It has been known for years that when people inhale asbestos fibers many of them will ultimately develop a type of cancer called mesothelioma. This knowledge has not prevented it from being used in a wide assortment of products.

Companies that have been making asbestos products have known for decades that they have been injuring and killing their employees. So did the United States government.

Over the years asbestos has been used in anything from acoustic tile, which was used widely throughout much of the 20th century in offices, schools, homes and municipal buildings to vermiculite potting soil. From 1923 until 1990 vermiculite ore that was mined in Libby, Montana was contaminated with naturally occurring asbestos.

W.R. Grace mined the product from 1963 until 1990 and was aware that the vermiculite that their employees were mining contained asbestos. However they did not to anything to warn either their employees or the nearby townspeople.

The bottom line is that anyone from the workers who were involved in mining and manufacturing the product to the children who played near it were exposed to the risk of acquiring mesothelioma.

In 2000 the Environmental Protection Agency completed a study that found some gardening products made of vermiculite also contain asbestos. However he EPA came to the conclusion that there was minimal risk to consumers.

When asbestos fibers become airborne and a person breathes them in, it can cause a rare but deadly type of cancer called malignant mesothelioma . The disease affects the lungs, heart, or stomach.

Now the EPA recommends that anyone that use vermiculite products should make sure that they're in a well ventilated area in order to minimize the risk of being exposed to asbestos.

Fire safety aside, the cost in human lives and mesothelioma settlements makes you wonder why asbestos is still included in items such as roof cement, brake liners, and duct tape.

Mesothelioma attorneys have been fighting back. Since the unregulated use of asbestos was stopped to a large degree in the 1970s lawyers have been in a continuous fight to help the victims get the mesothelioma settlements that they need and deserve.

The process is very time consuming. However there has been an avalanche of asbestos settlements that have helped the families of people who've developed respiratory illnesses because companies knowingly subjected them to exposure to this deadly product.

Because the cost of treatment and the loss of income is so great, and the reality that contracting the disease amounts to a death sentence, both the victims as well as the families of the victims are seeking legal help to realize the mesothelioma settlements that are rightfully theirs.