When you think about the safety and health hazards a correctional officer must face on a daily basis, mesothelioma and asbestos exposure are usually not the first things that come to mind.

The risk of exposure in today’s modern age has been for the most part reduced due to various governments enacting rules and regulations to restrict the use of asbestos-based products.

What if you work in a corrections facility at a time prior to the various protective measures was put into place… Before we answer this, let’s first answer what mesothelioma is exactly, and what your options are if you believe you have been affected.

What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma, or meso for short, is a disease for which there currently is no widely known cure. It affects a wide range of people that have had long, prolonged exposure to asbestos-containing areas that have been disturbed, resulting in the release of asbestos dust into the air.

Since mesothelioma affects the linings of various body cavities, primarily the lungs, and the symptoms range from chest pain, cough, problem breathing, and excessive fluid, followed potentially by the formation of cancerous tumors.

If you haven’t done so already, you should contact your health care provider as soon as possible and have your symptoms and concerns addressed by a trained professional.

What Are Your Options

Your first step is to first identify your current health condition and address any issues you may have with your health care provider. At that point when you have verified your condition then you should attempt to pinpoint the location of exposure.

The next few steps might involve a great of work on your part, but you could then attempt to get in contact with your previous or current employer to express your concerns and determine if any assistance is currently already in place to help correctional officers, prison guards, jailers, and the like deal with asbestos exposure and possibly being diagnosed with a disease like mesothelioma.

An easier and less stressful option would be to contact an attorney in your area to discuss some of your legal options. Lawyers that deal with mesothelioma cases have a great deal of insight and knowledge in this particular area and in most cases can assist you in obtaining compensation based on the details of your specific case.