An all-party group of MP’s have been calling on the Government to set up a’ fund of last resort’ for sufferers of the Asbestos related illness Mesothelioma.

The Cancer which is almost exclusively contracted by exposure to asbestos claims thousands of lives a year in the UK.

There is redress in courts to gain compensation, however one in 10 sufferers receive nothing, Mesothelioma can take up to forty years to develope and many businesses become untraceable. 

The voluntary scheme run by the insurance industry is a failure as it solves less than half the cases has 

The all party group are pressing for a compulsory insurance scheme that will ensure payment for those who often have a limited time.”

The insurance industry will try everything in their power to reduce liability , particularly in cases of asbestos related disease.

Do you know someone who is suffereing?

A vicar whose father died of asbestos-related lung cancer has gained support for a scheme to help sufferers in Lincolnshire.

Reverend Canon Andrew Vaughan’s  father Harry died after being exposed to asbestos in a Welsh power station where he worked.

Mesothelioma, cancer of the lung lining or abdomen, which struck Harry Vaughan, can develop from even low exposure meaning people like teachers, nurses and office workers have contracted the disease.

Along with county councillor Nev Jackson, Mr Vaughan approached the Derbyshire Asbestos Support Team who help victims of asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma and pleural thickening apply for benefits, grants and compensation.

Thanks to a £150,000 investment from Macmillan Cancer Support they are set to expand their work across the whole of the East Midlands.

The Scottish Parliment is about to restore a bill that will allow sufferers of Pleural Plaques to gain compensation.

Pleural Plaques is an asbestos related Illness.

Although not life-threatening, being diagnosed with Pleural Plaques means the sufferer has been exposed to asbestos and that may contribute to a worrying and uncertain period in their life.

Those exposed to asbestos can go on to develop more serious illnesses such as Pleural Thickening, Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma.

In England and Wales it is not possible to claim compensation for Pleural Plaques although there is continuing lobbying of Parlimentary Members for change.

Yet another instance of the Postcode Lottery in the UK

Mesothelioma, an asbestos-related form of lung cancer, could kill up to 100,000 people over the next 20 years, figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) suggest.

One of the areas hardest hit is the north-east of England, where the number of deaths has been steadily growing in recent years and now constitutes around a tenth of all mesothelioma deaths in England.

Most victims of this will have been exposed while working in the ship building and steel manufacturing industries.

The latest figures from the HSE show that around 1,800 people die of mesothelioma in England each year - an increase of around 33% compared to the previous eight years. Nearly 170, or 10%, were from South Tyneside and the north-east of England.

The reasons for the high incidence of asbestos related diseases are not hard to find.
In North Tyneside, by the ruins of the Roman fort in Wallsend, the cranes of the shipyards where many workers were exposed to asbestos can be seen. According to some campaigners, as many as one in four people in this part of the world either know someone who has an asbestos related illnes or has one themselves.

Like families on the Clyde or those associated with the dockyards of Plymouth and Portsmouth, those on Tyneside have long lived with asbestos and now have to come to terms with the problems.

Although the use of asbestos has decreased over the last 40 years, the latency period between exposure and the development of disease means that numbers of victims will continue to grow.

Mesothelioma, an asbestos-related form of lung cancer, could kill up to 100,000 people over the next 20 years, figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) suggest.

One of the areas hardest hit is the north-east of England, where the number of deaths has been steadily growing in recent years and now constitutes around a tenth of all mesothelioma deaths in England.

Most victims of this will have been exposed while working in the ship building and steel manufacturing industries.

The latest figures from the HSE show that around 1,800 people die of mesothelioma in England each year - an increase of around 33% compared to the previous eight years. Nearly 170, or 10%, were from South Tyneside and the north-east of England.

The reasons for the high incidence of asbestos related diseases are not hard to find.
In North Tyneside, by the ruins of the Roman fort in Wallsend, the cranes of the shipyards where many workers were exposed to asbestos can be seen. According to some campaigners, as many as one in four people in this part of the world either know someone who has an asbestos related illnes or has one themselves.

Like families on the Clyde or those associated with the dockyards of Plymouth and Portsmouth, those on Tyneside have long lived with asbestos and now have to come to terms with the problems.

Although the use of asbestos has decreased over the last 40 years, the latency period between exposure and the development of disease means that numbers of victims will continue to grow.