Weitz & Luxenberg Highlights Dangers of Asbestos-Related Lung Cancer

NEW YORK--(Business Wire)--Weitz & Luxenberg (www.weitzlux.com) would like to inform the
public of the risk of lung cancer from asbestos exposure. CancerCare
predicts that lung cancer will account for 15 percent of cancer
diagnoses and 29 percent of all cancer deaths this year. While it is
common knowledge that cigarette smoking is the leading cause of the
disease, the public is rarely informed that asbestos exposure can also
cause lung cancer. According to a study compiled by the Environmental
Working Group, approximately 5,000 people die from asbestos-related
lung cancer every year in the United States.

This is of great concern to Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., which through
its extensive experience with asbestos-related lung cancer cases, has
seen that many of those grappling with the disease are often unaware
that they have legal recourse. Additionally, the National Cancer
Institute states that the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure
significantly increases a person's risk of developing cancer of the
air passageways in the lung.

"The public should know how dangerous asbestos is and how exposure
to it can multiply a person's likelihood of developing lung cancer,
particularly if that person smokes," said Joseph P. Williams, a
trial attorney with the Asbestos Litigation unit.

A history of success in asbestos litigation

Weitz & Luxenberg has many notable successes in fighting for those
who have been harmed by asbestos. In May, the firm obtained a jury
verdict of $37 million for two smokers with lung cancer who had been
exposed to asbestos (Index Nos. 100016/99 and 113583/05, New York
Supreme Court). The defendant was Robert A. Keasbey Company, a former
insulation contractor and distributor of asbestos products. In 2006,
the firm secured a $25 million jury verdict in a trial against
DaimlerChrysler AG for a New York City brake reliner who lost his
right lung to mesothelioma.

Asbestos is in many everyday products

Asbestos invades people's homes and workplaces through everyday
products such as floor and ceiling tile, insulation, brake pads and
boilers that contain the carcinogen. People who are most at risk
include those who worked with asbestos more than 10 years ago. This is
because asbestos-related diseases have a long latency period.
Boiler-making, automobiles, construction and textiles are some of the
many industries that have exposed workers to the carcinogen, causing
untold numbers to die of asbestos-related lung ailments such as
mesothelioma, a cancer that is almost always caused by breathing in
asbestos fibers.

Household members of asbestos workers should get tested

It is equally crucial for the household members of such workers to
get tested for asbestos diseases. The family of an exposed worker is
at risk for secondhand contact by inhaling the asbestos fibers that
the worker brought home on his or her clothes.

It is important to keep in mind that disturbing an
asbestos-containing product by hammering or cutting it, for example,
can cause the release of asbestos fibers. When inhaled, those fibers
get trapped in the lungs and can result in lung cancer decades later.
It is therefore essential for those who have been exposed decades ago
to get tested for asbestos diseases as soon as possible.

Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C. offers free case reviews from
www.weitzlux.com.

People who have been harmed by asbestos may contact Weitz &
Luxenberg by visiting the firm's website at www.weitzlux.com.

About Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.

Weitz & Luxenberg, founded in 1986, is one of the leading
plaintiffs' law firms in America. The firm has also played leading
roles in national and local litigations involving asbestos, DES,
silicone breast implants, medical malpractice, and general negligence,
among others. A forerunner in the legal fight against environmental
polluters, Weitz & Luxenberg has worked with clients harmed by MTBE
and mercury, among other toxins. The firm has won numerous cases
involving dangerous pharmaceuticals, including Vioxx, achieving a
$13.5 million verdict against Merck & Co. The firm's other active
pharmaceutical litigations include actions against the manufacturers
of Bextra, ReNu, Celebrex and Ortho Evra.

Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.
Client Relations, 1-800-476-6070
clientrelations@weitzlux.com
www.weitzlux.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008