Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

Merlin Olsen, a star NFL player for the Los Angeles Rams, was diagnosed last summer with mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer primarily caused by exposure to asbestos. He has filed suit against multiple defendants, including various companies that manufactured asbestos products as well as former employers. Olsen believes he was exposed to asbestos as a young adult when he worked in construction and later at job sites where building repairs were performed without any precautions taken for those working in the vicinity. 

 

Asbestos is an extremely effective insulating substance that was once added to many construction and building products. Asbestos was affordable, easily available, and known for its heat and fire resistant properties. Because of the wide distribution and use of asbestos containing materials, millions of people in the United States have been exposed to asbestos and thousands every year succumb to an asbestos related illness such as mesothelioma.

 

Mesothelioma is the deadliest disease cause by exposure, and there is no known cure. It is estimated that less than 10% of people diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma will live beyond three years, and the majority die within the first year after diagnosis.

 

Olsen is suing NBC Studios and other companies claiming negligence on their part for not having given warnings or provided protection against exposure when manufacturers were well aware of the health hazards caused by asbestos. He has hired a mesothelioma attorney that specializes in handling asbestos lawsuits and is undergoing chemotherapy treatments to slow the progression and help alleviate symptoms.