How Long Does it Take to Get Mesothelioma From Asbestos ExposureAttorney Joe Williams

How long does it take to get mesothelioma
from exposure to asbestos? Hi. I'm Joe Williams. I'm a mesothelioma trial attorney in New York
City and to answer this question we have to talk about the concept that doctors and scientists
refer to as latency. And what latency basically means is the time from exposure to a known
carcinogen to the time when that patient is diagnosed with cancer.

And to illustrate the
point, I want to give you an example. Let's say that I have a cough and I cough into my
hand. I now have those germs on my hand. I.

Then go and I meet -- I meet you -- socially
and say "Hi. How are you? I'm Joe Williams, nice to meet you." And we shake hands. I then
transfer -- unfortunately for you -- those germs to your hand. You then wipe your face
or your mouth and the germs go into your system.

Well, not surprisingly, three days later you
start coughing. Well that cough (that cold) had a three day latency period. It's very
similar when we talk about mesothelioma. The difference is the timeframes involved and
it's widely accepted by doctors and scientists throughout the world that there is a very
significant latency period from mesothelioma.

From the time of exposure; perhaps a powerhouse
worker, working at a powerhouse in the 50s or a machinist mate on an aircraft carrier
in the U.S. Navy in World War II could today be diagnosed with mesothelioma. The latency
period -- again, widely accepted by the entire medical community -- could be that long. Anywhere
from 15 or 20 years from the time of that exposure to asbestos to the time when that
diagnosis of mesothelioma is made.

Now, why is that important? It's important because
the nature of this disease requires us to journey back and evaluate those exposures
that occurred decades (sometimes many decades) ago. And it's important to be able to take
a thorough occupational history to figure out all the possible exposures to asbestos
for a mesothelioma victim. Now you may have many more questions about latency as it relates
to mesothelioma and I can provide the answers. I'm Joe Williams and in our firm we deal with
these issues every day.

We represent victims of mesothelioma every day and we can answer
your questions and we'd be happy to do that. So look at the number below and call our office
and we'll answer your questions. Thank you very much for watching. I hope this was informative..