Asbestos Compensation

An asbestos compensation claim is when you seek damages, compensation, for the injury and financial effects on your life of contracting an asbestos-related disease.

Exposure to asbestos fibres can cause Mesothelioma, lung cancer and other related diseases. You may have an asbestos compensation claim if you suffer illness from exposure to asbestos fibres.

If you were diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease due to exposure to fibres at work, you may be eligible to make an asbestos claim. You may be able to claim for the injury and for any financial effects on your life and that of your dependents.

Your diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease will have to be made within the last three years for you to make an asbestos claim.

Shipbuilding, plumbing, and construction workers are particularly vulnerable to contracting an asbestos-related disease. If you worked in buildings such as schools or hospitals built before 2000, you could also be at risk from asbestos-type cancers.

You may also be at risk of secondary exposure to asbestos if a family member is exposed to asbestos fibres. The fibres lodge in hair and clothes, and you could suffer if you breathed in the asbestos fibres when in close contact.

A No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor can handle your case and see if you are eligible to make an asbestos claim.

The common diseases as a result of asbestos exposure include forms of cancer and lung conditions. If you worked in an industry with exposure to asbestos fibres, you may have contracted a related disease through your job.

Some of the diseases that may be a result of asbestos exposure:

Mesothelioma is a cancer that mainly affects the lungs, stomach and the heart and may be due to asbestos exposure. Over 2,000 people are diagnosed in the UK every year with Mesothelioma.

It may take 20 years for Mesothelioma to develop. Many cases are linked to a build-up of asbestos fibre in the lungs from exposure to asbestos at work.

Mesothelioma can affect the lining of the lungs, the stomach, and the heart. Symptoms can include fatigue, difficulty breathing, loss of appetite, and stomach upset.

Lung cancer may develop from exposure to asbestos though it is not the only cause of this severe form of the disease.

Asbestos lung cancer may be fatal, and symptoms can include breathlessness, coughing up blood and weight loss.

Pleural thickening affects the pleural membrane between the ribcage and the lungs. The thickening pushes down on the lungs causing difficulties in breathing and discomfort.

The pleural thickening can be caused by scarring of the pleural membrane. It can happen from asbestos exposure, and though not a form of cancer, pleural thickening may be an indicator of Mesothelioma.

Asbestosis may come from exposure to asbestos fibres over a long period of time and is a chronic form of lung disease. You may suffer from scarring and inflammation of the lungs after working with and inhaling asbestos fibres for many years.

Symptoms of Asbestosis can include shortness of breath, regular wheezing, coughing and tiredness.

Asbestosis is a serious underlying disease that may severely restrict your life.

An employer may be liable for asbestos claims if they exposed you or a loved one to asbestos. You may be able to claim for contracting an asbestos-related disease if you can show the employer’s negligence contributed to your exposure to asbestos.

Mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases may take many years to develop. By examining your work history, you may be able to trace where the asbestos exposure occurred and see if you have a valid claim against your employer at the time.

Workers who may have been exposed to asbestos include:

Many types of employees may have been exposed to asbestos through work. If you worked in a building with asbestos insulation or where it was sprayed onto walls, you may have been exposed to dangerous levels of it over time.

A No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor can look at your case details to see if you may have an asbestos claim for compensation.

In an asbestos claim, you might be able to claim damages ranging from a few thousand pounds to more than £10 million. How much compensation you can claim depends on the injuries suffered and the financial effect of those injuries on your life.

If someone else is responsible for your personal injury, you might be able to claim compensation from their insurance company.

Sample compensation amounts in asbestos claims are as follows. Please note these are figures for the injuries only. Financial losses would apply in addition.

Find out how much you can claim in compensation.

(The figures given here are for General Damages amounts only. You might also receive compensation for any financial losses you suffer due to the personal injury. Figures are taken from Judicial College Guidelines 16th Edition and are accurate as of April 2023.)

There is not one fixed amount in personal injury claims. The circumstances differ from person to person and claim to claim, and the amount of compensation awarded is tailored to the circumstances of your claim. 

A No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor can give you an idea of what to expect from their experience in compensation claims.