symptoms and side effects. Palliative care is often a central part of mesothelioma treatment and care regimens. It may also be referred to as “palliative therapy”, “supportive care”, “palliation”, or “comfort care”.

Mesothelioma and mesothelioma treatment can be painful, and can have adverse effects on a person’s quality of life. Mesothelioma patients may experience nerve pain, gastrointestinal effects, and difficulty breathing, along with psychological conditions like anxiety and depression. Treatment may also cause a wide range of painful, disruptive side effects that palliative care can address.

Importantly, palliative care is not the same thing as hospice care. Both palliative care and hospice care address painful, uncomfortable symptoms to improve quality of life. However, hospice care is primarily for patients expected to have a short time to live (usually 6 months or less), and is generally implemented instead of treatment or when treatment has been discontinued. It is not curative—i.e., it is not designed to fight the cancer itself.

Palliative care, on the other hand, is available to anyone with a serious illness, regardless of prognosis, treatment goals, or life expectancy. It can be started as soon as a patient is diagnosed. Mesothelioma patients can pursue palliative care to support more aggressive curative cancer treatment regimens, and/or to improve their quality of life throughout their mesothelioma journey. Palliative care can go hand-in-hand with active cancer treatment, and can be adapted to fit any mesothelioma patient.

Who provides palliative care for mesothelioma, and how are palliative care plans designed?

Palliative care works best as a coordinated effort from multiple providers on your care team. This can include oncologists, surgeons, nurses and clinical nurse specialists, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, dieticians, pain management experts, and palliation specialists, in addition to social workers, therapists, psychiatrists, and spiritual advisors.

Palliative care takes a holistic approach, treating the whole person, not just their mesothelioma. Treatment providers tailor palliative care plans to each mesothelioma patient’s specific needs and context. They may consider medical factors, such as the type, location, and staging of a patient’s mesothelioma, as well as their other planned treatments and their history of symptoms and side effects. Another factor is eligibility: some mesothelioma patients may be ineligible for certain types of palliative care. For example, around 60% of pleural mesothelioma patients are not eligible for palliative surgery, while pericardial mesothelioma patients are not eligible for palliative radiation.

A palliative care team may also consider the type of support system a patient has, their psychological and social struggles (as well as those of their caretakers and family members), and their treatment and quality of life goals overall.

What are the benefits of palliative care for mesothelioma patients?

In addition to reducing symptoms, palliative care can also have a wide range of additional benefits for mesothelioma patients. Research indicates it may even improve prognosis in some mesothelioma patients, especially if initiated early. Palliative care has also been shown to lower the cost of care (with some studies showing a cost reduction as high as 60%), and has been is linked to improved psychological health, with studies showing lower rates of depression among cancer patients who receive early palliative care.

What are the common types of palliative care for mesothelioma?

Palliative treatment for mesothelioma may include one or more of the following therapies:

  • Surgery: Palliative surgery aims to reduce symptoms caused by fluid buildup and/or tumor growth. Palliative surgeries for mesothelioma include:
  • Paracentesis, Pericardiocentesis, and Thoracentesis: Minor surgical procedures to drain excess fluid.
  • Drainage Implants (catheter or shunt placement): Devices that can be placed to treat recurrent fluid buildup, allowing the patient to drain fluid at home. Shunts allow fluid to move from one part of the body to another, where it’s more likely to be absorbed. Catheters (for example, the PleurX catheter) allow fluid to drain from the body.
  • Pleurodesis/Video Assisted Thorascopic Surgery (VATS): A surgery to close the pleural space in pleural mesothelioma patients, permanently preventing fluid buildup.
  • Partial Pleurectomy: Surgical removal of part of the pleura (lung lining) to prevent fluid from filling the area.
  • Cytoreductive Surgery: Also called “debulking”, this invasive surgery aims to remove as much of a tumor as possible, which can be palliative, curative, or both. It is sometimes followed by intraperitoneal chemotherapy infusions (for peritoneal mesothelioma patients), or by systemic chemotherapy (for pleural mesothelioma patients).
  • Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy can be used palliatively for mesothelioma patients, both systemically (IVs or injections into the affected area for 3-4 weeks) or as part of cytoreductive surgery such as HIPEC (Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy), whichfollows tumor debulking with an infusion of heated chemotherapy drugs into the abdomen. Common chemotherapy drugs for mesothelioma care include:
  • Pemetrexed
  • Cisplatin
  • Carboplatin
  • Gemcitabine
  • Vinorelbine
  • Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy helps activate a person’s immune system by modifying a patient’s own cells. Mesothelioma patients often benefit from “checkpoint inhibitor” immunotherapy drugs like pembrolizumab, nivolumab, and ipilimumab, which target cancer cells hiding in “checkpoint” cell proteins PD-1 and CTLA-4. For some mesothelioma patients, immunotherapy can slow or stop tumor growth, significantly improve quality of life, and even improve overall rates of survival. However, some patients experience side effects that may ultimately defeat the purpose. Your mesothelioma care team will assess whether immunotherapy is a good palliative care option for you.
  • Radiation: Radiation treatments like EBRT (external beam radiation therapy) and internal brachytherapy can be used palliatively to shrink tumors in pleural mesothelioma patients, relieving the associated pain and breathing problems. There are some side effects, such as tissue damage, skin issues, and fatigue, but many pleural mesothelioma patients report positive palliative effects.
  • Other Symptom Interventions: Mesothelioma patients may receive interventions for symptoms specific to their condition. Pleural mesothelioma patients may receive breathing interventions like exercises and supplemental oxygen, as well as cough suppressants. Palliative care may also address constipation and excessive sweating, both of which are common side effects experienced by mesothelioma patients, as well as fatigue and weight loss interventions such as nutritional planning for mesothelioma and steroids.
  • Mental Health Therapies: Mental health treatment and counseling is often an integral part of palliative care, addressing the psychiatric, psychological, and spiritual symptoms of mesothelioma. According to one study, 80% of cancer patients receiving palliative mental health treatment reported improved quality of life.
  • Targeted Pain Management: Targeted specialized treatments for patients to combat and cope with ongoing pain are essential to palliative care for mesothelioma. Both over-the-counter and prescription pain medication can and often should be utilized to address pain in mesothelioma patients. In addition to medication, patients can utilize other targeted pain treatments like nerve blocks (injections that help block pain), and may benefit from pain management tools like cognitive behavioral refocusing, exercise, massage, and physical therapy.
  • Alternative Palliative Care: In addition to the recommended regimen of palliative care designed by a mesothelioma treatment team, patients may also benefit from alternative or holistic palliative care treatments. While these treatments are not intended to replace standard medical palliative care, they may supplement that care to improve quality of life. Common alternative palliative care treatments for mesothelioma include acupuncture, medication, reiki, tai chi, yoga, and hypnosis, among others.

Are you or a loved one looking for more information about mesothelioma lawsuits? Call (855) 385-9532 to learn more.

Naturally Occurring Asbestos

Naturally Occurring Asbestos: The Danger in Your Backyard

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Technically, all asbestos fibers are naturally occurring. Asbestos fibers can be found naturally in rock formations nationwide.

You should be cautious if you’re breaking up or disturbing rocks in your backyard or as part of your job because you may release cancer-causing asbestos fibers into the air.

What is Naturally Occurring Asbestos?

Naturally occurring asbestos are fibrous minerals found in rocks or soil and released into the air by human activities (like breaking or crushing asbestos-containing stones) or weathering processes. If it’s not disturbed and fibers aren’t released, there’s no health risk, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

Asbestos is often found in ultramafic rock, such as serpentine rock, and near fault zones. Typically, these rocks may be from less than 1% to 25% asbestos.

When asbestos fibers become airborne, they can be inhaled or swallowed by anyone in the area. They may remain stuck in your lungs or other organs for years or decades, which can cause inflammation or genetic changes to nearby tissue that result in cancer tumors, including mesothelioma.

The Dangers of Naturally Occurring Asbestos

Naturally occurring asbestos is equally dangerous to any other asbestos containing material. There is no such thing as “safe” asbestos.

When inhaled or swallowed, asbestos fibers can get stuck in the lungs and other parts of the body, leading to severe, disabling, and fatal conditions that may take decades to develop.

Asbestos’ strong and durable fibers withstand the body’s attempts to destroy them, causing scar tissue, inflammation, and genetic mutations that cause cancer and other illnesses, including:

  • Asbestosis: This chronic lung condition is caused by asbestos fibers, which results in severe lung tissue scarring and inflammation. It leads to breathing problems and decreased lung function
  • Lung Cancer: Asbestos exposure greatly increases the risk of developing lung cancer. It can take years or decades for asbestos-related lung cancer to develop
  • Pleural Mesothelioma: This is a rare and aggressive cancer primarily affecting the lining of the lungs (pleura) and chest cavity

Mesothelioma can also affect the linings of the heart, abdominal organs, and abdominal cavity. Larynx and ovarian cancers are also linked to asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is a danger to those exposed to naturally occurring fibers, who worked directly with asbestos-containing products, and family members may be exposed to fibers when work clothes contaminated with them are worn home.

How Do I Find Out If Rocks Contain Asbestos?

The only way to find out for sure is to have them professionally tested by a lab that processes asbestos samples.

Visual identification is impossible because asbestos fibers are too small to be seen by the naked eye.

Only trained professionals using a polarized light microscope can confirm if asbestos is present in naturally occurring rock formations.

Activities That Can Release Dangerous Naturally Occurring Asbestos Fibers into the Air

If rocks and soil in the area contain asbestos, the ATSDR states there are several ways you could release fibers into the air:

  • Working in a garden
  • Digging or shoveling dirt
  • Landscaping
  • Sweeping or leaf-blowing
  • Plowing or planting
  • Excavating or using a backhoe
  • Rock drilling or using a jackhammer
  • Driving over unpaved surfaces
  • Walking or running on gravel roads
  • Running underground cable or pipe
  • Disturbing dirt on unpaved surfaces
  • Felling trees in contaminated dirt
  • Blasting, chipping, hammering, drilling, crushing, loading, hauling, and dumping rock
  • Working in railroad or highway construction or maintenance
  • Operating heavy equipment where the soil contains asbestos fibers

Given how virtually anything you do with dirt or rocks could be a problem, you should have soil and stones professionally tested if you have any concerns about naturally occurring asbestos.

Where is Naturally Occurring Asbestos Located?

The US Geological Survey (USGS) mapped where in the US substantial outcroppings occur. Their map of the central US shows no known naturally occurring asbestos in Kentucky. The nearest locations are in southeastern Missouri, western Virginia, and western North Carolina.

The heaviest concentrations of naturally occurring asbestos generally run the length of the Appalachian Mountains, Montana, California’s Sierra Nevada mountains and the North and South Coast Ranges.

Why You Should Hire Satterley & Kelley, PLLC for Your Asbestos Case

If you’re diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related cancer because of your asbestos exposure, you may be entitled to compensation for what you’ve endured. This includes physical and mental pain and suffering, financial costs, medical bills, and how the disease impacts your relationships.

You need a law firm with experience representing victims taking legal action against the asbestos industry. Satterley & Kelley, PLLC attorneys have helped asbestos victims for more than 25 years.

We have relationships with the best experts in the world to help us prove that asbestos caused your injury and the physical, emotional, psychological, and financial harm you suffered.

Call Us Today for a Free Consultation

Those diagnosed with asbestos-related illness may be entitled to compensation for what they’ve endured. Satterley & Kelley, PLLC attorneys are your boots on the ground if you or a family member suffers from mesothelioma or an asbestos-related health condition in Kentucky. Call us at 855-385-9532, locally 502-589-5600, or contact us online to arrange a free initial consultation with a Satterley & Kelley PLLC lawyer.

How Does Kentucky Law Define Loss of Consortium?

What is Loss of Consortium?

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If your spouse or parent  is injured or killed as a result of another’s negligence or defective product, you can seek compensation for the harm you suffer. This applies to personal injury and asbestos-related injury or wrongful death claims. Like pain and suffering, it’s not easily quantified compared to lost wages. But if enjoyment is taken away from you, and someone else is responsible, they should be held accountable.

How Does Kentucky Law Define Loss of Consortium?

Damages are a term for losses or injuries for which you can obtain compensation through legal action. Kentucky Revised Statute §411.145 states:

“Damages for loss of consortium.

  1. As used in this section “consortium” means the right to the services, assistance, aid, society, companionship and conjugal relationship between husband and wife, or wife and husband.
  2. Either a wife or husband may  recover damages against a third person for loss of consortium, resulting from a negligent or wrongful act of such third person.”

This refers to the deprivation or impairment of certain benefits or companionship in a personal relationship due to another party’s negligent or wrongful actions. The types of benefits and companionship that may be considered in a loss of consortium claim can include:

  • Companionship and affection: This refers to the emotional and psychological support, love, and affection that one spouse provides to another
  • Sexual relations: The injury or disease harmed the spouses’ physical intimacy, whether partially or totally
  • Household services: Loss of consortium may involve the loss of assistance with household chores, childcare, and other domestic responsibilities that the injured person provided to their spouse
  • Emotional support: It can encompass the emotional support and comfort that spouses offer one another during difficult times

The injured party and their spouse can file the loss of consortium claim.

Can a Child File a Loss of Consortium Claim if the Injured Party is a Parent?

A Kentucky child can make a loss of consortium claim as part of a wrongful death action. What can be obtained is limited to the relief in the state’s wrongful death act.

The right doesn’t include emancipated adult children. Given the advanced age of most of those dying of an asbestos-related disease, a parental loss of consortium claim would be rare because the deceased’s children are generally too old to file. Unadopted stepchildren don’t have a valid claim for the loss of consortium of a stepparent.

How Do You Prove Loss of Consortium?

The burden of proof is on the party making the claim, the plaintiff. A loss of consortium claim is not a throwaway, extra allegation used to lengthen a complaint. Like all alleged losses, we need to have evidence that an injury happened and it negatively impacted marital relations.

This claim enables the defense counsel to ask about your relationship before and after the disease or injury. Most people aren’t accustomed to discussing their personal relationships and sex lives in a room full of strangers. But that can happen during a deposition or a trial if your case is litigated.

Not all relationships are positive ones. If the spouses had a rocky relationship that wasn’t going well before the injury or disease was diagnosed and didn’t change much afterward, it may not be practical to make a claim for loss of consortium.

When a Satterley & Kelley, PLLC, attorney makes a case for a client, we thoroughly discuss what the marital relationship was like before and after the injury. That can be from testimony by the plaintiff, their spouse, family members, and friends.

We can also use photos and videos of spouses enjoying special events like birthdays, anniversaries, or vacations. They may also show how much of a toll asbestos takes on a person’s physical, emotional, and psychological well-being and discuss how that impacts a marital relationship.

Get Help If You Have Been Diagnosed with Mesothelioma

If you’re diagnosed with a type of mesothelioma, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related disease, you should focus on your medical care and quality of life while we protect your legal rights. If you’ve contracted a severe or fatal asbestos illness, you may be entitled to compensation, including for loss of consortium. To get help, contact us at Satterley & Kelley, PLLC today.

Statute of Limitations for Asbestos Injuries in KY

What is the Statute of Limitations for Asbestos Injuries in Kentucky?

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Your asbestos exposure may have happened decades ago, but you were recently diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer. Have you missed your opportunity to seek compensation for your injuries?

Satterley & Kelley PLLC lawyers in Louisville have more than 25 years of experience helping our clients in Kentucky with asbestos and mesothelioma claims and lawsuits. Thanks to hundreds of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements we helped them obtain, we’re known as one of the leading Kentucky law firms for those with asbestos-related diseases.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a light, strong, durable mineral fiber that was used in thousands of products over centuries because it’s resistant to the following:

  • Heat
  • Fire
  • Chemicals
  • Electricity

If fibers are airborne, people can inhale or swallow them. Asbestos fibers may never leave the body or be destroyed by its immune response.

Why is Asbestos Dangerous?

Asbestos’ microscopic fibers, when released into the air and inhaled or swallowed, can pose serious health risks. The primary reasons why include:

  • Easily Inhaled or Swallowed: Asbestos fibers are tiny and lightweight, so they’re easily airborne. When people breathe in these fibers, they can become trapped in the lungs and other parts of the respiratory system. When the fibers get into the mouth and are ingested, they threaten the digestive system, abdominal organs, and the abdomen’s lining
  • Health Effects: Prolonged or repeated exposure to asbestos fibers can lead to various severe health conditions, including asbestos (a chronic lung disease causing breathing difficulties, coughing, and reduced lung function), lung cancer (those who smoked have a particularly high risk), mesothelioma (a rare and aggressive cancer that primarily affects the lining of the lungs (pleura) or the abdominal cavity (peritoneum)), and other cancers
  • Long Latency Period: Asbestos’ health effects often take years or decades to develop
  • Fiber Durability: Asbestos fibers in the body can remain for a long time, possibly for a person’s lifetime, causing continued health risks after initial exposure ceases
  • There’s No Safe Exposure Threshold: There is no known safe level of asbestos exposure. Even small amounts over time can potentially lead to health issues
  • Secondary Exposure: People who come into contact with asbestos-exposed individuals or environments (such as asbestos workers’ family members) can also be at risk, as fibers can be carried on clothing, skin, and hair).

Compared to the period of asbestos’ peak use (Industrial Revolution through the 1970s), overall, few new products contain asbestos for sale. Asbestos-containing vehicle parts were widely used for decades. They’re less common now, but they’re still used.

What is a Statute of Limitations?

A statute of limitations is a deadline to file a lawsuit. If you miss that deadline in an asbestos case, as a practical matter, you’ve lost your ability to claim damages or take legal action against those who injured you.

What is the Statute of Limitations for Kentucky Asbestos Cases?

Kentucky has a one year statute of limitations, which means you have one year to file your lawsuit.  However, it is not as simple as it seems.  Kentucky has adopted the Discovery Rule, which allows people to file their claim a year from the date they know or should know if they have an injury and know or should know its cause. Oftentimes, the statute of limitations begins to run from the date of diagnosis, but frequently, it starts sometime after diagnosis because the patient does not know how he or she was exposed. However, you have a duty to investigate the cause of your injury upon diagnosis. As a practical matter, you want to file your lawsuit as soon as possible, given the severity of asbestos-related diseases.

If a family member is diagnosed with an asbestos-related condition and dies within the year without filing legal claims, a wrongful death lawsuit can be filed by the personal representative of his or her estate. The personal representative has one year from the date he or she is appointed as the personal representative of the estate to file a lawsuit.

What Problems Do Those With Asbestos-Related Diseases Have With Filing Lawsuits in Time?

Plaintiffs in asbestos cases face two filing issues:

  1. Someone exposed to asbestos may not contract a related disease for another ten to 50 years. The person could file a lawsuit the day after their exposure, but it would be dismissed because they have no identifiable injury. Depending on the level of exposure and how their body responds to asbestos, a person may never suffer a related disease
  2. If they wait too long, more than a year after their diagnosis, their legal claims will be dismissed because they’ve gone beyond the statute of limitations

There are also practical considerations.

We need to know who to sue to file a lawsuit or claim against an asbestos bankruptcy trust. People often don’t know where they were exposed, how, or which products caused their exposure.

We work with these clients to try to nail down this information, often thanks to information we’ve developed over the years handling hundreds of these cases. Our staff will also try to find former coworkers to see if they have any helpful information.

Moving as quickly as possible is critical. You or your family need to contact our office immediately after a diagnosis. We must also start moving on the case because if your health suddenly worsens, your case becomes more difficult to pursue, and frequently, we can’t find former coworkers to help back up claims.

Call Us Today For a Free Consultation

After a diagnosis, there’s no time to waste because there’s a lot of work behind an asbestos claim or lawsuit. We can work together to build your case before the statute of limitations expires so you can get the most compensation possible.

Satterley & Kelley PLLC attorneys are your boots on the ground if you or someone you love in Kentucky suffers from mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness. Call us at 855-385-9532, locally 502-589-5600, or contact us online to arrange a free initial consultation with a Satterley & Kelley PLLC lawyer.

PAUL J. KELLEY NAMED A KENTUCKY SUPER LAWYER FOR THE FOURTH YEAR IN A ROW

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The Law Office of Satterley & Kelley PLLC is pleased to announce that Paul J. Kelley has been named for 2024 as a “Kentucky Super Lawyer in Personal Injury,” marking the fourth year in a row that Paul has been recognized in this way.

2024 super lawyer

Fewer than 5% of the lawyers in Kentucky are selected as Super Lawyers.

Paul was specifically named a Super Lawyer in the personal injury products: plaintiff area.

Satterley & Kelley PLLC is known for handling complex personal injury and wrongful death cases.

Attorney Kelley

For attorney Kelley’s bio, click here.

Attorney Kelley has been practicing law in Kentucky since 2001, and was also chosen as a 2021, 2022 and 2023 Super Lawyer. Paul represents injury victims in a wide range of cases, with a special focus on asbestos and mesothelioma lawsuits.

To access the archive of the Super Lawyers magazine digital editions, click here.

Congratulations Paul!

Filing a Mesothelioma Lawsuit

How Sick Do I Have to Be to File an Asbestos Lawsuit or Claim?

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Asbestos exposure isn’t sufficient for a viable lawsuit, even though the fibers are potentially cancer-causing. As part of the lawsuit, you need to show asbestos affected you and that the defendants sued should compensate you. Without an impact you can document, your case will be dismissed.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a light, strong, durable mineral fiber that was used in thousands of products over centuries because it’s resistant to the following:

  • Heat
  • Fire
  • Chemicals
  • Electricity

If fibers are airborne, people can inhale or swallow them. Asbestos fibers may never leave the body or be destroyed by its immune response.

Why is Asbestos Dangerous?

Asbestos’ microscopic fibers, when released into the air and inhaled or swallowed, can pose serious health risks. The primary reasons why include:

  • Easily Inhaled or Swallowed: Asbestos fibers are tiny and lightweight, so they’re easily airborne. When people breathe in these fibers, they can become trapped in the lungs and other parts of the respiratory system. When the fibers get into the mouth and are ingested, they threaten the digestive system, abdominal organs, and the abdominal lining
  • Health Effects: Prolonged or repeated exposure to asbestos fibers can lead to various severe health conditions, including asbestos (a chronic lung disease causing breathing difficulties, coughing, and reduced lung function), lung cancer (those who smoked have a particularly high risk), mesothelioma (a rare and aggressive cancer that primarily affects the lining of the lungs (pleura) or the abdominal cavity (peritoneum)), ovarian, uterine and other cancers
  • Long Latency Period: Asbestos’ health effects often take years or decades to develop
  • Fiber Durability: Asbestos fibers in the body can remain for a long time, possibly for a person’s lifetime, causing continued health risks after initial exposure ceases
  • There’s No Safe Exposure Threshold: There is no known safe level of asbestos exposure. Even small amounts over time can potentially lead to health issues
  • Secondary Exposure: People who come into contact with asbestos-exposed individuals or environments (such as asbestos workers’ family members) can also be at risk, as fibers can be carried on clothing, skin, and hair.

Compared to the period of asbestos’ peak use (Industrial Revolution through the 1970s), overall, few new products contain asbestos for sale.

You Need Not Have Lung Cancer or Mesothelioma to Seek Compensation

You don’t have to be fatally ill or even diagnosed with asbestos-related lung cancer or mesothelioma to have a valid lawsuit. It may be enough to have pleural plaques.

If you’re exposed to asbestos, areas of the pleura can become thickened. These areas are pleural plaques. People with pleural disease caused by exposure to asbestos may be able to function well despite the condition, but they’re at increased risk for lung cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Another, more serious asbestos-related effect on your body is asbestosis. This is a condition where it’s tough to breathe because you inhaled asbestos fibers, which scarred and inflamed your lungs. Those with asbestosis also face a higher risk of lung cancer, especially if they smoked in the past.

In Carroll v. Owens Corning (2000), the Kentucky Supreme Court, held that someone diagnosed with asbestosis could sue for compensation if he or she was diagnosed with a non-malignant disease and his or her fear of developing cancer.

When Should I File a Lawsuit?

Kentucky’s statute of limitations is one year. If you want to seek recovery for your injuries and fear of cancer, it must be filed within a year of when you learned or reasonably should have learned, that your injury is asbestos-related. That usually happens when you’re diagnosed.

In Carroll, the plaintiff developed asbestosis and didn’t file a legal action within a year. He did file a lawsuit within a year after his lung cancer diagnosis eight years later.

A federal trial judge agreed with the defendant that the plaintiff should’ve filed after his asbestosis diagnosis because that’s when he learned asbestos caused him harm. The Kentucky Supreme Court held that ruling violated state tort law.

‘…while Kentucky has never been a “two disease” state (which would allow for recovery following the discovery of each disease), because asbestosis and lung cancer are separate and distinct diseases, both arising from asbestos exposure, Kentucky’s one-year statute of limitations should not bar (plaintiff’s) cancer claim simply because (James) Carroll (the plaintiff) did not pursue a potential claim for the fear or the enhanced risk of developing cancer following an asbestosis diagnosis seven years earlier. Splitting causes of action inherently implies more than one action; nothing is split when only one action is brought. While Carroll’s claim for asbestosis is time-barred, (defendant) concedes that such claim was waived, as was any claim for the increased risk or fear of further asbestosis disease…This case does not turn so much on the rule against splitting causes of action, but more on pinpointing when a cause of action accrues in cases involving multiple diseases brought on by the same toxic agent…

…Unlike traditional torts, those involving toxic substances include a cause of injury that is difficult to trace, a period of exposure which is longer and more varied, harms more susceptible to misdiagnosis, and a greater number of victims…because of the latency of the diseases, statutes of limitations force plaintiffs to go to court before they have all the facts about their illness. Often the claimant must move forward before there has been a definitive diagnosis of likely injury from the exposure to asbestos.

When James Carroll was diagnosed with asbestosis in 1983, he should not have been obligated to predict cancer, nor should he be penalized for suing for the greater, more provable damage, rather than taking up judicial resources attempting to prove the ephemeral damages covered by “enhanced risk or fear of cancer.” Because of the length of time between the diagnoses of these two diseases, it is possible that an asbestosis suit could have been filed and adjudicated before he ever knew he had cancer, leaving him no direct remedy for the more serious disease.’

You can file within a year of learning of your asbestos-related disease. If your case settles or you’re successful at a trial, you’ll recover compensation. But if the legal action is resolved and you later develop lung cancer or mesothelioma, you can’t file a second lawsuit because of the additional harm. If a new condition develops while your claim is pending, it can be updated to reflect your current health.

No matter your situation, we can discuss your health, your legal rights, and the right strategy to obtain the most compensation possible.

Why You Should Hire Satterley & Kelley, PLLC for Your Cancer Case

If you’re diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related cancer, you may be entitled to compensation for what you’ve endured. This includes physical and mental pain and suffering, financial costs, medical bills, and how the disease impacts your relationships. It can be due to asbestos released during accidental fires or any other source.

You need a law firm with experience representing victims taking legal action against the asbestos industry. Satterley & Kelley, PLLC attorneys have helped asbestos victims for more than 25 years.

We have relationships with the best experts in the world to help us prove that asbestos caused your injury and the physical, emotional, psychological, and financial harm you suffered.

Get Help If You’ve Been Diagnosed With an Asbestos-Related Disease

Take advantage of Satterley & Kelley, PLLC attorneys’ extensive experience helping people injured by asbestos at work, through a product, or from secondary exposure at home. To get help today, contact us at 855-385-9532, locally 502-589-5600 or schedule a free consultation. 

How Does Asbestos Cause Cancer?

How Does Asbestos Cause Cancer?

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Asbestos causes different cancers, but how exactly this happens isn’t known. But there are well-researched theories that link these fibers, how they interact with cells, and how those cells and the body’s immune system respond. Cancer appears to result from a long and complex chain of events that starts with normal cells supporting life and ends with malignant ones draining life away.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a light, strong, durable mineral fiber used in thousands of products over centuries because it’s resistant to heat, fire, chemicals, and electricity. If fibers are airborne, people can inhale or swallow them. Asbestos fibers may never leave the body or be destroyed by its immune response. Over years or decades, these fibers may cause many cancer types, including highly aggressive and lethal mesotheliomas.

What is the Human Immune System?

The immune system protects your body from outside invaders and diseased, mutated, or dying cells. Dangers from the outside could be viruses, bacteria, fungi, and asbestos fibers. This system has different proteins, organs, and cells that work together, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

The immune system has two parts: the innate system we’re born with and the adaptive system, which develops as we live and are exposed to different toxins, germs, and bacteria. These two systems work together.

What is Inflammation?

When your body encounters viruses, bacteria, mutated cells, or you’re injured, the immune system sends inflammatory cells and cytokines (which stimulate more inflammatory cells). This inflammatory response traps offending agents or starts healing damaged tissue. This may cause swelling, redness, bruising, and pain, reports the Cleveland Clinic.

There are two kinds of inflammation:

  • You suffer sudden bodily harm, like a cut. To heal it, your body sends inflammatory cells to the injury, causing acute inflammation. These cells start the healing process
  • If your immune system continues sending inflammatory cells after the danger passes, you have chronic inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis is an example where inflammatory cells and substances attack healthy joint tissues, causing inflammation that can severely damage joints, resulting in pain and deformities

Inflammation is a double-edged immune response sword. A little may be good, but a lot may be very harmful.

Is There a Connection Between Inflammation and Cancer?

German pathologist Rudolf Virchow, in 1863, observed white blood cells (part of the immune response) in cancerous tissues and came up with a new idea about how cancer starts. Some tumors, he proposed, may start where there’s chronic inflammation, reports the National Cancer Institute.

His proposal has withstood the test of time. Chronic inflammation in certain body parts, including where asbestos fibers are lodged, may increase cancer risk.  Inflammation is now considered a hallmark of cancer. Researchers are studying the possible role inflammation takes in cancer, how it spreads, and what makes tumors treatment-resistant.

The inflammatory process starts when damaged tissues release chemicals, white blood cells travel to the area, and emit substances that cause cells to divide and grow to begin the recovery process. The inflammation should end when the injury heals.

When inflammation gets out of control, it may contribute to cancer development and growth. Sometimes, tumors take advantage of this inflammatory environment to exclude tumor-fighting immune cells.

When inflammation does its job, it’s a lifesaver. We may have many cancer cells and budding tumors in our bodies, but they don’t become a problem if a healthy immune system kills them or at least limits their growth.

Researchers look at inflammation as a way to kill cancer cells, while others are testing how drugs reducing inflammation may do the same (especially in situations where inflammation keeps cancer-killing immune cells away from a tumor).

In a healthy body, immune cells produce chemicals that may kill viruses or fungi. These reactive oxygen species may also damage the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA, the biological molecule containing instructions an organism needs to survive, develop, and reproduce) of normal cells, which increases the risk of mutations that could lead to cancer.

Timing may be the difference between healthy healing and the creation of cancer tumors. Usually, the production of cells to replace injured or defective tissue is delayed until these reactive chemicals are no longer present. This reduces the risk replacement cells will suffer DNA damage, which may include mutations that cause tumor creation.

During chronic inflammation, this timing is off. Reactive chemicals and new cells that are supposed to repair injured tissue can be present at the same time. This may boost the risk of developing cancer.

How Would This Work With Asbestos-Related Cancers?

A 2010 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences laid out a theory of how asbestos and inflammation can result in tumor formation.

Asbestos fibers kill cells, and a dead cell shouldn’t lead to creating a malignant tumor. The problem may arise in how the cells are destroyed. When an asbestos fiber kills a human cell, it starts “programmed cell necrosis.” That causes the release of the high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1).

HMGB1 starts an inflammatory reaction that causes mutagens (substances that can cause cells to mutate) and chemicals that promote tumor growth. Researchers found that asbestos-exposed patients have higher levels of HMGB1 in their bodies.

They propose that one way to slow down, if not eliminate, asbestos-caused cancer would be to interfere with HMGB1, which should limit the inflammatory reaction, decreasing cancer incidence and tumor growth.

Another study about inflammation and mesothelioma published two years later stated, “There is consistent evidence to suggest an association between a systemic inflammatory response…and poorer prognosis.”

A study published this year stated, “A chronic inflammatory state is the essential element characterizing the (creation of pleural mesothelioma). The picture is exceptionally complex, with numerous cellular and environmental interactions building a unique tumor microenvironment (TME) supporting malignant mesothelial cell transformation and proliferation.”

The start of mesothelioma is associated with asbestos exposure, according to the study, and the activation of immune system cells in the surrounding tissue. This leads to oxidative stress, which can lead to mutations and the release of chemicals that result in inflammation, causing a runaway chain of molecular events that result in mesothelioma tumors.

You don’t want too much of a good thing. Our immune systems can kill cancer cells, but too much of an immune response, which causes chronic inflammation, can create a cellular environment where mesothelioma cells develop and spread. “Consistently, the over-activation of the immune system is correlated with worse patient outcomes and poor responses to treatment.”

Why You Should Hire Satterley & Kelley, PLLC for Your Cancer Case

If you’re diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related cancer, you may be entitled to compensation for what you’ve endured. This includes physical and mental pain and suffering, financial costs, medical bills, and how the disease impacts your relationships.

You need a law firm with experience representing victims taking legal action against the asbestos industry. Satterley & Kelley, PLLC attorneys have helped asbestos victims for more than 20 years.

We have relationships with the best experts in the world to help us prove that asbestos caused your injury and the physical, emotional, psychological, and financial harm you suffered.

Call Us Today for A Free Consultation

Satterley & Kelley, PLLC attorneys are your boots on the ground if you or someone you love suffers from mesothelioma or an asbestos-related illness in Kentucky. To discuss possible compensation for the harm you suffer and legal claims against those responsible, call our Louisville office at 502-589-5600 (toll-free at 855-385-9532) or contact us online.