Baron and Budd has been a long-time advocate for America’s workers and has enjoyed a relationship with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) for many years. Through the firm’s work with mesothe...

                                                                                   
Asbestos is the generic name for six naturally occurring minerals that have been used in commercial products for their strength, flexibility, low electrical conductivity, and resistance to heat and chemicals. Because of these properties, there are a wide variety of commercial asbestos applications:

• electrical wiring and switching components
• fire retardant insulation for buildings  building materials like drywall, joint compound, roofing shingles
• HVAC insulation
• Automotive gaskets and friction materials (brake pads, clutch linings)
• Boiler insulation, pump gaskets and packing materials.

Mesothelioma is a dreaded cancer that is nearly always caused by just one factor: asbestos exposure. It's an unfortunate truth that millions of Americans and people all over the world have been poisoned by toxic levels of asbestos, putting them at risk for mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other deadly diseases that are directly caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers.

Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Patients with mesothelioma suffer from malignant cells proliferating in the mesothelium, a type of protective tissue that encases our bodies vital organs. The cancer’s attack on the mesothelium wreaks havoc in the patient’s body, causing tumors, swelling, the accumulation of fluid in the chest and abdominal cavities, inflammation, and a general breakdown of many organ systems. Sadly, mesothelioma has a poor prognosis; most cases are very difficult to treat effectively and almost all cases are terminal.

 

Asbestos in Washington

For the last twenty years or so the State of Washington has been known as the home of Microsoft and the many tech startups that are clustered around their headquarters in Redmond.  High tech has both augmented and replaced the state’s more traditional industries, which include wood products, Boeing Aircraft, shipbuilding and repair, and oil processing.  Bremerton and Seattle were destinations for Alaskan oil tankers prior to the construction of the pipeline and remain so today.