Finance Minister Calls for Change in Asbestos Law

2009-06-30 19:14:01 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - Mesothelioma Asbestos, News)

Finance Minister Nigel Dodds is seeking changes in laws to compensate victims of asbestos exposure.

Mesothelioma Cancer News (UK)—UK Finance Minister Nigel Dodds is seeking to change an asbestos compensation law to broaden access for exposure victims and sufferers of asbestos related diseases. As reported by the Press Association, Dodds is set to make a recommendation to the Executive to support a reform that will allow legal compensation for people with pleural plaques.

Dodds is quoted in the report as stating, “We now know just how dangerous asbestos is, but for many years it was used in a range of commercial products, and even in buildings, because of its resistance to heat… Many people who have been exposed to asbestos, usually through their work, have gone on to develop conditions because of that exposure.”

As noted in the report, a 2007 House of Lords ruling banned compensation claims for those with pleural plaques. Dodds is further quoted as stating, “Having heard those testimonies, I have decided to recommend a change to the law to allow those who have been negligently exposed to asbestos and who have been diagnosed with pleural plaques to claim compensation. Clearly, we cannot turn back the clock in terms of preventing exposure to asbestos, but we can ensure that the consequences of the exposure are acknowledged and addressed.”

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