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Around 194 people have died from asbestos related illnesses such as Mesothelioma in Nebraska since 1979 but it’s not a definite number. One of the main reasons for inaccurate results regarding high mortality rates from Mesothelioma is federal government’s late recognition of the disease as being fatal before 1999.
Another reason for inaccurate results is the long latency period which this disease takes to appear. It can take from 20 to 50 years for the symptoms of Mesothelioma to materialize. In most cases, people do not realize that they have Mesothelioma until it is too late because the symptoms of Mesothelioma appear in old age when the immune system is weakened. Some of the symptoms of the two most commonly occurring forms of Mesothelioma are shortness of breath, chest pains, stomach aches and irregular bowel movements.
Pleural and peritoneal are the two main types of Mesothelioma. While pleural Mesothelioma is the cancer of the lung lining known as pleura, peritoneal Mesothelioma is the cancer of peritoneum, lining of the stomach. The main cause of this kind of cancer is exposure to asbestos. This cancer can occur in people who work in asbestos factories or asbestos related industry. It was till 1980’s that Mesothelioma was quite common as there were no work place safety guidelines or safety standards.
EPA banned the commercial use of asbestos without protective gear in 1989. You are a likely victim of Mesothelioma if you have worked in fields of construction, insulation, shipyards, harbors, asbestos mines and mills, or as a car mechanic as these industry make use of asbestos.
Mesothelioma in Nebraska
Below are the figures for the number of deaths, mortality rate (per million population), and years of potential life lost (YPLL) in Nebraska in the year 1999, among residents aged 15 years and older.
State |
|
Crude Mortality |
Rate |
Rank |
|
Age-Adjusted Mortality |
Rate |
Rank |
|
VYLL to life Expectancy |
Total |
Rank |
VYLL/death |
Rank |
|
Nebraska |
15 |
37 |
11.50 |
29 |
10.77 |
30 |
191 |
40 |
12.7 |
41 |
It is estimated that of the total asbestos related deaths in Nebraska, around 129 to 210 people have died from Mesothelioma alone leading to the conclusion that this cancer is quite prevalent in the state. It was known that during the years of 1948 and 1993, at least 1,440 shipments of asbestos contaminated vermiculite were transferred from Libby, Montana to 3 locations in Nebraska. Bulk of vermiculite was shipped to two plants in Omaha while one shipment was received at an unknown location here.
Western Mineral Products Company on 36th & I Streets in North East Omaha received more than 126,698 tons of the vermiculite. This place is listed as one with the highest deposits of asbestos by the federal government.
Contact a Mesothelioma attorney if you are suffering from this deadly disease and you contracted it due to an unsafe working environment. We have listed Mesothelioma attorneys in each state on this site to help you find suitable legal help.
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