Mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the lining of the body’s organs. The only known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma is a rare condition, accounting for less than 1% of all new cancer diagnoses in the UK.
There is a latency period with mesothelioma and it can take 10 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos before the symptoms of the disease start to affect a person.
Mesothelioma in men
Mesothelioma is typically seen as a condition that affects older men. This is because the type
of work that exposed people to asbestos was physical, manual work and tended to be done by men. Occupations at high risk of mesothelioma include electricians, builders, engineers, carpenters, joiners, laggers, dock workers and heating engineers.
Mesothelioma statistics
For men, mesothelioma is the 17th most common cancer, making up 1% of all new male cancer cases. For women, mesothelioma is not one of the 20 most common cancers and it makes up less than 1% of all new female cancer cases.
Between 2015 and 2017, there were 2,727 new cases of mesothelioma diagnosed. 83% of those diagnosed were men and 17% were women.
Asbestos exposure in women
Although it is not common, there are women who worked directly with asbestos, particularly in asbestos factories. We have pursued claims for women who worked at the Cape Asbestos factory in Hebden Bridge. They worked on spinning and weaving machines, making rolls of asbestos to be used in asbestos products. As you can imagine, the asbestos factory was a very dusty environment, with asbestos dust and fibres blowing around everyone as they worked.
The most common exposure for women is secondary exposure. Secondary exposure, sometimes called second-hand exposure, is when someone is exposed to asbestos from workers bringing it home on their clothing and so it is more common for women and children to be exposed to asbestos in this way.
Compensation for women with mesothelioma
For women diagnosed with mesothelioma who have been exposed to asbestos from their work, they are able to claim from their former employer and/or their insurers in the same way that men can. If the company is no longer trading and no employers’ liability insurance can be traced for the time the person worked for the company, a claim can be made from the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DMPS). The amounts paid out by the DMPS scheme are comparable to the value of a civil claim brought directly against the company and/or insurers.
For women diagnosed with mesothelioma who have had secondary exposure to asbestos, claiming is slightly different. Instead of needing to trace employers’ liability insurance for the time when the exposure occurred, we need to trace public liability insurance for the time when the mesothelioma started to develop (generally that is said to be 10 years prior to the onset of symptoms). This is more difficult as many of the companies no longer exist and so will not have any kind of insurance available which means that compensation cannot be claimed and the company cannot be held accountable for its wrongdoings.
For women unable to trace insurance which covers their claim, their only option is to claim from the Mesothelioma 2008 Scheme. The amounts awarded under this scheme are significantly lower than what could be recovered in a civil claim or if they were able to claim through the DMPS.
Change is needed
Although there are far less women currently diagnosed with mesothelioma, the figure is on the rise and it does not sit well with us that they are likely to be unable to claim the same sort of compensation awarded to men, despite suffering with the same condition. The decision to require insurance at the time of development of mesothelioma rather than the time of exposure to asbestos puts women at a disadvantage and this imbalance needs to be addressed.
No matter where you were exposed, we can help
Whether you are a man, woman or child, who has been exposed to asbestos directly or not, we can help you. We will do everything we can to trace the companies and insurers in your claim and if, after exhausting all avenues, we cannot pursue a civil claim, we will help you claim from the governmental schemes.
If you require assistance in pursuing an asbestos compensation claim for mesothelioma or other asbestos disease then please contact us today on our freephone number 0800 038 6767. Alternatively, head over to the ‘Contact Us’ page, complete the form and we will be in touch.