Mesothelioma Lawyer UK

Who Is at Risk?

Anyone in the UK who worked in the shipbuilding industry prior to the 1980s and anyone who served aboard a ship containing asbestos is in a category of the high risk for asbestos exposure and mesothelioma. Ships are notoriously loaded with asbestos insulation and asbestos parts.

When ships are retro-fitted, maintained or repaired, there is a risk of asbestos fibers becoming airborne. These fibers are what lay the groundwork for an asbestos-related disease.

Construction workers in the UK are another high-risk group, primarily because asbestos was so prevalent for so long in the country's older buildings and residences. Structures erected or renovated prior to 2000 are likely to contain asbestos. By comparison, buildings constructed after the 1980s in the United States are presumed to have only a minimal amount of asbestos, if any at all.

Other occupations at a high risk for asbestos exposure include HVAC engineers, plasterers, roofing contractors, demolition crews, painters, pipe fitters, maintenance workers and even teachers.

Other higher exposure occupations include:

• Carpenters
• Joiners
• Plumbers
• Boilermakers
• Electricians

Mesothelioma by Location in the UK

The Health and Safety Executive notes that there has been a general increase in the number of deaths from mesothelioma in most regions of the United Kingdom. The only regions that have seen a slight decrease for males have been Scotland, North East, South East and West Midlands. An upward trend for women has been found in all regions.

The 20 most affected sites in the UK are:

Barking and Dagenham
Barrow-In-Furness
Crewe and Nantwich
Eastleigh
Glasgow City
Gosport
Hartlepool
Havant
Inverclyde
Medway


Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
Newham
North Tyneside
Plymouth
Portsmouth
Renfrewshire
South Tyneside
Southampton
Sunderland
West Dunbartonshire

Asbestos was also widely used in factories, chemical plants, power plants, refineries, commercial buildings and even homes and schools in the UK. Little thought was given to the potential dangers of the mineral, even though scientific findings from as early as the 1920s and 1930s suggested that the material was causing serious respiratory illnesses in individuals exposed to airborne asbestos fibers.

In the 1970s, it became apparent that cases of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases were on the rise in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Legislators recognized that it was necessary to take action to control and possibly ban the use of this toxic material, and hospitals realized that they needed to account for people who needed specialized treatment for this rare cancer.

UK Treatment Centers for Mesothelioma

Not every hospital in the UK has specialists who can treat the disease. One of the best cancer hospitals in the UK and the one that often treats mesothelioma patients is The Royal Marsden Hospital, which has locations in London and Surrey. The Royal Marsden is the oldest dedicated cancer hospital in the world. The Lung Unit at The Royal sees more than 500 new patients each year and employs a multi-disciplinary team of experts. The facilities offer state-of-the-art treatment and participation in ongoing mesothelioma clinical trials.

Other treatment centers in the UK include:

• The Christie Hospital (Manchester)
• Glenfield Hospital (Leicester)
• Guy's Hospital (London)
• The London Chest Hospital (London)
• St. Bartholomew's Hospital (London)
• London Lung Cancer Centre- London Bridge Hospital (London)
• Papworth Hospital (Cambridge)