In the United States, the rate of fatality among mesothelioma patients is two to three thousand a year. The UK nearly matches that rate: British mesothelioma deaths occur at the rate of about 2,000 per year. In both countries it has been established that family members of individuals who have been repeatedly exposed to asbestos at some point during their working years are also at higher risk for contracting the disease. Mesothelioma often surfaces decades after the exposure to asbestos.
Compensation is provided to British workers who suffered asbestos exposure through government programs, since it is classified as an industrial injury. Victims most commonly worked in the shipyards; in the construction industry; or in one of the metal working trades.
Now, The Guardian reports that there is a law working its way through Parliament which will provide compensation to family members who may have developed mesothelioma as a result of living with someone who was repeatedly exposed to asbestos at work. This bill currently has a clause which limits the opportunity for a family member to file a claim to twelve months after diagnosis of the disease.
As in the U.S. the largest group of people who were most likely exposed to asbestos on the job site are now retired or approaching retirement. The concern about the twelve month limit for claims is that those family members who have already been diagnosed may be ineligible for benefits if they have managed to live more than twelve months after the initial diagnosis.
The Guardian reports further that the diagnosis of asbestos-related mesothelioma has yet to peak among Britain’s workers, both those retired and those who are still active. Presumably, the same will be true of family members.
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