Main Menu
Pourciau Law Firm
Toll Free 800-903-6720
Local 504-305-2375
Practice Areas

New Orleans Asbestos Blog

Remediation is a better solution for asbestos than abatement

On behalf of Pourciau Law Firm posted in asbestos on Monday, March 18, 2019.

Asbestos has been part of human history for thousands of years. The crystalline fiber's natural resistance to heat led to its name, which is an ancient Greek word meaning "inextinguishable." This led some early societies to make cooking tools with solid pieces of asbestos.

But just as industrial improvements led to an increased need and more uses for the substance, governments in the United States and Europe discovered that laborers who worked with the material had several risk factors for asbestosis and other respiratory diseases. Thousands of construction workers, shipbuilders and others were affected, and they developed lung cancer, mesothelioma or problems breathing.

How doctors determine treatment options for mesothelioma

On behalf of Pourciau Law Firm on Tuesday, March 12, 2019.

After wondering for years, probably decades, if your exposure to asbestos would result in mesothelioma, your doctor gave you the unfortunate news that you do now suffer from this condition. More than likely, one of the first things you heard about your condition is that no cure for it exists. This might make you wonder whether treatment is even an option for you.

Then again, once the shock wears off, you may begin wondering what types of treatment you will undergo. Understanding how doctors decide a course of treatment for this condition largely depends on what stage of this rare cancer you are in when diagnosed, which could affect whether surgery would help you.

Most cases of mesothelioma are connected to asbestos exposure

On behalf of Pourciau Law Firm posted in mesothelioma on Monday, March 11, 2019.

Mesothelioma gets its long name from the specific part of the body it affects. It is a cancer that occurs in the thin lining that covers most vital organs, which are all in the middle of the torso. The lining is called the mesothelium, an older word for the middle of the torso.

The most common form of mesothelioma occurs in the lining around the lungs, known as pleural mesothelioma. Nearly all of these cases are connected to exposure to asbestos, a crystalline fiber that was used in manufacturing and construction during the middle of the 20th century.

Lung cancer may get a new early warning system

On behalf of Pourciau Law Firm posted in lung cancer on Monday, March 4, 2019.

Cancer is a serious public risk in Louisiana. Many observers have linked the high incidence of chemical factories and other dangerous industrial workplaces with the high incidence of many types of cancer, in the state. Lung cancer is perhaps the most pernicious medical challenge to Louisianans of all ages.

Lung cancer deaths make up a full quarter of cancer deaths throughout the United States, with more than 150,000 people in country succumbing to the disease in 2018. The five-year survival rate, below 20 percent, is one of the lowest survival rates for all types of cancers.

Talcum powder lawsuit drama deepens in Washington

On behalf of Pourciau Law Firm posted in talcum powder on Monday, February 25, 2019.

After more than 50 years of litigation, asbestos has caused more and more expensive lawsuits in the United States than any other defective product or material. The crystal fibers in asbestos deposits have been linked by many medical professionals with certain types of cancer, which may appear in several internal organs.

Most of the issues regarding asbestos exposure had to do with solid products used as insulation, construction material or industrial fodder in homes, offices and shipyard across the country. But a recent class of lawsuits targets a popular hygienic product: talcum powder.

Louisiana school building raises concerns of asbestos

On behalf of Pourciau Law Firm posted in asbestos on Monday, February 18, 2019.

Nothing has cost more damages from corporations and more time in civil courts than battles over exposure to asbestos. The crystalline fiber has been connected to various health ailment, including lung damage and lung cancers, and many workers and residents inhaled the fibers in the last half of the twentieth century.

Lawsuits seeking financial damages for asbestos exposure have petered out in recent years as fewer surviving people have suffered after the material was pulled from the market and remediated from most of the structures and ships in which it was installed. But some Louisiana institutions, including some schools, have lingering issues.

Mesothelioma is rare but still dangerous

On behalf of Pourciau Law Firm posted in mesothelioma on Monday, February 11, 2019.

Mesothelioma is, fortunately, a very rare disease, generally understood to be caused by a limited number of factors. This is little comfort to this disease's victims and their families, as the prognosis is generally negative if a person experienced those factors.

The disease is an aggressive form of cancer that affects the lining of vital organs like the lungs or the heart. Oncologists claim it is caused solely by the inhalation of asbestos, a type of crystalline fiber that was widely used in construction and manufacturing in the middle of the 20th century.

Did you know asbestos could cause throat cancer, too?

On behalf of Pourciau Law Firm on Friday, February 8, 2019.

Even though mesothelioma receives the most attention when it comes to diseases caused by exposure to asbestos, other conditions also result from this toxic substance. You may have heard of asbestosis, and you know lung cancer could result as well.

Did you know that throat cancer could result from exposure to this human carcinogen, too? If not, then you may not correlate your current symptoms with your exposure, which could have occurred decades ago.

What is the most dangerous cancer in Louisiana?

On behalf of Pourciau Law Firm posted in lung cancer on Monday, February 4, 2019.

Louisiana leads the nation in many industries and forms of recreation, but the state has a more unfortunate position at the top of the list of cancer victims. Fortunately, many victims of lung cancer have a legal recourse to be made as whole as possible after diagnosis.

What is the most dangerous form of cancer for Louisianans?

Louisiana court will hear talcum powder lawsuit

On behalf of Pourciau Law Firm posted in talcum powder on Monday, January 28, 2019.

Asbestos, a fibrous crystalline material thought to cause respiratory problems, has been the subject of more expensive actions in U.S. civil courts than any other potentially harmful material. Although its use in manufacturing and building has long since come to an end, it is still discovered on occasion in older buildings across Louisiana.

Several school buildings have been recently closed for asbestos remediation to prevent harm to students in several parishes. But the focus in the courts is starting to shift from larger causes to the smallest and least assuming, as asbestos may have contaminated a personal hygiene product sold commercially in the United States and elsewhere for decades.