Medway stands second in asbestos mesothelioma industrial disease death rates countrywide

Between 2006 and 2010, mesothelioma claimed the lives of 104 people – these statistics are based on facts from the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). This figure is in relation to the areas surrounding and including the Chatham dockyard which witnessed a death rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people in the earlier mentioned time frame. The national average, at present, stands at 2.5 deaths per 100,000. In comparison, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria has the highest death rate with 8.4 per 100,000 making it the area with the most death rates in England and Wales. These figures have led to Chatham’s MP Tracey Crouch calling for action to be taken immediately.

APIL is a non-profit institution and also provides assistance to those of its members who are suffering from the illness or who have been injured in terms of fighting for personal injury compensation claim. They believe that the data they have is enough to warrant a central compensation fund. APIL has warned that if ignored, these figures will go up over the coming years.

President David Bott said that there was a need for the government to bring forward proposals for a fund of last resort. This could be utilized as a safety net for injured workers who may not be able to pursue and get the justice they are due. Ms Crouch supports this call and has plans to bring the issue to the notice of the Parliament.

She said that there was going to be a spike in claims over the next five years and it was therefore necessary that they be able to give victims and their families’ financial security.

Mesothelioma is a fatal form of cancer that is a result of continuous and extensive exposure to asbestos. It affects the lung wall and is rather common among men who are more prone to an asbestos accident at work. Some of the common industries that have such high risk exposure levels are shipbuilding, construction as well as power stations, telephone exchanges and car-making. This is based on research by Cancer Research UK.

APIL believes that the rate of death will continue to go up over the next few years and this is a direct result of the extensive use of asbestos in the industry primarily during World War II right up to the mid-1970s.

It would be ideal for those extensively exposed to asbestos to get specialist help in the form of no win no fee solicitors, who can help them with compensation claims because many a times, the symptoms do not come to light immediately. It may happen well after a person has retired or the employer is no longer in business. In such cases having a no win no fee industrial disease claims specialist on your side is essential.