Why Asbestos remains a risk – and what to do if you are diagnosed with a related illness
Asbestos-related illness is still causing around 5000 deaths a year despite being banned by law since 1999.
Its widespread use before that date in construction materials including insulation boards, textured coatings and ceiling panels means much asbestos is still hidden, undocumented and therefore potentially dangerous.
Asbestos, if disturbed – often due to lack of awareness about its presence – remains a risk for those working in and around buildings built before 2000 including schools and universities, hospitals and GP surgeries, council properties and care homes, offices and industrial units.
A group legal action is also being brought by 3,000 people in the UK who believe their previous use of talcum powder, and possible asbestos contamination, has led to a cancer diagnosis.
If you are diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness, it's crucial to act quickly and find a personal injury lawyer experienced in dealing with this area of the law. It can be a bewildering time, not least because you may not even know when you were exposed to the asbestos.
Why is asbestos-related illness still such a problem?
Although all asbestos is dangerous, some forms are more dangerous than others.
When disturbed or damaged, and the fibres inhaled, it can cause several serious illnesses which typically take many years to develop before producing any symptoms. These include:
- Mesothelioma - a cancer which affects the layer of tissue that surrounds many of the body’s internal organs, including the lungs.
- Asbestos-related lung cancer.
- Asbestosis – scarring / fibrosis and inflammation of the lungs.
- Pleural thickening – thickening, fibrosis and inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs.
The cancer mesothelioma is virtually always caused by exposure to asbestos and even a small amount of exposure to asbestos can result in mesothelioma. By the time it is diagnosed, it is usually fatal. There were 2,218 mesothelioma deaths in 2023 alone.
Can you claim compensation for asbestos-related illness?
Yes, although how much compensation you can claim depends on what type of asbestos-related illness you have as well as your personal circumstances. It is calculated by looking at factors including:
- The severity of your illness.
- How your quality of life is affected.
- Loss of income - now and in the future.
- Any care and equipment costs, including end of life care.
- The practical and financial impact upon your family and dependents; and
- In the case of the illness being fatal, the funeral costs and other losses, including the spouse’s loss of income.
When a person has died, the victim's spouse or children who are under 18 can also claim 'bereavement damages'.
Why is a specialist lawyer so crucial in claiming compensation for an asbestos-related illness?
The process can be complicated. It may be that you don’t know when or where you were exposed to asbestos. Alternatively, it may be that you worked for several employers who all exposed you to asbestos.
Wards Solicitors’ specialist team can check your employment history with HM Revenue & Customs, going back several decades if necessary, to ensure that the claim is addressed to the correct defendant or defendants.
Because asbestos-related disease can take 20 to 60 years to develop, employers may have ceased trading in that time or had no insurance. They may have had insurance but the insurer is now insolvent.
We will conduct checks against each relevant employer to determine whether they held insurance and to identify their insurers. In most cases, if an insurer is insolvent, we can determine if another insurer is dealing with claims under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
Sometimes, it may not be possible to identify a defendant or insurer that we can claim from. Even where there is effectively no one to claim from, a statutory award can still be claimed from the government, and we can advise and assist you in relation to this.
In relation to mesothelioma claims, time can be short, and so there is a fast-track procedure in the Court which aims for cases to be dealt with quickly.
Get in touch
It's crucial to act quickly with an accident and injury lawyer experienced in dealing with asbestos-related illnesses to help you.
Wards Solicitors is highlighted in the independent Legal 500 Guide for 2026 with our Personal Injury (claimant) service area singled out for particular praise.
Associate Solicitor, Richard Green, is highly experienced in this area of the law and most recently, in a highly complex case, agreed settlement for a substantial sum to the widow of a former apprentice electrician exposed to substantial amounts of asbestos dust in the 1960s through to the 1990s whilst working in Bristol.
For a free initial consultation:
- Email Richard: green@wards.uk.com
- Email asbestos@wards.uk.com
- Phone Richard: 0117 929 2811