Liverpool-based law firm EAD Solicitors is raising awareness of the escalating levels of asbestos-related illness as it takes on an increasing number of claims for sufferers.
The use of the mineral asbestos, commonly found in insulation and other building products because of its high heat and chemical resistance, was banned in the UK in 2000 because of the risk to health it poses. Breathed in, its tiny, needle-like fibres stick to the airways and can cause a number of diseases.

'Asbestos was used so widely from the 1950s to the 1980s that the figures relating to linked illnesses are quite shocking,' said solicitor Paul Currie of EAD, a specialist in asbestosis claims.

'It has been described as an epidemic, with more people dying from asbestos-related illnesses each week than from road traffic accidents.

'For instance, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), which describes asbestos as the 'hidden killer', estimates that one in 17 carpenters born in the 1940s will die of mesothelioma, one of the most severe conditions. According to the HSE's predictions, deaths caused by asbestos will peak in the next five or six years.

'There are a vast number of trades and professions where people can still come into contact with asbestos.

'Because its use was so widespread in construction, many homes and buildings may contain asbestos in some form. So this is not just something that just affects older people.'

Some of the most hazardous occupations for contact with asbestos include lagging and insulation, demolition, building, painting and decoration, roofing, shipbuilding, welding, plumbing, electrical work, gas fitting and boiler making.

'If you have been diagnosed with any asbestos-related condition, from malignant mesolthelioma to a minor respiratory disability, you may well be in a good position to make a claim,' added Currie.

'It's vital to take specialist legal advice though, as employers and their insurers can challenge cases on a variety of different grounds.

'Unfortunately, in many cases our clients are terminally ill and a sizeable settlement can at least make life a bit more comfortable as the illness progresses and help to take care of the family. Typical compensation for mesothelioma usually exceeds £100,000.'

More information is available on the EAD website at www.eadsolicitors.co.uk, where you can click straight through to the asbestos section.