The borough of South Tyneside, a metropolitan area in Tyne and War in North East England, is setting records, but not the sort about which city leaders would be eager to boast. Deaths linked to asbestos exposure here number at twice the national average. Deaths from mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer that affects the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart, are the eighth highest in England and Wales, according to figures published Monday in the Shields Gazette
. And, experts tell the news agency, those numbers are only expected to rise in the coming years.
Statistics collected by the non-profit Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) indicate mesothelioma as the cause of 65 deaths in South Tyneside from 2006 to the end of 2010, or about 5.2 deaths per 100,000 people. The national average for this time frame was 2.5 deaths per 100,000. It is believed many victims were exposed to asbestos in the area’s once thriving shipbuilding industry.
Victims of asbestos exposure, who are suffering with diseases including asbestosis, a severe scarring of the lungs, and pleural plaques, often a precursor to the development of mesothelioma, along with families of those who have died from asbestos disease, are crusading for compensation.
They are angry about caps on compensation for victims of pleural plaques in England and Wales. And, they are concerned about how the victims of asbestos disease will pay for medical care and support their families as their disease progresses and the number of victims continues to rise.
“What is needed is for the Government to bring forward proposals for a fund of last resort, which would act as a safety net for injured workers who are otherwise unable to pursue the justice they deserve,” APIL president David Bott told the Shields Gazette
. This, he says, is the very least that they ought to be able to expect.Tags: asbestos, asbestosis, mesothelioma, pleural plaques
This entry was posted on Monday, February 20th, 2012 at 1:34 pm and is filed under Legal, News, People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
View the original article here
. And, experts tell the news agency, those numbers are only expected to rise in the coming years.
Statistics collected by the non-profit Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) indicate mesothelioma as the cause of 65 deaths in South Tyneside from 2006 to the end of 2010, or about 5.2 deaths per 100,000 people. The national average for this time frame was 2.5 deaths per 100,000. It is believed many victims were exposed to asbestos in the area’s once thriving shipbuilding industry.
Victims of asbestos exposure, who are suffering with diseases including asbestosis, a severe scarring of the lungs, and pleural plaques, often a precursor to the development of mesothelioma, along with families of those who have died from asbestos disease, are crusading for compensation.
They are angry about caps on compensation for victims of pleural plaques in England and Wales. And, they are concerned about how the victims of asbestos disease will pay for medical care and support their families as their disease progresses and the number of victims continues to rise.
“What is needed is for the Government to bring forward proposals for a fund of last resort, which would act as a safety net for injured workers who are otherwise unable to pursue the justice they deserve,” APIL president David Bott told the Shields Gazette
. This, he says, is the very least that they ought to be able to expect.Tags: asbestos, asbestosis, mesothelioma, pleural plaques
This entry was posted on Monday, February 20th, 2012 at 1:34 pm and is filed under Legal, News, People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
View the original article here
