Illinois Court Sees Record Number of Asbestos Lawsuits

July 7, 2010

Edwardsville, IL The Madison County Circuit Court in Illinois has seen 421 asbestos lawsuits filed as of June 30, marking a 29-case increase from the same date last year, according to the Madison Record.



Madison County Circuit Judge Daniel Stack, the judge in charge of asbestos cases, told the news source in earlier interviews that a great deal of these cases involve secondary exposure, which occurs when a person comes into indirect contact with the deadly mineral or asbestos-containing products.



Another explanation for the increase in asbestos lawsuits is that many asbestos-related diseases -- including asbestosis and mesothelioma, a rare and deadly cancer that attacks the lining of the chest, lungs and abdomen -- take decades to manifest symptoms in the victim.



Stack says that he expects asbestos lawsuits to hit their peak within the next two decades, then slowly wind down after that. Asbestos has already been banned in many countries, and other nations that have not yet done so will probably follow suit in the near future.