A 78-year-old Vietnam veteran recently saw a victory in court when a jury recognized the connection between his daily use of talcum powder and his mesothelioma. The man suffers from pleural mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer that’s associated with asbestos exposure.
In his case, the man established that Old Spice Talcum Powder was the source of the exposure. He used it for 22 years. The jury found that the evidence presented showed that Whittaker, Clark & Daniels knew that the talc supply was tainted with asbestos.
Why would talc be contaminated with asbestos?
Talc and asbestos are commonly found together during the mining process. The plaintiff’s attorneys established how the North Carolina talc mine also contained asbestos. Unfortunately, the complainant in the civil trial has to live with cancer because of the exposure. The jury awarded the man $4.8 million in the case.
What to know about mesothelioma and its progression
Mesothelioma can take many years from the time of exposure to begin to show symptoms. Oftentimes, the first symptoms are a painful cough, chest pain and trouble breathing. Once the person begins to have symptoms, their condition will degrade rapidly.
Treating mesothelioma isn’t a simple process. There is no cure for this aggressive cancer. Treatments usually focus on prolonging the person’s life and improving the quality of it. These treatments are often costly, so there’s a financial strain that comes with this diagnosis.
Victims might choose to seek compensation to help offset those costs. It’s imperative that individuals take this action quickly after they receive their mesothelioma diagnosis. This can help them have the financial aspects of the disease so that they can enjoy the time that they have left.