No matter what industry you work in, you have a reasonable expectation that your employer will do whatever is necessary to ensure the working conditions are safe and healthy, particularly if you work with hazardous materials or heavy machinery.

The death of a man from mesothelioma, a disease associated with asbestos exposure, has resulted in a federal product liability lawsuit against five companies accused of not warning workers of the dangers associated with asbestos and asbestos-containing products.

The defendants in the lawsuit are successors of former employers of the man, who worked at construction sites in Illinois, Georgia and other states during his 54-year career. Throughout that time, according to court documents, the man had substantial exposure to asbestos and asbestos-containing products. The man was diagnosed with mesothelioma in April 2002 and died at the age of 72 years old in January 2004.

In addition to not warning the man and other workers of the dangers and health hazards associated with asbestos, the lawsuit claims the man's employers failed to provide proper protective equipment, place adequate warnings on asbestos-containing products, implement a safety plan or recall or remove asbestos-containing products from the stream of commerce.

The man's wife filed the lawsuit in federal court in New Orleans. Her Metairie attorney is requesting a jury trial. The lawsuit seeks an award for damages including her husband's physical pain and suffering, physical impairment, disfigurement and medical expenses, and for her mental anguish, punitive damages, interest and court costs.

Asbestos is now widely recognized as a dangerous material that causes severe health problems, including mesothelioma and other lung diseases. But for decades, workers were largely unaware of the hazards of asbestos exposure. This lawsuit is one of many that have been filed on behalf of those who died or became ill from years of working around the substance with little to no protection against it.

Source: The Louisiana Record, "Asbestos suit filed in federal court over mesothelioma death," Michelle Keahey, Feb. 13, 2012