The state has several natural asbestos deposits. Some are located in the Juneau and Ketchikan areas, among the most populated in the state. The other deposits may be found in isolated areas in western Alaska and in the Yukon. Asbestos in man-made facilities may be found in power plants, oil processing facilities and in many of the buildings that were constructed prior to 1980. There are major oil installations, power plants that date from the latter half of the 20th century and buildings with asbestos insulation in them, including structures in military facilities that predate statehood. Some of the insulation products in Alaska were imported from Canada, where asbestos was used in industrial products far longer than in the United States.
One of the industrial violators for asbestos exposure in Alaska is British Petroleum (BP), a company that was fined and put on probation for their poor management of a Prudhoe Bay pipeline that not only expose workers to asbestos but also leaked oil into the sea. BP has its share of facility management issues.
Mesothelioma & Asbestosis Deaths in Alaska
Because there is not a long history of industrial activity or development in the state there have not been a lot of asbestos related deaths recorded there. Alaska ranks last among the fifty states for asbestos fatalities, with 58 deaths attributed to asbestosis recorded between 1979 and 2000. There were 46 to 54 deaths due to mesothelioma or asbestos related lung cancer during that period. The federal government began tracking mesothelioma deaths on a national basis in 1999; based on their data they reported an additional 34 mesothelioma deaths from 1999 to 2005.
Legal Rights of Asbestos Victims in Alaska
The Alaska Department of Labor, Division of Labor Standards and Safety regulates the asbestos abatement and handling regulations for the state. Alaska law provides two years after diagnosis for a person who has developed an asbestos related disease to file a personal injury claim or a product liability suit. A family who has lost a loved one to an asbestos related disease has two years to file a wrongful death suit. These statutes of limitations are examples of why it is important to retain a mesothelioma lawyer in Alaska who is familiar with state laws and the opportunities in federal court.
Alaska allows plaintiffs who are partially responsible for their harm in a personal injury case to still obtain damages from other parties who were partially responsible. The rules of several liability are followed in Alaska courts, providing for a strict apportionment of financial responsibility among multiple defendants. Read more about how to to find the right Asbestos lawyer as well as recent Mesothelioma case settlements in addition to lawsuits for Mesothelioma.
