Britain must not forget industrial illness victims
Industrial disease victims and their families must not be forgotten as post-recession Britain tightens its purse strings, a leading lawyer has warned. As the Government prepares the nation for widespread spending cuts, Roger Maddocks, partner and industrial illness specialist at national law firm Irwin Mitchell, said support must continue for the ever-increasing numbers of people affected by diseases such as Mesothelioma, caused by exposure to asbestos. And he backed Action Mesothelioma Day, taking place across the UK on Friday, July 2nd, to raise awareness of the devastating impact that the fatal disease has on its victims and their loved ones. Roger Maddocks said: “The numbers of people dying of Mesothelioma annually is in the thousands and increasing all the time – although it is expected to peak around 2015, the effects will be felt for many years after that. “Action Mesothelioma Day sees awareness-raising events taking place throughout the UK and is a powerful and poignant demonstration of the sheer number of lives that are torn apart by this disease.” Earlier this year, the Government said it would consider proposals to set up a National Centre for Asbestos-Related Research (NCARD) – and Maddocks said he hoped these plans were still in the pipeline. He said: “We need measures of support, such as the NCARD, to be put into place to help alleviate the suffering of the thousands of current Mesothelioma sufferers, along with those who are yet to be diagnosed. “Rescuing the economy has, of course, to be the Government’s number one priority at the moment but we hope these plans, which could help to make a huge difference to many lives, are still allowed to come to fruition. “We already face a daily battle to achieve justice for the victims of Mesothelioma and other industrial conditions. We can never bring loved ones back, nor numb the pain that their families must feel, but we can provide them with a crumb of comfort.” Events to mark Action Mesothelioma Day are taking place throughout the country – visit www.mesothelioma.uk.com for more information. Case Study 1 - Marguerite Snaith Carol Bartlett lost her mother Marguerite Snaith to the fatal lung disease Mesothelioma on 19th September 2008 following her diagnosis in 2006. Mrs Snaith, of Chester-le-Street, worked as a typist at the now-defunct Birtley Iron Company from 1946-49, and was exposed to asbestos when she would visit the dusty factory floor to deliver invoices. Before her death she instructed lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate a claim against the employer – her daughter, Carol Bartlett, has continued the claim in her memory. However, the industrial illness lawyer representing her says the fight for justice could be held back because the Government has relaxed the laws regulating insurance documents. Isobel Lovett, associate solicitor and industrial illness specialist at Irwin Mitchell, said: “If anyone needed proof of the devastating and shocking impact that Mesothelioma can have, here it is. Mrs Snaith was diagnosed around 60 years after she was exposed to asbestos and, as a typist with relatively infrequent exposure, she could have been forgiven for thinking the risks were minimal – this must have come as a massive shock.” Case Study 2 – Douglas Jones Douglas Jones was 19 when he started working as an apprentice joiner for the Darlington Corporation – an arm of Darlington Borough Council. He was exposed to asbestos regularly over the next five years, as he worked on repairing asbestos roofs and in boiler houses containing asbestos lagging. As a result of this exposure, he was diagnosed with Mesothelioma on May 27th 2009, and instructed Roger Maddocks, industrial illness specialist and partner at Irwin Mitchell, to mount a legal claim against Darlington Borough Council. This legal battle ended in April 2010 with an undisclosed settlement. Mr Jones said: “I was most recently self-employed but my health deteriorated in early 2009 – I found myself becoming tired and having to stop work at lunchtime. It was a complete shock to me – I had worked hard my entire life and always thought of myself as being fit and healthy. “I can remember specifically some of the jobs we worked on, which involved removing old, broken asbestos and replacing it with new asbestos sheets which we had to cut to size. All of this would create lots of dust that would fly in your face.” Mr Jones also worked in asbestos-filled boiler rooms, carrying out repairs, at a number of Darlington schools.
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