First Asbestos, Now Silicosis Lawsuits
Saturday, September 6th, 2003Source: New York Times
Asbestos lawyers are filing more silicosis lawsuits on behalf of clients who claim they have suffered form exposure to silica, New York Times reported. Opponents, including a coalition of insurance companies, say there is no medical crisis.
Crystalline silica is highly purified quartz that is used to make glass, fiberglass, paints and ceramics, as well as in foundry casting. Silica is classified as a human lung carcinogen. Breathing silica dust can cause silicosis, a potentially disabling or fatal disease. Silicosis can also make exposed workers more susceptible to lung infections like tuberculosis.
Insurance companies assert lawyers are manipulating the justice system for financial gain by filing silicosis lawsuits on behalf of clients who have already filed asbestosis claims.
“This is about the plaintiffs’ bar trying to turn silica into the next asbestos,” said Mark A. Behrens, a lawyer in the Washington office of Shook, Hardy & Bacon, which is representing the insurers. “It is not there yet.”
But it is possible to suffer from both asbestosis and silicosis and people may file lawsuits involving both diseases.
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