Asbestos Compensation Claims

If you have been told that you have an asbestos-related medical condition, such as asbestos cancer or asbestos mesothelioma, you can claim damages if:

• You were told about the condition in the last three years
• If the insurers can be traced for the employers who you were working with at the time of the asbestos exposure
• If those employers failed to protect you from the exposure

We are one of Scotland's top rated firms of personal injury solicitors. Based in Edinburgh we help people with asbestos claims and other injury claims from Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee and elsewhere in Scotland. Contact us for expert accident claims advice on: 01312255214.

Asbestosis, Lung Cancer & Mesothelioma Compensation Values in Scotland

The law now recognises that injuries and illness which occur as a result of exposure to asbestos can attract awards of compensation. This is the case even where the injury is not life-threatening and does not have any real impact on the quality of the sufferers life, such as pleural plaques.

The figures below are only offered as a guide. These reflect only the 'pain and suffering' amount that a Court may award, not wage loss and other losses you could claim (see our compensation calculator page for an explanatory note of the types of damages in Scotland). And the true amount you receive will be governed by the nature of your illness/injury and the experience of your solicitor in handling such claims.

Mesothelioma: £53,200 - £95,700

Lung Cancer: £53,200 - £74,000

Asbestosis: £11,450 - £80,450

Pleural Thickening: £29,200 - £80,450

Other asbestos-related illnesses: £11,450 - £29,200

Specialist Mesothelioma Claims Solicitors

Around 2400 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the UK each year.  There are about five times as many cases in men as women.

You will need specialist help for mesothelioma claims as many employers are no longer trading and their insurance companies can be difficult to trace.  Lawford Kidd have a database of Scottish employers who are known to have worked with asbestos and against whom claims have previously succeeded.  We also have a database of those employers’ insurers.  You should contact us for free advice on 01312255214.  Remember that you will keep 100% of your compensation.

Mesothelioma is still a rare cancer but is becoming more common.  The main cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos.  At least 80% of people diagnosed with mesothelioma say they have been in contact with asbestos.  The risk is greater if the exposure occurs at an early age.

The industrial disease department of Lawford Kidd over a period of 30 years has recovered settlements up to £400,000 for asbestos mesothelioma victims.  We can advise you both on submitting a claim to former employers and also claiming compensation under the Pneumoconiosis Etc. (Workers Compensation) Act 1979 if your former employers have ceased trading.  The DSS have a free phone line for information 0800 279 2322.  You should also apply for industrial injuries disablement benefit in Scotland at 0845 608 8967.

Some research shows that 1 in 10 people exposed to asbestos develop mesothelioma in the pleural membranes.

Common sources of exposure to asbestos are:

• Building industry
• Shipbuilding industry
• Manufacture of household appliances
• Motor industry
• Power Stations
• Telephone Exchanges

A recent new case study showed that risks are particularly high for shipbuilding workers and carpenters, and the risk is higher in people exposed to asbestos before the age of 30.

The study showed that 1 out of 17 British carpenters born in the 1940s would go on to develop mesothelioma.  Plumbers and mechanics are also at risk.

Asbestos causes mesothelioma as a result of the very hard tiny asbestos fibres working their way into the lining of the lung (the pleura).  This can result pleural mesothelioma.  Another form of mesothelioma is peritoneal mesothelioma which occurs in the abdomen.

One recent mesothelioma scare concerns small fibres which are made to toughen bike frames and hockey sticks have been identified as a possible cause of asbestos like cancer.  The carbon nanotubes which are used for strengthening tennis rackets and as a possible item for bullet proofing clothing have been found to cause harm in mice if the longer nanotubes become stuck in lung tissue. Research done by Professor Ken Donaldson, Chair of the Respiratory Toxicology at Edinburgh University identified the asbestos type problem and he said "This research shows there is a potential hazard in the manufacture of certain types of carbon nanotubes." Mesothelioma is a very serious cancer of the lining of the lung caused by asbestos fibres lodging in the lung and the condition often remains dormant for twenty or thirty years.  Current government statistics reveal that the death rate from mesothelioma is likely to peak at 2040 around the year 2016.

Lawford Kidd are specialist asbestos industrial disease solicitors and have dealt with mesothelioma claims for 30 years.

If you are diagnosed with mesothelioma you should take immediate specialist personal injury legal advice. 

We have acted for shipyard workers, mechanics, joiners, electricians and builders who have contracted mesothelioma.  Workers can also be at risk who are not in the building industry from by-stander exposure to asbestos.  There are cases where office workers have been present when asbestos insulation or removal of asbestos has taken place in the vicinity of their work area and they have contracted mesothelioma.  Many buildings had asbestos ceiling tiles (made with asbestolux) and if these are removed dust can be given off and enter the lungs.

Mesothelioma is a cancer with a poor prognosis.  However, research is taking place into the prevention and diagnosis of mesothelioma with chemotherapy surgery, biological therapies and treatment.

Support for mesothelioma patients can be obtained from Macmillan Cancer Support.

Click here to start making your claim or call us on 01312255214.

Asbestos Claims Claims in Scotland

British workers have been exposed to asbestos dust for many years.  The heaviest exposure was in shipyards yards and factories involved in the making of asbestos products.

Many workers were exposed during building work where asbestos products were common both in insulation and fire proof products such as boiler lagging and ceiling tiles.

The asbestos dust is hard and can stay in the lungs and eventually cause problems.

Asbestos conditions can be potentially fatal such as mesothelioma (a malignancy affecting the outer lining of the lung) and lung cancer.

Asbestosis (a thickening or fibrosis of the lung) can cause breathlessness.  Other conditions such as diffuse pleural thickening and pleural plaques can affect the lungs and it will show up in x-rays.  They may or may not cause breathlessness. 

It is possible to claim compensation for these conditions. Following a decision of the Supreme Court, you can now claim compensation for Pleural Plaques too.  Pleural Plaques are scars on the lining of the lung which, while they do not cause any pain or discomfort, are evidence of exposure to Asbestos.

Contact Lawford Kidd to Start Your Claim

Compensation for asbestosis or mesothelioma in Scotland can be claimed both for the personal injury itself and any loss of income arising.

We will give you free advice about the prospects of success in an asbestos claim.  Don’t delay, contact us as soon as possible.  Even if no claim is possible against former employers there are Government schemes which may allow you to recover compensation.

Contact Lawford Kidd, your expert personal injury lawyers for advice on all aspects of asbestos claims and compensation in Scotland.