Skip to main content

Thousands of people still dying every year from asbestos

THOUSANDS of people are still dying every year from asbestos-related diseases, a social justice law firm warned today on the 50th anniversary of a landmark compensation case.

Thompsons Solicitors said that the serious health conditions caused by exposure to the toxic substance must not be dismissed as “history” as it deals with an increase in the number of legal claims from women and white-collar workers.

Asbestos, widely used for insulation and in other common products until the 1980s, is classed as carcinogenic, meaning it can cause cancer and other serious lung conditions when fibres are inhaled.

It had a disproportionate impact on men working in heavy industry, but according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), more than one in six people dying from mesothelioma, a fatal asbestos cancer, are women. 

The regulator has reported that more than 5,000 people across Britain are dying each year from diseases related to asbestos, which is still thought to be present in 1.5 million public and commercial buildings nationwide.

Thompsons national head of asbestos strategy Tony Hood said that the deadly material is “still taking thousands of lives every year.

“With symptoms sometimes taking up to 40 years to develop, we don’t see these tragic statistics changing for the better any time soon.”

The warning came on the anniversary of a landmark House of Lords judgment on June 28 1972.

Thompsons successfully defended a worker known as Mr Dodd, who was initially unaware that he could claim for compensation after being diagnosed with a work-related asbestos disease in January 1964.

He only did so in 1967 after a colleague made a claim, but it came outside of a standard three-year “limitation period” for personal injury law.

But the Lords ruled that Mr Dodd could not have known about the possibility of earlier litigation, opening the door for other asbestos victims to follow suit.

Mr Hood said: “Since [1972], the asbestos insurance industry has taken every opportunity to try and limit compensation for people who have developed these horrendous diseases.

“As a firm, we have been involved in every major fight and, step by step, fought back the restrictions the insurers have sought.”

He backed the TUC’s call for all traces of the toxic substance to be eradicated from public and commercial buildings. 

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Everyone should be safe at work, but asbestos is still with us in workplaces and public buildings across the country and it means hundreds of thousands of workers are still put at risk of exposure every day.

“The only way to protect today’s workers and future generations is through the safe removal of asbestos from all workplaces and public buildings. The Westminster government must produce a plan to remove all asbestos to keep future generations safe.

"It’s shameful Conservative ministers are doing nothing to speed up removal when the legacy of yesterday’s failures means that thousands are still dying today.”

OWNED BY OUR READERS

We're a reader-owned co-operative, which means you can become part of the paper too by buying shares in the People’s Press Printing Society.

 

 

Become a supporter

Fighting fund

You've Raised:£ 13,288
We need:£ 4,712
3 Days remaining
Donate today