Mesothelioma

The Columbia personal injury lawyers of Gump, Faiella & Bugalski, LLC represents persons who have been harmed by exposure to asbestos. The disease mesothelioma has only one cause: exposure to the harmful mineral asbestos. Mesothelioma takes a long time to develop, and is often diagnosed thirty or more years since the exposure to asbestos. Many people who are exposed to asbestos were exposed in the automotive industry, industrial plants, and older buildings where asbestos was used as insulation of the buildings or on equipment.

About Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos was also commonly used in shipbuilding facilities, and on United States Navy vessels. It was also used in the railroad industry and in brake shoe linings on vehicles, as well as a variety of other products. Affected people commonly had work experience in industrial settings, manufacturing, shipyards, ports, ships, auto repair shops, heating/ cooling businesses, insulation businesses, old buildings, school houses, and public facilities.



Specific to Missouri, workers may be exposed to asbestos in the automobile manufacturing businesses in St. Louis, as well as mining in Missouri’s “Lead Belt”. Those living in urban areas are especially susceptible to asbestos and the diseases it leads to. Asbestos causes diseases that kill approximately 48 Missourians each year.

What Are Your Options?

Mesothelioma is a devastating disease that causes an individual to experience suffering and results in death. Approximately 10,000 people die each year from this disease. Mesothelioma affects the protective membrane surrounding the lungs, heart, and abdominal cavity. The disease is caused by inhaling or swallowing the asbestos fibers.



Overtime, the fibers cause changes in the body that cause inflammation, scarring and other damage. This damage gradually develops into the form of cancer known as mesothelioma. The cancer can affect different parts of the body. The most common type of the cancer is pleural mesothelioma. 75% of people diagnosed with mesothelioma will have pleural mesothelioma. Peritoneal is the next most common type representing approximately 20% percent of cases. Early symptoms are often not felt because they are mild. Late stage common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, weight loss, bowel obstruction, fluid buildup, and pain.

How We Can Help

Our firm has helped people with mesothelioma obtain compensation for themselves and their families.

The lawyers of Gump, Faiella & Bugalski have the resources to investigate the sources of your asbestos exposure. It is critical to determine how you or your loved one was exposed to asbestos to determine what company or companies may be responsible for the mesothelioma claim. Our Columbia personal injury lawyers will work diligently to determine when the exposure occurred and will work with the victim and their family to help them earn the compensation they deserve.