Workers’ Compensation In Maryland For Lung Disease

The air you breathe and the particulates it contains can have major impacts on your health. Exposure to hazardous substances can cause lung disease, one of the most common types of occupational illnesses in Maryland.

Lung disease is common in certain types of industries. Our Maryland workers’ compensation attorney explains more about job-related lung diseases and how to get the benefits you need to cover your losses.

Common Types of Work-Related Lung Diseases

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that lung disease is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. It involves a variety of different disorders that impact pulmonary function and the respiratory system. This can make it more difficult to breathe while causing chronic pain, coughing, wheezing, excessive fatigue, and a host of other symptoms. Common types of lung diseases include:

• Asthma, something you may be born with or acquired over the course of your life, which causes the airways to swell at certain times;
• Chronic bronchitis, which occurs when air sacs in the lungs fail to work properly, resulting in a chronic cough, labored breathing, and wheezing;
• Emphysema, which also impacts air sacs in the lungs and may be caused by smoking and exposure to pollution and certain types of fumes;
• Asbestosis and mesothelioma, in which breathing in asbestos fibers causes scarring to lung tissues;
• Pulmonary fibrosis, which also impacts lung tissue and results in excessive tightness in the chest;
• Pulmonary hypertension, which impacts how oxygen is circulated throughout the body and can cause heart disease or other disorders;
• Lung cancer, one of the most dangerous and deadly types of cancer.

Lung disease is one of the most common types of occupational illnesses. It can come from routinely breathing in asbestos, smoke, or other harsh substances over the course of your job.

Workers’ Compensation Can Help In Dealing With Lung Disease

Troubling symptoms of lung diseases can sometimes get better when you stop breathing in hazardous substances. However, the underlying damage to your respiratory and pulmonary systems is likely to be permanent. Your condition may require ongoing medical care while preventing you from working or engaging in other activities.

Benefits available through the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission can help in covering your costs. It pays for all reasonable and necessary medical expenses due to work-related injuries or occupational illnesses, provides lost wages, and helps ensure you and your family continue to be provided for. Workers often impacted by lung disease who may be eligible for these benefits include:

• Construction workers;
• Building maintenance and repair;
• Manufacturing workers;
• Railroad engineers and other employees;
• Mechanics;
• Road crews;
• Firefighters;
• Anyone routinely exposed to hazardous substances as part of their job.

Contact Our Maryland Workers’ Compensation Attorney

Finding out you have a lung disease can be devastating. At Berman | Sobin | Gross LLP we help you get the compensation needed to cover your medical bills, lost wages, and other costs. Call or contact our office online and request a consultation with our Maryland workers’ compensation attorney today.

Sources:

niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/conditions/lung-disease

wcc.state.md.us/gen_info/wcc_benefits.html

mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gcj&section=11-108&enactments=false