Industrial Diseases: Emphysema

Asbestosis, mesothelioma, emphysema, repetitive strain—these are all cases of industrial diseases. The workplace can be a dangerous place, especially if you work with industrial tools, chemicals, or in dangerous work environment (a mine, chemical plant, etc). The type of risks that these workers take can detrimentally affect them for their entire lives.

However, the Federal Government has passed numerous laws about safety in the workplace, making employers responsible for the safety of their workers. There are many types of industrial diseases that employers need to protect against, emphysema being one of the most common.

Emphysema

Emphysema is a disease of the lung, which causes the tissue in the lung to lose its elasticity, destroying the blood vessels and alveoli that allow us to breathe. There are many side effects including:

• Hyperventilating
• Shortness of breath
• Physical expansion of the chest

Usually, this disease takes many years to kill its victims, slowly cutting off the lungs ability to give the body air.

There are treatments to help workers heal their lungs, however because this disease is hard to treat it is sometimes too late to offer effective treatments. Workers who work in mines where there is a lot of dust that gets into their lungs or chemical plant workers who deal with heavy chemical fumes are often at risk for emphysema.

Contact a Madison Personal Injury Lawyer

If you or a love one has been injured in the workplace by an industrial disease, contact the Madison personal injury lawyers of Habush, Habush, & Rottier. Call 1-800-822-1690 to discuss the details of your claim today.