The Secret is out about California’s State Rock
I’m Ed Smith, an El Dorado Hills Mesothelioma lawyer. Serpentine is the official State Rock in California. Ours was the first state to announce an official state rock and an official state mineral. Chrysotile asbestos, naturally occurring in serpentine, is known as a carcinogen listed by the Enviornmental Protection Agency (EPA).
El Dorado Hills: The Hub of the State Rock
El Dorado Hills made a splash on the national media scene around ten years ago. Prior to that, only the locals knew about El Dorado Hills. It was a relatively affluent community known for its proximity to the natural wonders and popular shopping malls. When the EPA paid the innocent town a visit, everything changed. The community had largely been built around the mining of the state rock, a substance called serpentine. Unfortunately, when miners drill into serpentine rock, they also release asbestos into the air. This is a deadly substance that can become lodged in people’s lungs and cause lung cancer, most notably known as mesothelioma. The EPA swept in shortly after this discovery and tested hundreds of air samples. To their dismay, every one of the air samples contained the dangerous asbestos fibers.
The Problem Isn’t Only in El Dorado Hills
While El Dorado Hills is the most notable hotbed of asbestos fibers, the problem permeates throughout the entire state. Numerous towns and cities were built on the ubiquitous state rock, leading to the spread of more asbestos fibers. People in multiple industries can be impacted by asbestos and mesothelioma, including shipyard workers, steel and iron mill workers, construction employees, power plant staff, and even oil rigs. Many companies were also sold products containing asbestos. Because of the physical nature of these lines of work and their location, people who work in these fields are at a higher risk for inhaling asbestos and eventually developing mesothelioma.
Thousands of Deaths
As the EPA works hard to clean up the asbestos from the local communities, the damage is still being assessed. The CDC recently announced California has the highest number of deaths due to mesothelioma of any state, close to 1,800 between 1999 and 2005. Throughout the country, there are over 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma every year. As the diagnostic tests for mesothelioma continue to improve, even more people will be diagnosed. The California state rock has actually killed thousands of Californians in recent years. The beautiful mountain ranges bely their deadly nature.
El Dorado Hills Mesothelioma & Wrongful Death Lawyers
My name is Ed Smith, and I’m an El Dorado Hills Mesothelioma lawyer. Anyone who has picked up asbestos as a result of the state rock should call me at (916) 921-6400 for friendly, free advice. Feel free to use my toll free number at (800) 404-5400.
I am a member of the California Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a group of some of the top trial lawyers in the country. We have won multiple million-dollar verdicts for past clients.
Visitors can review my prior verdicts and settlements here.
Past customers have left reviews of their experience working with me on Avvo, Yelp, and Google.
Image Attribution: Wikimedia Commons – Dawn Endico of Menlo Park, California – State Stars, CC BY-SA 2.0
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