Asbestos compensation claim news
16/04/2007

Mesothelioma cases set to rise

Mesothelioma experts have announced that an epidemic of the fatal cancer is due between 2011 and 2015 as people exposed to asbestos in the 1960s and 1970s are expected to be diagnosed with the disease.

Asbestos was used largely as an insulating material between 1960 and 1975, meaning that many construction workers at this time and people who lived in houses made with asbestos based materials were more at risk of exposure to the lethal dust.

As a result, many cases of mesothelioma are expected to be diagnosed since it can take as many as 40 or 50 years for the effects of an asbestos-related disease, such as shortness of breath and a chesty cough, to become apparent.

Around 13 people currently die every day of mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer and it was previously predicted that by 2010 some 10,000 people in Britain will die as a result of exposure to asbestos; that's more than double the amount of people that are involved in fatal road accidents.

Medical professionals at the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust are at present diagnosing approximately 15 patients with mesothelioma each year and a spokesperson for the trust has commented, "Shortly new guidance is expected, which is likely to recommend that all cases of mesothelioma are discussed in one meeting covering the whole of Hertfordshire and south Bedfordshire the area of the Mount Vernon Cancer Network.

"The trust is already engaged with its partners in the local network to make sure that it is ready to implement the new guidance once it is published.

"It is important to remember, however, that until such time as a treatment is found that holds out the possibility of a cure, the aim will be to make sure that patients with mesothelioma have their quality of life enhanced as far as is possible."

There are certain drugs on the market that can make patients' last months more comfortable and give them the opportunity to spend valuable time with their families. This also gives them and their families the opportunity to pursue the option of contacting personal injury solicitors to see if they are entitled to make a no win, no fee compensation claim for mesothelioma.