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Lung disease claims drawing scrutiny
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March 22, 2006
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Lung disease claims drawing scrutiny
Lawyers advertised for people to undergo screenings for malady
By Ana Radelat
Clarion-Ledger Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — During his 15 years as a sandblaster, Charles Shoemaker did little to protect himself from the minute particles that constantly hovered around him as he worked.The 53-year-old construction worker from Brandon, Miss., now worries that silica, the primary ingredient in sand and most rocks, settled in his lungs and caused silicosis, a disease that has killed and crippled thousands of industrial workers."When I first started working I didn't know what silicosis was," Shoemaker said.
"But now I know that it's something that could develop over years and kill me."Such fears have led to a staggering surge in silicosis claims targeting a variety of industries.
A few years ago, trial lawyers beg...
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