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Secondary Asbestos Exposure Kills Illinois Woman

A Bellville, Illinois woman whose mother, father, and husband all worked in industries where asbestos use was prevalent, has succumbed to mesothelioma and her husband wants everyone to know how decades of exposure killed his wife. To do that, he’s suing literally dozens of companies who were responsible for that exposure.

secondary asbestos exposure still killsAccording to an article in the Madison – St. Clair Record, Daniel Wallace has forged a lawsuit against the many companies who manufactured and used asbestos products during his employment in particular, convinced that years and years of secondary exposure to his dust-covered clothing killed Bonita Wallace, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma early in 2015 and died on December 20th of that same year.

As is standard with most asbestos-related lawsuits, Wallace’s suit alleges that the many defendants named in the proceedings negligently included asbestos in their products, even when they knew it was dangerous, and failed to provide adequate warnings and instructions concerning the safe methods of working with products containing asbestos.

Wallace is seeking a trial by jury and, specifically, $50,000 in economic damages, $50,000 for his wife’s injuries and suffering, and “all other relief the court deems appropriate”, which could climb into the millions of dollars.

Wallace is not alone in his grief. Secondary asbestos exposure that causes mesothelioma is more prevalent than one may believe and is the main reason women are diagnosed with the disease.

This generally results from generations of workmen arriving home with asbestos fibers stuck to their clothes, hair, and body. Often, wives, daughters, or sisters would wash the workers’ dust-covered clothes, usually after shaking them out, causing the toxic dust to fly around the laundry room area.

Unfortunately, any amount of inhaled asbestos could potentially cause a related disease; scientists have determined that even this casual type of exposure could be lethal. Even those who didn’t work closely with the material on a daily basis could die due to any number of asbestos diseases.

Women who were most susceptible to asbestos exposure were the spouses or other female relatives of individuals who worked in the following industries:

  • Steel mills
  • Power plants
  • Coal mines
  • Textile mills
  • Chemical plants
  • Construction
  • Military

Jobs they may have held include:

  • Machinist
  • Insulator
  • Plumber
  • Pipe fitter
  • Electrician
  • Builder
  • Carpenter
  • Engineer

Often times, these women have lived their lives without recognizing the danger they face. This was especially true through much of the 60s and 70s, when the hazards of asbestos tended to be known to company executives but rarely shared with employees. Therefore, the men who brought asbestos dust home on their clothes were unaware that they were putting loved ones in danger. To put it simply, no one ever told them.

Today, Mr. Wallace and others like him are doing what it takes to receive compensation for their loved ones’ suffering, filing suit against the companies that should have known better yet continued their negligent behavior. Thankfully, many have succeeded in receiving the money they deserve.