Mesothelioma In Nebraska - Facts, Figures And Lawyers
At the moment around 194 people have died from asbestos related illnesses such as mesothelioma in Nebraska since 1979. While discussing the particular mesothelioma statistics of each state it is vital that readers keep in mind that to a large extent the mesothelioma mortality rates are not accurate mainly because of the federal government's inability to recognize this cancer until lately as a legitimate cause of death.
Another reason for mesothelioma statistics being so inaccurate is because of the latency period of this disease; it can often take between 25 and 50 years for the symptoms of this cancer to become visible. In most cases many people do not realize that they have mesothelioma until it is too late. The reason behind this is also because the symptoms of mesothelioma are also symptoms associated with old age. Shortness of breath, chest pains, stomach aches and irregular bowel movements are a few symptoms of the two most common types of mesothelioma.
There are two main kinds of mesothelioma, pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma is cancer of the pleura (lung lining), while peritoneal mesothelioma is cancer of the peritoneum (stomach lining). Mesothelioma is only caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos. People who work with asbestos or in asbestos based industries have the greatest risk for developing this rare cancer because until the late 1980's there were no workplace safety standards in place when it came to working with asbestos.
If you work or have worked in construction, insulation, shipyards, harbors, asbestos mines and mills, or as a car mechanic before 1989 (the EPA banned the commercial use of asbestos) without protective gear, you have a high risk for developing mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma in Nebraska
Below are the figures for the number of deaths, mortality rates (per million population), and years of potential life lost (YPLL) in Nebraska State in the year 1999, in residents age 15 and over.
State : Nebraska
No of deaths: 15
Ranks : 37
Crude Mortality -Rate : 11.50 -Rank : 29
Age-Adjusted Mortality -Rate : 10.77 -Rank : 30
VYLL to life Expectancy -Total : 191 -Rank : 40 -VYLL/death : 12.7 Rank : 41
So far it is estimated that of the total asbestos related deaths in Nebraska around 129 to 210 people have died from mesothelioma lone. This means that this cancer is quite prevalent in the state. A reason for this can be the fact that between 1948 and 1993 at least 1,440 shipments of asbestos contaminated vermiculite were sent from Libby, Montana to 3 locations in Nebraska. While a bulk of the vermiculite was sent to two plants in Omaha, one shipment was sent to an unknown location within the state.
According to shipment receipts more than 126,698 tons of the vermiculite was sent to the Western Mineral Products Company on 36th & I Streets in North East Omaha. The federal government has also listed this plant on it priority list of contaminated sites.