Asbestos Awareness Month

This November is Asbestos Awareness month.

Asbestos is the name given to the group of heat-resistant, fibrous minerals that can be woven into fabrics and used in linings and insulation. Asbestos is most commonly found in buildings, roof/ceiling insulation, industrial applications such as pipe lagging, sprayed limpet and asbestos cloth and rope. Up until the 1980’s, asbestos was widely used as a building material until it became apparent that the substance was incredibly dangerous to a person’s health.

Asbestos is a silent killer as it releases fibres into that air that cannot be seen or smelt, therefore it is unknowingly breathed in. If you have been exposed to asbestos over a long period of time, this puts you more at risk of developing severe health problems in your lifetime. Symptoms of asbestos exposure include shortness of breath, a persistent cough, chest pain, difficulty swallowing, swelling of the neck or face, weight and appetite loss, fatigue and and/or anaemia. Asbestos exposure can cause a number of long-term and life-threatening diseases such as Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer, Asbestosis and Pleural Thickening.

Asbestos is the biggest cause of work-related deaths in the UK and, according to the Health and Safety Executive, is responsible for around 4500 deaths each year through fibre-inhalation alone.

Any building built before the year 2000 may contain asbestos, so even with current asbestos-related conditions, there is a very high chance that exposure took place many years ago.

At Williamsons Solicitors, we have a specialist Industrial Disease claims department which has more than 20 years combined experience in the field bringing successful claims for clients who have suffered a workplace illness or disease. Our team has considerable experience winning asbestos-related cases for our clients.

If you have been diagnosed with a condition related to asbestos exposure at work, or indeed anything else as a direct result of working with asbestos, you have a right to compensation.