The link between cancer and tobacco use is clear. However, while the mechanism by which lung cancer develops is still being investigated, the cause of mesothelioma is known: in almost every case, it is exposure to asbestos that puts a person most at risk. Beginning in 1952, the P. Lorillard Tobacco Company sold filter cigarettes under the Kent brand, the filters of which contained “Micronite” – a trademark for the 10mg of asbestos in each filter. The link between cancer and tobacco use is clear. However, while the mechanism by which lung cancer develops is still being investigated, the cause of mesothelioma is known: in almost every case, it is exposure to asbestos that puts a person most at risk.
Five years later, Lorillard finally dumped Micronite-filtered Kents. However, a 1989 study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that a group of cigarette industry workers who had manufactured the Kent brand developed significant higher rates of death from lung disease, including mesothelioma.
Asbestos has also been used in other widely-sold tobacco products over the years as well, including rolling papers and in pipe tobaccos, creating a link between the use of tobacco and mesothelioma. If you smoked during the 1950s and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be entitled to compensation from the current company for its negligent use of asbestos.
Our expert mesothelioma lawyers are experienced in case law regarding mesothelioma and tobacco use, and they can evaluate your case to determine whether you are entitled to recover damages and expenses from the cigarette manufacturers whose products inflicted this horrific disease on many unsuspecting victims.
