Asbestos Cancers and New York Workers

What Cancers Does Asbestos Cause?

New York’s workers were exposed to asbestos on the job for decades and asbestos fibers cause several serious cancers. Health agencies around the world recognize four cancers tied to asbestos: mesothelioma, lung cancer, laryngeal cancer and ovarian cancer. 

Asbestos is the primary cause of mesothelioma. Asbestos exposure significantly increases the risk of laryngeal cancer and ovarian cancer and asbestos-related lung cancer accounts for about 4% of total lung cancer cases in the U.S. For workers who also smoked, asbestos and tobacco combine to multiply lung cancer risk far beyond what either causes alone.

Pleural and Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma forms in the thin tissue lining that surrounds the body’s organs. About 80% of all mesothelioma cases are pleural, developing in the lining around the lungs. The peritoneal form is less common and develops in the lining of the abdomen. Both types are almost exclusively linked to asbestos exposure and can take decades to appear after first contact with the mineral.

Symptoms differ depending on which form a person has. Pleural mesothelioma tends to cause chest pain and breathing difficulties. Peritoneal mesothelioma more often causes abdominal swelling and discomfort. Because both take so long to develop, people sometimes don’t connect their diagnosis to asbestos exposure right away.

Asbestos Lung Cancer

Asbestos lung cancer isn’t the same as mesothelioma, though people often confuse the two. This cancer develops in the lung tissue itself, not in the lining of the lung. It can look identical to smoking-related lung cancer, which makes a person’s work and exposure history especially important. That history helps doctors and attorneys understand what’s really behind a diagnosis. For workers who smoked and also had asbestos exposure, the combined risk of developing lung cancer is greater than either factor alone. 

Laryngeal and Ovarian Cancer

Laryngeal cancer affects the voice box and workers with significant asbestos exposure face a higher risk. Anyone with a history of heavy asbestos exposure who notices persistent hoarseness or throat problems should mention that history to their doctor.

A meta-analysis of studies on women in manufacturing, textiles and industrial settings connected ovarian cancer to occupational asbestos exposure. Women in New York held similar roles across Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens through the mid-20th century. 

By 1910, women made up 27% of New York State’s industrial labor force. By 1945, roughly 7,500 women worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, for example, where asbestos-containing materials were used throughout manufacturing operations from the 1930s through 1966. New York workers with a history of asbestos exposure who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer may have legal options worth exploring.

How Asbestos Causes Cancer and How Much Exposure Is Dangerous?

There isn’t a safe level of asbestos exposure. When asbestos fibers are inhaled or swallowed, they lodge in the body’s tissues. Over decades, they can trigger the kind of cellular damage that leads to cancer. The World Health Organization, EPA and OSHA all confirm there’s no known threshold below which asbestos is considered safe.

Asbestos was standard in New York City’s mid-century construction. Because asbestos cancers take decades to develop after first exposure, many New York workers exposed in the 1960s through the 1980s are getting diagnosed today. Even short or limited exposure can cause disease, though risk generally rises with the amount and duration of contact. 

Asbestos Cancer Risk for New York’s Uniformed and Public Workers

New York City’s pre-1980 firehouses, precinct houses, public schools, municipal buildings, transit tunnels and waste-handling facilities all contained asbestos materials that could break down and release fibers into the air. The workers who spent careers inside that infrastructure were exposed, often without ever knowing it. Asbestos was in insulation, fireproofing, floor tiles, ceiling tiles, pipe lagging and boilers across the city’s buildings. 

Firefighters, police officers, sanitation workers and teachers are among the New York workers with the highest asbestos exposure risk. A New York asbestos lawyer can review your work history and explain your legal options.

Sanitation Workers

New York’s sanitation workers handled the city’s demolition and renovation debris for decades. Much of that material contained asbestos long before abatement rules tightened. Old garages, transfer stations and waste-processing facilities added to exposure over the course of a career. This was physically demanding, essential work, often done without any warning of what was in the air.

Sanitation workers and other public workers among recovery crews in the wake of the attack on the World Trade Center site are a recognized asbestos exposure group. If you responded to or worked the recovery and cleanup after 9/11, federal programs may apply to your situation in addition to other legal options. We can help you navigate these programs with other legal claims you may be eligible for.

Police Officers

Many officers spent their careers in precinct houses built before asbestos regulations existed, with no indication the buildings themselves were a health risk. That exposure accumulated over years, sometimes decades. For officers who also responded to or worked the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001, they faced a separate and acute exposure event that has since been linked to elevated rates of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related cancers.

Firefighters

Firefighters face asbestos exposure in two distinct ways. Burning and damaged older buildings that still contain legacy asbestos release toxic asbestos fibers directly into the air firefighters work in. Older firehouses and legacy firefighting equipment also contain asbestos materials. A NIOSH study of nearly 30,000 firefighters found that firefighters develop mesothelioma at twice the rate of the general population. That finding is widely attributed to asbestos exposure on the job. 

Firefighters who responded to the collapse of the World Trade Center were exposed to enormous amounts of asbestos and other toxins released into the air in Lower Manhattan. The World Trade Center Health Program and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund are two programs that were created to help first responders and others who have become ill from exposure related to the attack.

Teachers and School Staff

New York’s older public schools commonly contained asbestos in floor tiles, ceiling tiles, insulation and pipe lagging. Many older schools still contain these legacy asbestos products. Teachers, custodians and other staff who spent careers in these buildings face ongoing exposure, especially where materials are damaged or disturbed during repairs. 

Federal law under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act requires schools to inspect and manage asbestos-containing materials, underscoring how widespread the problem has been. Teachers’ families weren’t immune either. Take-home exposure also puts spouses and children at risk.

Take-Home Asbestos Exposure: When a New York Worker’s Risk Comes Home

Secondary asbestos exposure, also called take-home exposure, happens when a worker unknowingly carries dangerous asbestos fibers home on their clothing, hair, skin or tools. Family members who never set foot on a jobsite can develop serious asbestos-related diseases this way. For the spouses and children of New York’s sanitation workers, firefighters, police officers and teachers, that risk was real and it often went unrecognized for decades.

Who Faced Take-Home Exposure

• Anyone sharing a home with a worker who returned daily in dusty clothing
• Children of workers in high-exposure trades and public-service jobs
• Family members who washed asbestos-contaminated work clothes and uniforms

The connection between take-home exposure and lung cancer, mesothelioma and ovarian cancer among family members is well documented. A firefighter’s partner who laundered contaminated uniforms or a child who hugged a parent still in dusty work clothes faced exposure. Family members diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease can sue for asbestos exposure.

If you’re a family member with an asbestos-related diagnosis, a case review can help determine if your exposure history supports a claim. It’s worth having that conversation sooner rather than later.

Asbestos Cancer Symptoms and Why New York Workers Are Often Diagnosed Late

Early symptoms of asbestos-related cancers are easy to miss because they resemble far more common conditions. A persistent cough, some shortness of breath or a little abdominal discomfort can point to dozens of things before anyone thinks to connect them to a job someone held 30 years ago. That’s what makes asbestos cancers so difficult to catch early.

Common Symptoms of Asbestos Cancers

• Abdominal swelling or pain
• Bloating
• Changes in bowel habits
• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Persistent cough
• Shortness of breath
• Unexplained weight loss

Because these cancers develop decades after exposure, early signs often get mistaken for everyday illnesses like flu or pneumonia or chronic conditions like COPD or asthma. By the time a correct diagnosis is made, the cancer has frequently progressed. Exposure history matters and longtime New York workers should make a point of sharing that history with their doctor. That information can change how a doctor interprets symptoms and whether they order additional screening.

Asbestosis vs Asbestos Cancer

Asbestosis isn’t cancer, but it is an asbestos-related disease. It’s a chronic lung disease that develops when inhaled asbestos fibers cause scarring in lung tissue over time. While it’s not a malignant cancer, lung scarring makes it harder to breathe and can worsen over the years. 

Asbestosis can be an indicator that someone is at risk for an asbestos cancer. The asbestos exposure that causes asbestosis can also cause cancer to develop. People can be diagnosed with both asbestosis and cancer.  People with asbestosis have had successful legal claims similar to plaintiffs with asbestos cancer. 

Your Legal Options in New York After an Asbestos Cancer Diagnosis

If you or a family member received an asbestos-related cancer diagnosis after working in New York, you likely can pursue compensation. Most asbestos-cancer claims are product-liability lawsuits brought against the manufacturers of the asbestos-containing products a worker encountered on the job. Insulation, fireproofing materials, floor tiles and pipe fittings are common examples. 

Who Can File

• Diagnosed workers, who file a claim in their own name
• Family members or others in a household with someone who worked around asbestos with their own asbestos-cancer diagnosis from secondary or take-home exposure
• Spouses, children and estate representatives often qualify to  pursue a wrongful death claim 

When many asbestos companies declare bankruptcy, they create asbestos trust funds to compensate people who got sick from their products. For some people whose exposure is connected to multiple companies, they pursue both lawsuits against solvent companies and trust fund claims at the same time.

New York has filing deadlines for personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. The clock starts at the date of diagnosis or loss of a loved one. Asbestos trust funds also have their own deadlines for filing claims that are independent of lawsuit statutes of limitations. It’s worth having a case reviewed with a lawyer as soon as possible to ensure all claims are filed on time.

Compensation for New York’s Asbestos Cancer Patients and Families

Compensation in asbestos-cancer cases can come from settlements and verdicts against manufacturers, asbestos trust funds and federal programs for eligible responders. The amount someone recovers depends on the type of cancer they have, how far it’s progressed, documentation of exposure history and the number of liable parties. Income, ongoing care needs and the broader impact the illness has had on the person and their family also play a role.

What Compensation Can Cover

• Economic Damages:
  • Long-term care and out-of-pocket costs
  • Lost wages and earning capacity
  • Medical treatment costs
• Non-Economic Damages
  • Loss of consortium for spouses
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Pain and suffering

These two categories of damages reflect both the financial and personal toll an asbestos-related cancer takes on a person and their family. Every case is different and what’s recoverable depends on the facts. A case review is the best way to understand what compensation may look like in your situation.

Common Questions About Asbestos Cancers and New York Workers

About The Author

Daniel Wasserberg

Founding Partner

Daniel Wasserberg, a founding partner of Meirowitz & Wasserberg, is a Best Lawyers-recognized and Super Lawyers-rated mesothelioma attorney with over 20 years of experience. Named a Top 100 Trial Lawyer and Top 10 Asbestos-Mesothelioma Lawyer, he leads the firm's national asbestos practice.