A Baltimore, MD jury awarded $2.8 Million to the family of Daniel Edwards, a forklift operator who died in 2008 of mesothelioma, which was contracted after years of exposure at his place of work. Edwards worked unloading bags of raw asbestos with a forklift for 6 years at Charlotte, North Carolina-based National Gypsum Co.

Many people are aware of the serious danger posed by occupational exposure to asbestos, which is effectively the exclusive cause of mesothelioma cancer. Mesothelioma cancer is caused by exposure to asbestos fibers or dust and primarily strikes persons who worked with asbestos products in an occupational setting. It is a type of lung cancer that takes many years to develop and produce symptoms. What many people do not realize is that asbestos exposure can create a risk of second hand exposure to asbestos for those who have never worked around asbestos.

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that was widely used commercially in many different products including construction, insulation and fireproofing materials. Those exposed to asbestos may develop various forms of cancer, as well as pulmonary hypertension (a rare disorder that affects blood vessels in the lungs), asbestosis disease, immunological effects, and other serious conditions. Asbestos exposure is the only identified cause of a rare form of cancer known as Mesothelioma.