Brown University is one of many college campuses with buildings that contain a cancer-causing mineral known as asbestos. If disturbed, asbestos fibers and particles can enter the air and easily be inhaled or ingested by students, staff and faculty at Brown. This can lead to life-threatening illnesses such as mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with any disease connected to exposure to asbestos after attending or working at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, discuss your legal options with an attorney at Bailey & Glasser, LLP. Our team of asbestos attorneys can help you bring a claim against the university, a product manufacturer or another party in pursuit of justice and fair financial compensation. Contact us today.
What Sets Bailey & Glasser, LLP Apart?
- A team of skilled, knowledgeable and experienced asbestos attorneys with offices across the country.
- Over $90 million in settlements and jury verdicts obtained for asbestos and mesothelioma clients.
- Exceptional legal resources, staff members and counsel available to our clients.
- The ability to take Brown University and other powerful adversaries to trial, if necessary.
- Attorney’s fees charged on a contingency fee basis, meaning $0 in upfront costs.
What Types of Illnesses Can Exposure to Asbestos Cause?
Asbestos is a group of six minerals that are all confirmed carcinogens. If asbestos is inhaled or ingested, it can become permanently lodged in the victim’s internal tissues. This includes the mesothelium, or the thin lining that surrounds many of the organs. Inhalation is the primary source of asbestos entering the body and can lead to cancer of the lungs or lining around the lungs (the pleura). Other parts of the body commonly affected by asbestos are the abdomen, peritoneum, pericardial sac, ovaries and testicles.
Illnesses that are connected to exposure to asbestos include:
- Mesothelioma
- Lung cancer
- Asbestosis
- Pleural thickening
- Pleural plaques
- Esophageal cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Other types of cancer
There is no known cure for diseases caused by asbestos. Mesothelioma, for example, is a terminal type of cancer with a life expectancy that ranges from 12 to 21 months with treatment, on average (source: the National Library of Medicine). The International Agency for Research on Cancer did not confirm the cancer-causing nature of asbestos until 1987, however. Hundreds of Brown University’s campus buildings were constructed in the 1800s and 1900s. Therefore, they used products and building materials that contain asbestos.
Asbestos on Campus at Brown University
Brown University has confirmed the presence of asbestos in many of its buildings and structures. This includes various buildings, such as classrooms, auditoriums, cafeterias, laboratories, libraries, residential buildings and administrative buildings. Confirmed locations with asbestos at Brown include biomedical buildings and buildings that contain high-temperature hot water systems. This is due to heat-resistant products that are contaminated with asbestos.
The list of building materials and products that may contain asbestos at Brown University includes:
- Acoustical plaster
- Ceiling tiles
- Cement pipes
- Chalkboards
- Decorative plaster
- Electrical ducts and wiring insulation
- Fireproofing materials
- Floor tiles and flooring adhesive
- Gaskets
- HVAC duct insulation
- Joint compounds
- Lab hoods and benches
- Pipe and boiler insulation
- Roofing shingles
- Spray-applied insulation
- Textured paints and coatings
- Wallboard
Like many colleges in the United States, Brown has subscribed to a “managing asbestos in place policy” for buildings that contain asbestos. This means that rather than spend potentially millions of dollars on asbestos containment and removal on campus, Brown University has decided only to address and remove asbestos-containing materials that are at risk of being disturbed or damaged due to construction, repair or demolition projects. Unfortunately, this means thousands of students and staff members continue to be at risk of exposure to asbestos in dangerous environments at Brown University.
Filing a Claim for Exposure to Asbestos at Brown University
The latency period for mesothelioma and most asbestos-related diseases is 20-60+ years from the date of asbestos exposure. This means that many students and faculty at Brown University will not know that they have been exposed to asbestos on campus until many decades later. It often takes a thorough investigation to trace the source of a victim’s exposure to asbestos to time spent in dangerous environments while he or she attended or taught at Brown.
If you believe that your time at Brown University in Rhode Island resulted in your current asbestos-related illness, disease or cancer, you may be entitled to financial compensation through one of the following sources:
- Personal injury lawsuit – a claim that is typically based on the doctrine of negligence, such as Brown University’s careless failure to properly protect students and staff from the known risks presented by asbestos on campus.
- Wrongful death lawsuit – another negligence-based claim, except that it is filed by surviving family members on behalf of someone who has died from an asbestos-related disease.
- Product liability claim – an individual lawsuit, class action or multidistrict litigation against a product manufacturing company for a product that is contaminated with asbestos on Brown University’s campus.
- Workers’ compensation claim – a no-fault insurance claim that can be filed by an employee of Brown who was exposed to asbestos on campus (even without proof of the university’s negligence).
- Asbestos trust fund claim – a type of claim that may be available if the manufacturing company that exposed you to asbestos on campus set up a fund for victims when it filed for bankruptcy.
Each type of claim or lawsuit has pros and cons. They also come with unique laws and deadlines. Consult with an attorney to discuss which legal option is right for you. At Bailey & Glasser, LLP, we will listen to your story and carefully analyze the facts of your case. Then, members of our Asbestos and Lung Disease Group will give you advice about what to do next, such as what type of claim might be right for you.
Speak to a Case Intake Specialist Today | Call (866) 871-7971
You don’t have to deal with a mesothelioma diagnosis or another type of asbestos-related illness alone. The attorneys at Bailey & Glasser, LLP are passionate about helping victims of exposure to asbestos understand and defend their legal rights. We will fight for you during this difficult time.
We can go up against Brown University, a product manufacturing company, an insurance corporation or another powerful adversary on your behalf to recover the financial compensation that you and your family need. To learn more about your legal options after being exposed to asbestos at Brown University, complete our online contact form or call (866) 871-7971 to speak to an intake specialist today.
