Workplace & Jobsite Exposure
Construction, industrial plants, powerhouses, railroads, shipyards, maintenance work and other workplaces where asbestos-containing materials may have been used.
Mesothelioma Exposure Investigation
You Don't Have to Know Where the Asbestos Was
That's our job. Tell us where you worked, what you did, and what you remember. We investigate the products, manufacturers, jobsites and exposures.
You Do Not Need to Know Everything First
You do not need the product name, defendant, or exact date before calling
A mesothelioma patient may remember a job, machine, room, task, coworker, powder, package, or household routine—but not the legal significance. That is enough to begin.
No Exact Product
Remember the task or equipment?
That can be the first lead.
No Exact Date
Remember the employer or life period?
Approximate timing can still help.
No Exposure Theory
Not sure whether it was work, home, or talc?
Those pathways can be investigated separately.
The Exposure Investigation
A memory becomes a lead. A lead becomes an investigation
Patients are not expected to arrive knowing the asbestos manufacturer. The work is to reconstruct the history carefully and then test possible exposure sources against evidence.
1
RememberJobs, places, tasks, products, equipment, household routines and people.
2
OrganizeBuild a chronology and separate workplaces, product categories and exposure pathways.
3
InvestigateNarrow manufacturers, products, suppliers, contractors, jobsites and time periods.
4
CorroborateEvaluate memories against records, witnesses, literature and other available evidence.
Start With One Question
Start with what matters today
Diagnosis, treatment, exposure, asbestos, or one remembered detail—choose the question in front of you and go only as deep as it is useful.
“What does this diagnosis mean?”
Disease, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, specialists and questions for the next appointment.
“How could the exposure have happened?”
Occupational, household, military, building, talc and other possible pathways—without assuming the answer.
“What is asbestos and where was it used?”
The material, its historical uses, products, equipment and why product- and era-specific evidence matters.
“I only remember one detail.”
A job, place, machine, product, family member or year can be enough to begin following the history.
Why Exposure Can Be Hard to Remember
You may never have been told a product contained asbestos
Many people remember the work, the place, the equipment or a household routine—but not the word asbestos. Historically, asbestos could be present in insulation, gaskets, packing, brakes, flooring, joint materials and other products used in ordinary work and home settings.
That is why the investigation starts with what you remember, not with what you already know about asbestos. A job, task, product, machine, family member's work or approximate year may provide the first useful lead.
Mesothelioma Exposure Pathways
How could I have been exposed to asbestos?
Many people diagnosed with mesothelioma do not initially know the source. A useful investigation follows the person's actual history rather than assuming there was only one kind of exposure.
Trade-Specific Exposure
Electrical, carpentry, plumbing, steamfitting, mechanical, painting and other work can involve different products, equipment and exposure circumstances.
Products & Equipment
Gaskets, packing, brakes, flooring, joint materials, insulation, pumps, valves, electrical equipment and other product families may warrant investigation depending on the work and era.
Household / Take-Home Exposure
Some people may have encountered asbestos dust brought home on another person's work clothing or through other household circumstances.
Personal Talc History • A Separate Exposure Pathway
Mesothelioma with no known occupational asbestos exposure?
Personal or cosmetic talc deserves its own investigation. A person does not need a history of construction, factory or trade work for an exposure investigation to be meaningful.
Personal Talc Use
We ask about the type of talc product, how it was used, how often it was used, approximately when it was used, and what brands or packaging the person remembers.
Long-Term Household History
Regular use over years or decades may be important to reconstruct. Memories from family members, photographs, shopping habits and other non-confidential sources can sometimes help identify products.
Product & Company Investigation
Where appropriate, we investigate the product, manufacturer, supplier and relevant time period rather than requiring the patient to arrive knowing those answers.
No Jobsite Exposure Required to Call
If you have mesothelioma and remember personal talc use but no asbestos job, tell us that. The personal-talc history can be investigated on its own.
Our Founding Partners
Meet the founding partners of Humpleby & Strauss
Craig Humpleby and Mark G. Strauss are the founding partners of Humpleby & Strauss, P.C. They work with other attorneys, investigators and professionals as appropriate to a matter while remaining focused on careful exposure investigation, clear communication and the needs of the person and family involved.
Mark G. Strauss
For more than 35 years, Mark has investigated how asbestos exposure may have occurred by listening closely to work histories, tasks, jobsites, products, coworkers and the historical record. His work combines decades of asbestos litigation and exposure investigation with careful research into the products, companies, workplaces and trades behind exposures that may have occurred many years earlier.
Craig Humpleby
Craig approaches difficult mesothelioma histories as investigations, not memory tests—listening carefully, separating what is known from what is possible, following the evidence, and helping families make sense of a history that may reach back decades. When asbestos bankruptcy trusts become relevant, he understands how to navigate the complex web of trusts, companies, products and historical evidence as part of the larger picture.
Mesothelioma • Asbestos Exposure Investigation
Experience matters most when the exposure is hard to remember
Our role is not to hand you a generic product list. It is to reconstruct a work history carefully and investigate the details that can connect a person, place, product and time period.
35+
Years Investigating Asbestos Exposure
Decades of experience asking the questions that help uncover exposures from long ago.
Attorneys Build the Work History
We focus on jobs, sites, tasks, equipment, products, coworkers and time periods — not just a form.
Product-by-Product Investigation
We look for the specific products and manufacturers that fit the work actually performed.
Your Information Stays Private
We do not sell your information to lead buyers. If another firm may help, we explain that relationship.
How We Investigate
From memory to evidence
A mesothelioma exposure investigation starts with what you remember and gets more specific from there.
1. Reconstruct the work
Employers, jobsites, trades, tasks, equipment, coworkers and approximate years.
2. Identify likely exposures
Products, components and materials that fit that work, location and time period.
3. Develop proof
Records, testimony, product literature, site evidence and other sources that may corroborate the exposure history.
Asbestos Bankruptcy Trusts
$30 Billion in Asbestos Trusts*
*Estimates vary by source and over time.
Bankruptcy trusts can be an important part of a mesothelioma claim. Strong submissions depend on the right exposure history and the documentation each trust requires — not just generic forms.
- —Specific products: identify product names and product families when the evidence supports them.
- —Site-specific proof: employers, units, buildings, contractors, dates and work details when available.
- —Coworker corroboration: witnesses may help confirm how and where work was performed.
- —Consistent claim development: trust claims and litigation positions should be developed carefully and accurately.
*
Straight Answers
Honest co-counsel. No surprises
Some matters benefit from local trial counsel or specialized litigation resources. If we believe that helps you, we explain why and who will be involved.
“We investigate the exposure history ourselves.”
Your work history is developed around the details of your actual work — not simply passed to a lead processor.
“If another firm is involved, we tell you.”
You should understand who is working on your matter, their role, and how the relationship works.
Why Exposure Investigation Matters
A diagnosis tells us the disease. It does not tell us the source
The source may be hidden in a job from forty years ago, a machine that was repaired every week, a product used at home, or work performed by someone else nearby. Our job is to reconstruct those details carefully.
Remember the place
Employer, building, department, plant, shop, school, military location or jobsite.
Remember the task
What you installed, repaired, removed, sanded, cleaned, mixed, operated or worked around.
We investigate the product
Products, manufacturers, suppliers, equipment and time periods that fit the history.
Mesothelioma Resource Center
Useful information before and after the first call
These resources are designed around the questions patients and families actually face: what to gather, who can help remember, what to ask a lawyer, and how different legal paths may fit together.
Choosing Counsel
Questions to ask a mesothelioma lawyer
Who investigates exposure, how trusts are handled, and whether co-counsel may be involved.
Preparation
Documents that may help
Employment records, photographs, union or military records, and ordinary family documents.
For Families
How family members can help
Timelines, photographs, names, work routines and household memories can help rebuild the history.
Legal Paths
Litigation and asbestos trusts
A general explanation of possible legal paths without promising a particular result.
Military Service
Veterans and asbestos exposure
Duty station, job duties, equipment and time period can help define a military exposure investigation.
Checklist
Build a work history
A practical way to organize employers, jobsites, tasks, equipment and approximate years.
Prepare for a Consultation
You do not need a perfect exposure history before calling
These pages help patients and families organize what they remember without trying to solve the entire case themselves.
First Call
What happens when I call?
What we ask and what you do not need to know yet.
Work History
What should I write down?
A practical checklist for employers, jobsites, tasks, equipment and approximate years.
Memory
Who else may remember?
Family members, coworkers and ordinary records can help rebuild details decades later.
Product & Equipment Exposure Guides
Remember the product or equipment, but not the asbestos?
These pages give patients another way into the site: through the product, component or equipment they actually remember.
Gaskets & Packing • Mesothelioma
Gaskets, Packing & Sealing Materials
Gaskets and packing were used in many industrial and mechanical systems. A useful exposure investigation looks at the equipment, maintenance task, replacement history, jobsite and time period rather than treating every gasket or packing material as the same.
Brakes & Friction • Mesothelioma
Brakes, Clutches & Friction Materials
Brake and friction work can involve dust from removal, grinding, sanding, replacement or maintenance. The investigation should identify the machine or vehicle, component, manufacturer, workplace and era.
Flooring & Adhesives • Mesothelioma
Flooring, Mastics & Adhesives
Flooring work may involve tile, sheet goods, backing, mastics, adhesives, leveling or patching materials, removal, scraping and sanding. The product history depends on the job, building and time period.
Joint Compound & Drywall • Mesothelioma
Joint Compound, Drywall & Finishing Materials
Drywall and finishing work can involve mixing, applying, sanding, sweeping and cleanup. The investigation should follow the product, contractor, building, task and period of use.
Pumps & Valves • Mesothelioma
Pumps, Valves & Mechanical Equipment
Pump and valve maintenance can involve packing, gaskets, insulation and nearby piping work. The useful details are the equipment manufacturer, service task, plant area and time period.
Electrical Equipment • Mesothelioma
Electrical Equipment & Heat-Resistant Components
Electrical workers may remember switchgear, breakers, controls, wire, panels, motors or other equipment without knowing whether a particular insulating or arc-resistant component contained asbestos. We investigate the equipment and maintenance history.
Where Should I Start?
What do you remember?
A diagnosis, a job, a household routine, a product, or simply not knowing where the asbestos was can each be a useful place to begin.
New Diagnosis
I was just diagnosed
What to write down and how to begin an exposure history.
No Known Exposure
I don't know where the asbestos was
Start with your work, household and product history instead.
Personal Talc History
I used personal or cosmetic talc
A separate pathway for patients with little or no occupational asbestos history.
Household Exposure
Someone in my household worked around asbestos
Take-home exposure can be investigated from family work history and household routines.
Investigation
How do you figure out what exposed me?
See how we move from memories to products, jobsites and corroborating evidence.
Product Identification
I remember the work, but not the brand
Tasks, equipment, packaging, suppliers and dates can still help narrow the product.
The knowledge behind the investigation
A simple front door. A much deeper library behind it
Explore sourced information connecting mesothelioma, occupations, industries, products, equipment, household exposure, military service, historical records and bankruptcy trusts.
Mesothelioma FAQ • Attorney Advertising
Questions people ask after a diagnosis
I was just diagnosed with mesothelioma. What should I do next?
First, focus on your medical care. When you are ready, begin writing down where you worked, approximately when, what kind of work you did, and who you worked with. You do not need to know the asbestos product names before calling us.
How do you prove how I was exposed to asbestos?
We begin with your work history and then investigate the products, manufacturers, jobsites and time periods that fit your work. Depending on the case, proof may come from documents, product literature, testimony, coworkers, records and other sources.
What if I don't remember the product names?
That is not unusual. A person may remember a machine, task, employer, building or trade but not the name printed on a product decades ago. Those memories can still give us a place to begin.
Can personal or cosmetic talc be investigated if I never worked around asbestos?
Yes. Personal talc is treated here as a separate exposure pathway. The investigation can begin with what product you remember, how you used it, approximately when, and for how long. You do not need an occupational asbestos history simply to ask us to investigate personal talc.
Do you handle mesothelioma cases?
Yes. Humpleby & Strauss represents people and families affected by mesothelioma and investigates possible asbestos exposure histories. The jurisdictions and firms involved in a particular matter depend on its facts.
Do you sell my information?
No. Humpleby & Strauss does not sell client or prospective-client information to lead buyers.
What does it cost to talk to you?
The initial consultation is free.
Free Mesothelioma Consultation
Tell us what you remember. We can investigate from there
You do not have to solve the exposure history before speaking with a lawyer.
866-LAW-9110
We do not sell your information.