Maritime Attorney

Asbestos on Ships - A Daunting Issue within the Realm of Maritime Law

Maritime law is a body of rules and regulations that govern an innumerable array of issues. Everything from business law, shipping liability, international jurisdiction and licensing are all issues that a maritime lawyer could undertake in his or her efforts to help a client. Williams Kherkher is a law firm with a team of maritime lawyers who have been representing clients for years, and there is one issue in particular that bears individual notice because of the terrible consequences that always follow it.

This issue is that of asbestos on ships, and thousands of ship workers have sought legal help as a result of having been diagnosed with any of the three most prominent diseases that have been almost definitively linked to asbestos: mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer. Below is a look at this issue, but if you have been harmed as a result of asbestos exposure on a ship, contact a maritime lawyer at Williams Kherkher immediately to schedule a free initial consultation.

Asbestos on Ships

For a long time, asbestos was actually a substance that was preferred by builders of ships, schools, apartment buildings, office buildings and homes, among other structures. The reasons were that asbestos is basically a set of fibers that form to result in an extremely strong, corrosion and flame-resistant substance, which made it useful for such purposes as insulation and other needs that are part of any structure.

The resistance to corrosion and flames is obviously a critical component of any ship that's built, and until the dangers with asbestos were discovered in the late 20th Century. However, by that time, the damage had been done for thousands of ship workers, as the time period between exposure to asbestos and the diagnosis of one of its related diseases can be years, and sometimes even decades.

Although the use of asbestos in ships has largely been outlawed in the United States, there are still ships on the high seas that were built decades ago that contain asbestos, and others out there that were not properly treated for asbestos removal. The result is obvious - ship workers continue to be at risk for any of these fatal diseases.

If you have been exposed to asbestos on a ship, and you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis or lung cancer, you need to contact a maritime lawyer at Williams Kherkher today to schedule a free initial consultation.