Mesothelioma an indiscriminate killer

Posted 07/03/2012

Mesothelioma, the cancer of the lining of the lung almost exclusively caused by breathing in asbestos dust, does not respect fame or fortune. Notoriously it has done for Steve McQueen, star of Bullitt and The Great Escape, Malcolm McLaren, manager of the Sex Pistols and cultural commentator and Warren Zevon, the singer/songwriter, alongside many shipping workers, carpenters, car mechanics, plumbers and electricians to name but a few.Simon Davis, who specialises in such claims at Ashtons Legal and has recently completed a claim on behalf of the family of an eminent academic, comments:”Time and time again I find myself having to explain how it is that we continued to use asbestos products well into the 1980s when the dangers have been documented in this country since 1904. The families of those affected think it more than criminal when they have to watch the effects.Although compensation may help in cases of financial dependency, it rarely means much to those with the diagnosis. Safety standards surrounding asbestos containment and removal have improved enormously. Let us hope the numbers of those with mesothelioma start to fall and fall rapidly”.